Early Years Practitioner

Spring Nurseries by Action for Children; Braintree; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Staff discounts portal

Blue light card access

Salary Finance

60% childcare discount

Dependency leave

Paid parental leave

Training and development

Employer pension up to 7%

Job summary

Spring Nurseries, part of Action for Children, is hiring a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner in Braintree to create a safe, nurturing environment where children can learn, grow and thrive. You’ll plan and deliver EYFS activities and work closely with colleagues and families to support every child.

This permanent, full-time role (40 hours) offers £26,600 per year, 25 days’ annual leave, childcare discounts, pension contributions and training opportunities to develop professionally within a caring,

Qualifications

• A Level 3 early years and childcare qualification (NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent).
• Understanding of children's development needs (0 to 5 years).
• Commitment to excellence and continuous learning.

Responsibilities

• Deliver engaging, age-appropriate activities in line with the EYFS.
• Support children's learning, development and well-being through play.
• Build positive relationships with children, parents and the team.
• Observe, assess and contribute to children's learning journeys.
• Maintain a safe, inclusive and caring environment.
• Work as part of a team to ensure high standards of care and safeguarding.

Education

A Level 3 early years and childcare qualification (NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent)

Job description

Early Years Practitioner (Level 3)

Location: Braintree

Salary: £26,600 per annum

Contract/Hours: Permanent /Full Time – 40 hours per

Closing date: Midnight on the 27th of August 2026

Benefits:

• Time off to recharge - 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
• Treat yourself: Staff discounts portal and blue light card with 15,000 + retailers
• Salary Finance – access tofinancial advice and the ability to manage savings or loans directly from your salary
• Childcare Discount – A whopping 60% off childcare within our nurseries and out of school clubs
• Up to 3 Days Dependency Leave – to care for dependents in an emergency.
• Paid maternity, adoption, and paternity leave
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities
• Secure your future: Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover

Why Spring Nurseries

As Spring Nurseries, you're joining supportive, purpose-led team where every day help shape children's futures while your own career is actively developed and progressed.

A bit about the role

As a Level 3 Early Years Practitioner, you’ll play a key role in providing a safe, nurturing and stimulating environment where children can learn, grow and thrive.You’ll plan and deliver engaging activities, support each child’s individual development and work closely with colleagues and families to provide the highest quality care.

Key Expectations:

• Deliver engaging, age-appropriate activities in line with the EYFS
• Support children's learning, development and well-being through play
• Build positive relationships with children, parents and the team
• Observe, assess and contribute to children's learning journeys
• Maintain a safe, inclusive and caring environment
• Work as part of a team to ensure high standards of care and safeguarding

What we need from you

In the role of Early Years Practitioner (Level 3), we're ideally looking for someone who has:

• A Level 3 early years and childcare qualification (NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 3 or equivalent)
• A passion for continuous learning and growth, Aligned with our core values and the Spring career pathway
• An understanding of children's development needs (0 to 5 years)
• A positive attitude and a commitment to excellence

A Bit about The Nursery

At Spring Seesaw, we provide a welcoming, inclusive and stimulating environment where children can learn, explore and thrive. Our spacious nursery rooms have secure outdoor areas, alongside a dedicated sensory room and children's cooking area, with a range of engaging activities and experiences including sports and Boogie Mites.

We have a strong focus on inclusion and supporting children's individual needs with dedicated SENCO support and highly trained staff.

With a passion and experience team, the children's learning, development and individual needs are at the heart of everything they do.

We also want to know what unique qualities you can bring to help us reach our vision for children and families.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

At Spring Oscars we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within the organisation. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups.

Male staff are often under-represented within this sector, and we would like to encourage more male applicants for our roles.

We arecommittedto safer recruitment practices to protectourservice users; therefore, all applicants are expected tohaveanunderstandingof andcommitmenttosafeguarding best-practice.

Application Process.

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for thisrole.

There are 5 sections for you to complete - Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration – please refer to the Job Description when applying.

We also want to know what unique qualities you can bring to help us reach our vision for children and families.