Nursery Practitioner

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust; Southampton; On-site; GBP 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A leading healthcare provider in Southampton is seeking a Level 2 or Unqualified Nursery Practitioner to support the care and development of children aged 3 months to 5 years. You will create engaging, educational activities and ensure a safe, nurturing environment. The role offers part-time hours with an emphasis on work-life balance and strong support for professional growth. Applicants should have a passion for early years care and be ready to promote a high standard of childcare.

Benefits

35 days of annual leave

Work-life balance

Flexible hours and part-time options

Qualifications

• Good standard of secondary education with literacy and numeracy skills to GCSE level.
• Demonstrates enthusiasm for working with children and learning practically.
• Experience working with children aged 3 months to 5 years in a childcare setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide a safe, secure, and stimulating environment for children.
• Plan and carry out educational activities in line with the Early Years curriculum.
• Maintain required records of children's development and activities.

Skills

Enthusiastic approach to working with children

Literacy and numeracy skills to GCSE level

Experience working with 3 months - 5 year olds

Education

Good standard of secondary education

Level 3 Qualification in Early Years and Childcare

Tools

Current paediatric first aid certificate

Current food hygiene certificate

Job description

Level 2 or Unqualified Nursery Practitioner

The closing date is 02 February 2026

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Please see below for detailed job description of the role.

Main duties of the job

Are you a compassionate and caring individual who loves helping children learn, play, and grow? Taplins Nurseries are looking for enthusiastic Level 2 Early Years Practitioners to join our friendly teams in Southampton.

Location: Taplins Nurseries - Trust Taplins Western Community Hospital Hours: Part-time 17 hours a week

At Taplins, we provide high-quality childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years, offering bright, spacious rooms with dedicated craft and messy play areas, cosy nap spaces, and large secure outdoor gardens - perfect for exploration and adventure!

As a Nursery Practitioner, you\'ll care for your own group of children, ensuring their individual needs are met while creating fun, stimulating, and educational activities to support their development in a safe and nurturing environment.

Being part of the UHS and Taplins family means you\'ll enjoy fantastic benefits, including:

35 days of annual leave (plus increases with service) and closures on bank holidays

Work-life balance - full-time staff typically work across a 4-day week

Flexible hours and part-time options

Our nurseries are open Monday to Friday, 7:00 am - 6:30 pm.

If you\'re passionate about early years care and want to grow your career in a supportive, fun, and professional environment, we\'d love to hear from you!

Contact us today to find out more about part-time opportunities or to discuss shift patterns in detail.

About us

University Hospital Southampton is one of England\'s largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.

Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.

We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.

At UHS we\'re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.

At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We\'re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.

Job responsibilities

We\'re looking for individuals with experience of working with children aged 3 months 5 years within a childcare setting.

General Duties

To be fully responsible for the children in your care, providing a consistently safe, secure, and stimulating environment. To provide a wide range of enjoyable, stimulating, and educational activities for a group of children, covering all aspects of the child\'s individual development by the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). To be a key person (if allocated a group by the Nursery Manager) building a strong attachment and knowing your key children well as individuals. To maintain required records of childrens development, learning and activities. To work alongside the nursery SENDco to support children with additional needs ensuring that their development is promoted as fully as possible. Ensure that all policies and procedures are adhered to and if there are any concerns, problems or issues these are escalated appropriately to the Duty Manager and/or the management team. Promoting a high standard of cleanliness and hygiene standards through monitoring and supervising nappy changing/toilet and washing procedures, regular cleaning of toys and equipment, the cleaning of childrens crockery and bedding. Assist in the preparation and serving of food and supervision of meal times. To exercise a duty of care for work colleagues and to be responsible for ensuring a safe working environment for all children, staff and visitors. You will plan and carry out a variety of fun activities with the children in line with the Early Years curriculum. You are also responsible for evaluating the activities, and for maintaining online learning journals via Tapestry.

To understand the role in more detail please read the full job description and person specification documents.

Safeguarding

Taplins Nurseries and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All roles are subject to appropriate pre-employment checks, including an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check and verification of qualifications and references.

The successful candidate will have specific safeguarding responsibilities, as outlined in the job description and person specification.

Person Specification

Qualifications, knowledge and experience

• Good standard of secondary education with literacy and numeracy skills demonstrable to GCSE pass level or equivalent standard
• Demonstrates enthusiastic approach to working with children and learning practically within nursery
• Recent previous experiences of working with 3 months - 5 year olds within a childcare setting.
• Willingness undertake Level 3 Qualification in Early Years and Childcare
• Current paediatric and/or first aid at work certificate
• Current food hygiene certificate

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Trust

Depending on experience £24,465 to £24,465 per annum, pro rata