REQ00000754

Are you passionate about making a difference in the lives of young children and their families? West Berkshire Council is seeking a dedicated and experienced Principal Advisor Early Years to join our Education Services team. This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the strategic leadership and development of early years education within our diverse and supportive local authority.

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and attributes:

• Extensive knowledge and experience of early years education, with a thorough understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Proven ability to provide effective advice and support to education providers.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating educational provision.
• Knowledge of local authority processes and responsibilities would be advantageous.
• If you are passionate about improving outcomes for young children and are committed to working in partnership with education providers, we would love to hear from you

As the Principal Advisor Early Years, you will play a key role in ensuring the delivery of high-quality early years education and care across West Berkshire. Your main responsibilities will include:

• Providing expert advice and guidance to early years providers, schools, and settings to promote the successful implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Driving strategic planning of early years services with a particular focus on school readiness and improving outcomes for disadvantaged children.
• Leading on the local authority’s duties in relation to provision of early years education, including the administration of free entitlement funding and participation in national developments within the sector.
• Working collaboratively with other agencies and stakeholders to ensure the best outcomes for children and families.
• Monitoring and evaluating the quality of early years provision, providing support for improvement where necessary.

The ideal candidate will possess the following skills and attributes:

• Extensive knowledge and experience of early years education, with a thorough understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Proven ability to provide effective advice and support to education providers.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, with the ability to work collaboratively with a range of stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience in monitoring and evaluating educational provision.
• Knowledge of local authority processes and responsibilities would be advantageous.
• If you are passionate about improving outcomes for young children and are committed to working in partnership with education providers, we would love to hear from you.

West Berkshire Council offer excellent employment benefits such as:

• Flexible working wherever possible between the hours of 07.00-21.00
• Hybrid working wherever possible working 40% in the office
• Access to a wide range of training and development opportunities
• Generous Local Government pension scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A range of local discounts
• Wellbeing Programme including Employee Assistance Programme and employee benefits
• You will also be entitled to a generous annual leave entitlement starting at 30 days per annum (plus public holidays) Rising by an additional 5 days after 5 years’ service.

Please note that the closing date is given as a guide. We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible to avoid disappointment
For an informal discussion about the role, please contact Beth Kelly, Interim Head of Early Years beth.kelly1@westberks.gov.uk
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