Early Years Practitioner Level 2

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

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave (plus bank Hols)

Staff discounts portal & blue light卡

Salary Finance access

Childcare discount 60%

Dependency leave (up to 3 days)

Maternity/adoption/paternity leave

Training and development opportunities

Pension with employer contrib and life

Job summary

Spring Nurseries by Action for Children is seeking a Level 2/3 Early Years Practitioner for lunch cover at our Braintree site. You will support children aged 0–5 during mealtimes, promoting independence and a calm environment while enabling our nursery team to take breaks.

You will build trusting relationships, observe development, and work with families to ensure high-quality care. This is a part-time, 20-hour-per-week role with potential extra hours.

Qualifications

• Level 2/3 Early Years Practitioner qualification is required.
• Level 2 qualification in Childcare and Education or equivalent.
• Safeguarding Level 2 or ability to achieve.
• Experience in an early years childcare setting with children aged 0–5.
• Commitment to safer recruitment practices to protect service users.

Responsibilities

• Support lunchtime sessions and monitor children's meals, promoting independence.
• Build positive, trusting relationships with children to help them feel safe and valued.
• Observe development and respond to individual needs, interests and progress.
• Collaborate with colleagues and families to deliver high-quality care and learning.
• Create a safe, welcoming, inclusive environment where every child can thrive.

Skills

Childcare experience

EYFS knowledge

Safeguarding Level 2

Safer recruitment commitment

Communication & teamwork

Education

Level 2/3 Early Years Practitioner qualification

Level 2 qualification in Childcare and Education

Job description

Job title:Early Years Practitioner (qualified level 2/3)Lunch Cover
Salary:£26,600 per annum(pro rata)
Location:Braintree
Contract/Hours:Permanent/Part Time – 20 hours per week

Benefits:

• Time off to recharge– 25 days per annum 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.

A bit abouttherole

As a level 2/3 Early Years Practitioner, you’ll play an important part in making lunchtime a happy, safe and positive experience for our children aged 0-5.You’ll support children as they enjoy their meals, encourage their independence and help create a calm, enjoyable environment, while ensuring our nursery team can take their well-deserved breaks.

You’ll help the children feel safe, included and supported as they learn and develop through everyday moments.

This is a part-time lunch cover role, with the potential to pick up additional hours during school holidays, to cover annual leave and sickness cover should you wish to do so.

What you do could make a difference

Every day brings the opportunity to help children learn, explore and build confidence. You'll use your knowledge and creativity to provide experiences that support each child's development and help them get the best start in life.

• Working alongside senior leadership in supporting children's development, participating, planning and setting up activities for a range of children.
• Build positive, trusting relationships with children, helping them feel safe, valued and confident.
• Observe and support children's development, recognise their individual needs, interests and progress.
• Work closely with colleagues and families to provide consistent, high-quality care and learning.
• Create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.

Let’stalk about you

As a qualified Level 2/3 Early Years Practitioner who is passionate about helping young children to learn, develop and feel confident. You'll understand the needs of children aged 0-5, be confident working within the EYFS, and bring a caring inclusive approach to supporting every child.

• Level 2 qualification in Childcare and Education or equivalent. If you already have a Level 3 qualification do also get in touch.
• Safeguarding Level 2 or ability to achieve.
• Experience working in an early year's childcare setting or a setting working with children.
• A thorough current working knowledge of children' emotional, physical, psychological and educational developmental needs from 0 to 5 years.
• A commitment to safer recruitment practices to protectourservice users and haveanunderstandingof andcommitmenttosafeguardingbest-practice.

About the Nursery

Spring Seesaw is the 49-place nursery for children aged 0 months to five years, also Offering breakfast, after school and holiday clubs.

The nursery is spacious, has beautiful secure outdoor play areas and an established core team, providing plenty of space for children to learn, explore and play.

About Spring

Spring offers award-winning childcare services, as part of the national charity Action for Children. It's our mission to be the best provider of outstanding quality early education to children throughout the UK, that is accessible to all. We are focused on enabling young people to learn, have fun and make friends in our bright, engaging settings. That starts with creating a happy environment for our team. Join us and you can look forward to:

• A kind, caring culture with an emphasis on wellbeing, both physical and mental.
• Flexible working – wherever possible we offer flexibility on hours and/or hybrid working.
• Lots of opportunities for training, learning, development, including gaining qualifications.
• Excellent benefits that compare favourably to other employers in our sector.

If you require any support to apply,please contact:

[e-mail] quoting the reference 13871.

We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

At Spring Nurseries, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we are taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.

We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.

We also encourage applications from men, who are under-represented in our Children's Services roles. We recognise that people hold multiple identities, and we value the richness this brings to our team.

Job Description

Whether this is a career change for you or the next step in your journey, we'd love to hear from you.

We work together to reach our mission to give children a healthy start in life.

Good luck! We can't wait to hear from you.

Want to know more about Spring and Oscars?

Check out our socials on,Linkedin,Facebookor Youtube.

See below for further information about working with us:

Employee Reward Booklet

Spring Early Years Career Pathway