Nursery Practitioner

East Kent College; Broadstairs; On-site; GBP 21,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution based in Broadstairs is seeking a passionate Nursery Practitioner to join their team. This role is focused on supporting children's learning and development in a warm, nurturing environment. The ideal candidate will have a Level 3 qualification in childcare, solid nursery experience, and strong EYFS knowledge. Roles include building partnerships with families and maintaining high safety standards. This position offers generous annual leave and development opportunities.

Benefits

Generous Annual Leave

Learning and Development Opportunities

Exclusive Discounts & Perks

Flexible Personal Leave

Wellbeing and Health Support

Competitive Pension Scheme

Qualifications

• Solid nursery experience is essential.
• A warm, nurturing approach to children's care.
• Understanding of child development and safeguarding.

Responsibilities

• Support children's learning and development as a key person.
• Build strong partnerships with families.
• Maintain high standards of care and safety.

Skills

Level 3 Early Years Qualification

Strong EYFS knowledge

Communication skills with parents

Ability to build partnerships

Adaptability and proactiveness

Education

Level 3 Qualification in Childcare

Job description

About The Role

Little Steps, Big Impact - Join a Team where Your Work Shapes Young Lives

Here are just some of our benefits when working for the East Kent Colleges Group:

• Generous Annual Leave - 24 days FTE per annum +5 days after 5 years
• Learning and Development Opportunities - 3-4 annual paid group development days, bespoke programmes e.g. Aspiring Leaders Development Programme and strong internal progression-1 in 3 roles are filled internally
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks - Inc. restaurant, grocery, retail and holidays discounts as well as car leasing and tech purchasing schemes
• Flexible Personal Leave - Time off for your child's first day at nursery or school, moving homes and for interviews
• Wellbeing and Health Support - Generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership at Canterbury College
• Culture and Recognition - Being part of Community Days, an annual Staff Celebration Day, and an eco-friendly organisation dedicated to reaching net‑zero by 2030
• Competitive Pension Scheme - 18% employer contribution

Sound good? Well, here’s more about the role and our setting.

Hours per week: 37

Weeks per year: 39

Salary (inc holiday pay): £20,848

Contract to: 31 January 2027

The East Kent Colleges Group is proud to be home to three fantastic nurseries supporting students, staff, and our local communities across Broadstairs, Canterbury, and Folkestone. And thanks to our continued success, our friendly Broadstairs Nursery is excited to welcome a new Nursery Practitioner to the team to cover parental leave. Could that be you?

About

We’re all about warm, nurturing environments, a strong team spirit, and giving every child the best possible start. If you’re eager to put your Early Years expertise into action, want to genuinely make a difference in children’s lives, and are searching for:

• A supportive, vibrant team you’ll love working with
• A role where safeguarding and quality care truly come first

About You

We’re looking for passionate, skilled Level 3 Practitioners who are ready to make a real impact in children’s lives. If you’ve got solid nursery experience, strong EYFS knowledge, and a warm, nurturing approach, we’d love to hear from you.

In this role, you’ll be a key person supporting children’s learning and development, building strong partnerships with families, and maintaining the highest standards of care and safety. You’ll communicate confidently with colleagues, parents and professionals, and bring a solid understanding of child development, safeguarding and inclusive practice.

We’re looking for team players who are adaptable, proactive, and ready to get stuck into whatever the day brings.

Want an informal chat before applying? Email us at [e-mail]

About Us

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our ‘Strong’ skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.

As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self‑declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing.

It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.

If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.

We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health needs or disability.

Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the positions essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in‑house recruitment team.