Nursery Lunchtime Assistant - Campus Services - 56546 - Grade 2

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 24,000 - 25,000; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

40 days paid holiday

Volunteer day

Staff training days

Sick pay

Gym membership discount

Recognition scheme

Staff childcare discount

Ongoing training

Job summary

The University of Birmingham is looking for a Nursery Lunchtime Assistant to support the daily care and development of children at The Elms Day Nursery in Edgbaston. The role involves light domestic duties, supervision during mealtimes, and ensuring safe, engaging play experiences.

You will join a friendly team, with opportunities for ongoing training and personal development, and benefit from the university's generous holiday allowance and staff benefits package.

Qualifications

• Experience working with children from birth to five years.
• Solid knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework.
• Ability to work as part of a team and maintain high standards of hygiene.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and set tables; clear away after meals.
• Assist in feeding children and serving appropriate portions.
• Feed bottles and prepare meals for younger children.
• Support play opportunities and interact with children.
• Arrange room furniture and toys for easy access.
• Work as part of a team or independently.

Skills

Childcare experience

EYFS knowledge

Behaviour management

Communication skills

Teamwork

Diligence

Education

Experience with birth to five

Job description

Job Description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £24,097 to £25,203

Grade: 2

Part Time (11 hours per week)

Permanent

Closing date: 20th October 2026

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

Pre-appointment checks

In line with recommendations and regulations relating to Early Years safeguarding and recruitment, please note that for this role:

• The University will seek references from at least one referee prior to interview. Candidates must therefore provide at least one referee whom we can contact immediately. The remaining referees will usually only be contacted if you are offered appointment. Please indicate clearly on your application form which referee(s) we may contact prior to interview.
• Candidates invited to interview will be asked to disclose all past names, for the sole purpose of verifying identity for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and safeguarding checks. Candidates will be asked to bring documents to verify their identity (e.g. birth/adoption certificate and any evidence of name changes).
• All successful candidates will be required to undergo a DBS check covering all names used.

Role Summary

The role of the Nursery Lunchtime Assistant is to ensure that all children attending The Elms Day Nursery receive high quality care, are kept safe, and receive rich and stimulating play experiences which meet their individual needs and support all aspects and components of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. This role will entail light domestic duties as and when required in the playrooms.

This role as a Nursery Lunchtime Assistant is working up to 11.20 hours per week for a private early years day nursery based in leafy Edgbaston, next to the University of Birmingham campus offering excellent public transport links. You will receive a generous package of benefits including:

• 40 days paid holiday a year
• 1 paid day a year for volunteering
• 2 paid staff training days
• Occupational sick pay
• Discounted gym membership at the new sports centre
• Recognition scheme
• Staff discount on childcare
• Ongoing training and development opportunities

Main Duties

• Responsible in preparing and setting the tables. He/she is also responsible it clearing them away.
• May work in all areas helping staff and children during mealtimes. He/she is responsible in feeding the children and providing them right amount of food according to age and weight.
• Responsible for feeding bottles and preparing meals for younger children.
• Responsible in assisting the nursery team in providing the appropriate play opportunities and to also have continuous interaction with the children who are under their supervision.
• Responsible in setting out the room with toys and activities as well as arranging furniture so children could access them more easily.
• Work as part of team or on an individual basis.

Personnel

• Notify the Management Team of any concerns or issues regarding Company policies and procedures.
• Maintain a positive attitude at all times with children, parents, carers, visitors and work colleagues.
• Ensure confidentiality, where appropriate, is maintained.
• Work as a team with other team members and undertake any other duties as reasonably requested by line management.
• Actively participate in all self-development activities including appraisals, 1:1 meetings and interim performance reviews.

Training

• Learn about and keep abreast of current developments in childcare and education policy and practice.
• Attend regular team meetings, planning meetings and undertake training as required.

Facilities

• Ensure efficient and effective use of available resources reflecting diversity.
• Undertake a shared responsibility the premises, garden and equipment are well maintained and meet Health and safety/EYFS requirements.
• Ensure that the nutritional needs of the children are met and the Food Safety Regulations are complied with.

Health and Safety

• Take responsible care for the Health and Safety of themselves and colleagues who may be affected by acts or omissions at work.
• Demonstrate the highest standard of hygiene and cleanliness of the children at all times.
• Ensuring the premises and the environment are safe, clean, tidy and well maintained.

The nursery team has a personal responsibility to identify any training and development they feel they need to meet the requirements of their role. The nursery team has direct access to Human resources in all matters relating to their employment. For all day-to-day operational matters the Nursery Manager is the immediate supervisor. The duties and responsibilities listed above form part of the contract of employment and describe the post as it is at the present time. The University of Birmingham reserve the right to change the duties and responsibilities above and the post holder is expected to accept any reasonable alterations that from time to time may be necessary.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Experience in working with children from birth to five years and behaviour management
• A sound knowledge of child development from birth to five years
• An understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and the statutory framework
• An understanding of Health & Safety in the workplace
• An understanding and commitment to Equal Opportunities and Child Protection procedures
• A willingness to undertake relevant training such as First Aid
• A genuine love of and gain enjoyment from working with children
• Be both mentally and physically suitable to care for children
• Emotional resilience in working with challenging behaviours
• Effective communication skills and the ability to write legibly
• Able to work as part of a team
• Honest, reliable and flexible
• Able to demonstrate reliability and have a good attendance record
• A professional attitude and manner
• An enthusiastic and energetic approach to work

Dimensions

• The post has no direct line management responsibility for other staff
• The post has no budgetary or financial responsibility

Planning and Organising

• You will be working in response to the tasks as set out by the nursery and complete activities as required during a shift but you may also need to use your own initiative to prioritise children's wellbeing and safety
• You will need to be aware of how your work links with others

Problem Solving and decision making

• Demonstrate an enthusiasm and willingness to engage with team members to meet challenging and competing demands
• When required, you will be expected to be flexible and use your initiative, prioritising and managing your work in accordance to the needs of the University. This will mean sometimes working over your set shift time when required.

Internal and External relationships

This role will interact with children and carers/parents from a range of backgrounds.

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Selina Hunt, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications:

We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website .