EARLY YEARS PRACTITIONER
31.67 hours per week, term time only
Pay Grade: Band 15 (£24,413.00 - £25,185.00 pro rata)
Actual salary £17,873.37 - £18,438.57
Fixed term to 31st August 2025 in the first instance
Location: St James Church School, Taunton
St James is a diverse, loving and caring school. We are looking for a Early Years Practitioner with a passion for education, who will offer children high quality learning with a key belief that relationships are important in engaging both parents and children.
“Pupils are proud to attend this inclusive and welcoming school. Staff have high expectations for all pupils. Pupils respond to these expectations; they behave well and are keen to learn. As a result, pupils learn the improved curriculum well. Ofsted November 2024
We were rated ‘good’ in all areas by Ofsted in November 2024.
We are able to offer the successful candidate:
Brilliant children, full of character, who are keen to succeed
Supportive staff who want to make a difference in our very diverse community
A Church school with a strong a purposeful vision: ‘Aspire, Achieve, Flourish’
Engaged parents who want the best for their child
Good links with our community
A friendly and pleasant working environment where staff are solution focussed and supportive of each other
Candidates are welcome to contact the school and arrange a visit with the Headteacher. If you would like to arrange this, please get in touch via phone or email the school. We are also proud of our website, and this is a good place to see what our school is like, particularly our newsletters. An application form, full job description and person specification are available from the school website.
As part of the wider BWMAT you will benefit from the support of a professional and experienced central team and also a network of colleagues in similar role across other schools. The BWMAT offers excellent CPD and staff benefits for its employees. Please visit the ‘working for us’ tab on the BWMAT website for more details.
Application forms should be submitted with a covering letter via email to the School Office Manager, Nicola Ward.
The school is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expects all staff to share this commitment. All appointments are subject to satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.
Closing date for applications: Thursday, 25th September 2025 at midnight
Interview date: Week commencing: Monday, 29th September 2025
This role will commence: As soon as possible after appointment depending on candidate availability and pre-employment checks.
Application forms will be scrutinised, including checking the candidate’s previous employment history and experience and ensuring that any discrepancies, gaps or anomalies are satisfactorily explained
We will obtain independent professional references that ask specific questions to help assess the applicant’s suitability to work with children and following up any concerns
We will hold a face to face interview that explores the applicant’s suitability to work with children as well as their suitability for the post
We will verify the successful applicant’s identity
We will verify the successful applicant’s academic qualifications
We will undertake a Disclosure and Barring Service check