Nursery Practitioner

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals; St Helier; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

The Woodlands Day Nursery at St Helier Hospital in the Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust is recruiting a Nursery Practitioner. You will provide high‑quality childcare to staff children aged 6 months to 5 years and support a playscheme in holidays. The role requires a minimum Level 2 in Childcare or equivalent, good communication, teamwork and reliability.

You will plan activities as the key person, ensure a safe caring environment and take advantage of internal and external training opportunities.

Qualifications

• Qualified to a minimum Level 2 in Childcare or equivalent.
• Experience with children aged 6 months to 5 years; experience with 5-12 years desirable.
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work as part of a team.
• Knowledge of EYFS and SEN is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Provide high standards of childcare and education in Woodlands Day Nursery.
• Plan activities as the key person and support children’s interests.
• Support colleagues and participate in training and development opportunities.
• Ensure a safe, caring environment for all children.

Skills

Teamwork

Communication

Reliability

Observation & planning

Customer care

Education

Level 2 Childcare or equivalent

Tools

Basic computer skills

Full UK manual driving licence

Job description

Site St Heiler Town Carshalton Salary £30,142 per annum (pro rata) including HACS (outer) Salary period Yearly Closing 28/10/2026 23:59

At Epsom and St Helier Hospitals, above all we value respect. We put respect at the heart of all we do, by living up to our shared behaviours of kindness, professionalism, positivity and teamwork. This enables us to provide great patient care and make ESTH a great place to work. When you sign up to work with us, you sign up to this and we welcome applicants who share our values.

Job overview

The post holder will work as part of a team to provide high standards of childcare and education to the children in the nursery, ensuring the aims and objectives of the nursery are fulfilled and provide a safe, caring environment.

Main duties of the job

Woodlands Day Nursery at St Helier Hospital is looking for a Nursery Practitioner to join their established professional childcare team. This 72 place Day Nursery, offers childcare to staff of Epsom and St Helier NHS Trust and also runs a 24 place playscheme during school holidays.

The Ideal candidate will be qualified to a minimum level 2 in Childcare orequivalent, or have experience working with children aged 6 months to 5 years. Additional experience with children aged 5-12 years would be desirable.

You will need to be an enthusiastic, self-motivated person who can take on the role of key person and plan accordingly for those children interests, as well as supporting colleagues within the team. You will need excellent communication skills, effective customer care skills and be a good team player.

In exchange for your hard work we can offer you a wide range of internal and external training to aid your personal development.

Available Contracts:

3 x 37.5hrs per wk

Working for our organisation

Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust provides a range of medical services to approximately 490,000 people living across southwest London and northeast Surrey. In addition, we provide more specialist services, in particular renal and neonatal intensive care, to a wider area, covering parts of Sussex and Hampshire.
We serve an area that is rich in diversity, with a mix of urban and rural areas, and differing levels of quality of life. We cover some of the most prosperous postcodes in the country, as well as some poorer areas. Together with our colleagues at NHS Surrey and NHS Sutton and Merton, we work to make sure that we deliver the best possible care to the communities we serve.
The Trust employs approximately 5,000 staff across its hospitals and is supported by over 500 volunteers.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Please see the attached supporting job description and person specification document which contains more information about the role and requirements. Please ensure your application refers to the job description and person specification.

Person specification

General

• Good understanding of working in a team

Specific criteria

• Experience with children 6 months to 5 years and/or experience in a care role
• Childcare experience or experience within a caring role
• Good verbal and written communication skills
• Ability to work as part of a team
• Experience of working with children 5-12 years
• Ability to observe, plan and evaluate
• Good Communication Skills
• Reliable
• Basic computer Skills
• Clean Full UK manual driving license
• Knowledge of the EYFS
• Knowledge of SEN

Please refer to the latest UKVI guidance and ensure you have the appropriate right to work before applying for this role.

Safeguarding and DBS Checks
We are committed to safeguarding children and vulnerable adults. For roles with direct access to these groups, an Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check will be required. All staff are expected to understand and uphold their safeguarding responsibilities as part of their role.

Employer certification / accreditation badges

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.