Holiday Club Senior Playworker SEN

Holiday Club Senior Playworker SEN - Kids' Club (8 - 13 years) / Juniors (5 - 7 years)

We are looking for applicants who are organised, efficient, flexible and who are able to work in a large, fast-paced and often challenging Holiday Club environment. Good communication and interpersonal skills are essential, as is the ability to work well as part of a team, calmly, with energy and a sense of humour. This role has a particular focus on supporting children with special or additional needs so we are looking for individuals who have an understanding of SEND, are empathetic, can be calm, patient and confident in potentially difficult situations.

Under the supervision and guidance of senior staff, Playworkers are responsible for the delivery of the Kids' Club and Juniors Holiday Club programmes - 2 separate roles although some staff are readily interchangeable between the 2 different age group settings. We are looking for individuals who have some knowledge and experience of supervising safe, age appropriate play opportunities and assisting with sport/drama/arts & crafts/teambonding type activities for children aged between 5 and 13 years of age. In addition to these skills we are looking for staff with experience of SEND, this could be through paid/voluntary work or in a personal capacity.

Playworker applicants will need to demonstrate the ability to work well as part of a team, display attributes that create/build a friendly and professional rapport with children. In addition, applicants should possess a responsible and caring attitude combined with a calm, patient and tolerant manner. We require evidence of your experience working in the field of Special Needs. As such, it is important to relate any competencies and experiences to the requirements of the role as defined in this job description.

Applicants for this post should ideally have experience of working within a childcare setting or the Play industry and of coaching or assisting with sports, games and activities for children in the appropriate age range as well as experience and understanding of how to appropriately support children with special/additional needs or disabilities to fully access the holiday programme.

A good understanding of health and safety and its implications with regards to running an activity programme is essential. 

Hours: 

Holiday Club Playworkers are expected to offer commitment to the position throughout the annual school holiday programme. Where possible this should include the Christmas/New Year and Half Term school holidays, not just the main Easter and Summer holiday periods. Working hours are typically 9.5 hours a day Monday to Friday, usually either 0800-1730 or 0830-1800 (our standard operating times) with a 30 minute unpaid break during the afternoon. There is no expectation to work on weekends. 

Dates of Operation 2018:  

EASTER: 26th March -18th April 

SUMMER HALF TERM: 29th May - 1st June

SUMMER: 9th July - 5th September 

OCTOBER HALF TERM: 22nd October - 26th October

CHRISTMAS/NEW YEAR: 17th December - 8th January

(applicants should be available to work at least the majority of these periods) 

Playworkers are offered shifts (days) in the lead up to each school holiday based upon the number of children that we anticipate attending. Parents often book at short notice and so we endeavour to offer shifts at the start of a week for the following week. We can rarely guarantee shifts beyond this timeframe. Numbers fluctuate throughout any given period and we therefore cannot offer all staff every day of every week. As a general guide, it is reasonable for staff to expect to be offered 2-3 days in a week where they have indicated availability for all 5 days.