We’re looking for a kind, caring and fun staff member to join our team to cover Laura’s maternity leave from January.

Job Description:

Playschool Assistant to cover maternity leave.

Starting Monday 26^th January 2026. Fixed term contract until 16^th July 2026.

Hours 9-3pm Monday and Friday in term time only (plus ad hoc cover if available).

Renumeration £12.21 for unqualified staff (increasing to £12.71 from 1^st April). £13.22 for qualified staff (increasing to £13.72 from 1^st April).

You will be required to attend 1 staff meeting per half term, which will usually be held during a weekday evening, and for this you will be paid your usual hourly rate.

Aims and Ethos of the setting

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. We will undertake an enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check and references for all successful candidates. This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the amendments to the Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020.

We have embedded the Thrive approach in the setting and our focus is on attachment theory and building strong bonds with the children and families who attend our setting. We also have a real focus on inclusion and regularly have external agencies working with us in setting – Surrey Early Years Effectiveness and SEND advisors, speech therapists and many others. You will need to be patient, kind, caring and compassionate as well as flexible and able to deal with change as it’s a fast-paced environment and the needs of the children can differ on a daily basis. Good communication and team-work skills are vital.

Duties

Duties will include working as part of a team to deliver the EYFS 2025. This may include reading stories to children, joining play in a range of scenarios like playdough, cars, water tray, sensory tray, small world toys, puzzles, building blocks etc. We offer a free flow environment for the children and the garden is open for most of the day and staff need to be able to join garden duties regularly.

Your role will include lunch time supervision and working closely with colleagues including the SENCO and DSL to ensure all children’s unique needs are  met in the setting. We have a high  number of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, ranging from delayed speech to autism spectrum disorder.

Duties will also include risk assessing and helping with tidy up time and packing away the equipment when the children go home.

Please email Louise for an application form louise@peterpanplayschool.co.uk

Having turned people away as we were oversubscribed for September, a few of of our new starters are no longer joining us due to changes in circumstances, so we have limited spaces available. We start back on Monday 8th September, and will be booking in visits from Monday 15th September, so please get in touch to arrange a show around if you’re looking for a space! louise@peterpanplayschool.co.uk

Peter Pan Playschool is now operating as Peter Pan Playschool (CIO), a charitable incorporated organisation and our new Ofsted registration has been approved as of 10th April 2024.

Working parents of children may qualify for tax free childcare, where for every £8 parents put in, the government pays £2.

All children are eligible for 15 hours free entitlement from the term after their third birthday. Working parents may be eligible for 30 hours entitlement.

Some two year olds may qualify for FEET funding which is means tested.

From April 2024, working parents of 2 year olds may be eligible for 15 hours free entitlement from the term after their second birthday.

From September 2024, working parents of children from 9 months may be eligible for 15 hours free entitlement from the term after they turn 9 months.

From September 2025, working parents of children from 9 months may be eligible for the extended 30 hours free entitlement.

All information is now on the childcare choices website, and parents can put in details to see if you qualify.

https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk/

We’re now taking admissions from September 2025 and beyond. If you’d like to join the waiting list in case anything comes up before then please email Louise on peterpanplayschool@gmail.com, but at the moment we’re very busy.

We are really sorry but we are now provisionally full until September 2025. You’re welcome to join the waiting list in case anything comes up before then, but at the moment we can’t offer any confirmed places before then.

Due to an unprecedented number of applications, we’ve had to close our waiting list now, so we don’t have any spaces until September 2024, and they’re already filling up quickly. Please do get in touch as early as possible to arrange a visit and sign up if you’re looking for September 2024 and beyond.

We’re now totally full for the rest of 2022/2023 and already looking really busy from September 2023, with very limited spaces available already – please do get in touch as soon as possible if you’re looking for a space to avoid disappointment