L3 Nursery Practitioner

YMCA Heart of England; West Midlands; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 23,000; Full time

Job summary

YMCA Heart of England is seeking a Level 3 Nursery Practitioner to join the Shirley Day Nursery team. You will nurture young children in a warm, safe setting, delivering activities that support growth in line with EYFS and safeguarding standards.

Essential qualifications include NVQ Level 3 in Childcare, Paediatric First Aid, safeguarding training and GCSE English/Maths, with experience in early years and a child-centred approach. Applicants should be ready to work full time on-site.

Qualifications

• Must have knowledge of EYFS, Statutory and Learning and Development.
• Experience with a 2-year-old group is preferred.
• Ability to form excellent relationships with children.
• Ability to communicate well and establish firm boundaries.
• Ability to implement activities suited to the age and ability of the child.
• Knowledge of Safeguarding Practice.
• Knowledge of Prevent and British Values.
• Knowledge of OFSTED standards.
• GCSE level in English and Maths or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Create a warm, friendly atmosphere to support children's growth and development.
• Provide activities aligning with EYFS and child-centred approach.
• Respect confidentiality and safeguard children with staff, parents and external agencies.

Skills

Form excellent relationships with kids

Communicate well and set boundaries

Plan age-appropriate activities

Enhance children learning &development

EYFS knowledge

Safeguarding practice knowledge

Prevent & British Values

OFSTED standards knowledge

GCSE English & Maths or equivalent

Education

NVQ Level 3 in Childcare

GCSE English & Maths

Paediatric First Aid certificate

Safeguarding & Child Protection Training

Job description

Level 3 Nursery Practitioner

Contract Type: Full Time, Permanent

Location: Shirley Day Nursery, Brownley Road, Shirley, B90 4QP

About the Organisation:

YMCA Heart of England is a Christian charity providing a range of life-changing services for the local community. With a turnover of over £4m, we house over 300 young people, most of whom previously were homeless, and support them to get their lives back on track. We also care for pre-school children in our nursery and run various social enterprises to create employment and generate income for our charitable work.

With over 100 Staff and volunteers working for us and thousands of people using our many premises every year, we are an organisation committed to delivering the best possible service to our customers in line with our Christian ethos and values.

About the Nursery Practitioner - Level 3 Role:

Our nursery has places for children from 0 5 years of age. We need an enthusiastic Nursery Practitioner to create a warm and friendly atmosphere to support the children in their growth and development. You will need to have knowledge of working in an EYFS setting you will be able to create an enabling environment where all children can reach their potential through a child centred approach. Experience with a 2-year-old group is preferred.

As a Nursery Practitioner, you will respect the confidentiality of information received from all sources to safeguard the children in your care whilst working with staff, parents and external agencies to ensure every child is given the support they require.

Who We Are Looking For:

All of the following criteria are essential and applications are welcomed from candidates who meet the following:

• Able to form excellent relationships with children
• Able to communicate well and to establish firm and consistent boundaries
• Able to implement a range of activities suited to the age range and ability of the child, in conjunction with the Nursery Manager and other staff members
• Able to enhance children s learning and development
• Knowledge of EYFS, Statutory and Learning and Development
• Knowledge of Safeguarding Practice
• Knowledge of Prevent and British Values
• Knowledge of OFSTED standards
• A good level of general education, to at least GCSE level in English and Maths, or equivalent
• Paediatric First Aid certificate
• Safeguarding and Child Protection Training in date
• NVQ Level 3 in Childcare

Important Information:

YMCA Heart of England is an independent Christian charity, a registered provider of social housing, and affiliated to the national and international YMCA Movement.

As an organisation fully committed to the welfare of children and vulnerable adults, a thorough vetting process is carried out as part of the appointment process, including verification of any required qualifications, verification of identity, taking of references and a DBS check as appropriate.

Applications are scheduled to close on 8th October 2026, however, early applications are encouraged and we reserve the right to close the advert before the scheduled close date.