Nursery Teaching Assistant

Teaching Vacancies; Padstow; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 25,000; Part time

Job summary

A local educational trust in Padstow is seeking a caring Teaching Assistant to join their Nursery team at St Merryn School. The ideal candidate will possess a Level 3 qualification in Early Years and be skilled in building rapport with children. This fixed-term role offers a competitive salary, benefits including wellbeing support, and opportunities for professional development, with a commitment to safeguarding the welfare of all children involved.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Local Government Pension Scheme

Access to wellbeing services

Discounts with retailers

CPD and training opportunities

Qualifications

• Sound understanding of early years pupils' needs and development.
• Experience of working within an Early Years setting.
• Commitment to professional development and self-review.

Responsibilities

• Work effectively as part of a team.
• Build strong rapport with children.
• Lead learning with individuals or groups of pupils.

Skills

Teamwork

Caring and nurturing attitude

Flexibility

Behaviour management skills

Education

Level 3 qualification in Early Years

Job description

What skills and experience we’re looking for

We are seeking a Teaching Assistant to work as part of our Nursery team at St Merryn School starting in January 2026. A sound understanding of the needs and development of early years pupils and experience of working within an Early Years setting is essential for this role. The ideal candidate will be a person who works well in a team, is caring and nurturing, flexible and is able to adapt and respond to the needs of pupils. A Level 3 qualification in Early Years is essential for this role.

This is a fixed term, variable hours contract until July 2026, with initial hours of 21.25 hours per week, term time only.

The successful candidate will be:

• A caring and warm individual who is able to work effectively as part of a team
• Committed to their own professional development and continual self-review
• Committed to the safeguarding and wellbeing of all children
• Able to build a strong rapport with children and have a developing understanding of the national curriculum
• An excellent classroom support with behaviour management skills
• Able to lead learning with individuals or groups of pupils

What the school offers its staff

As well as offering great schools to work in, wonderful children to work with, and fantastic colleagues to work alongside, our Trust is committed to providing colleagues with other benefits that make your employment with Kernow Learning the best it can be. We offer:

• A competitive salary and membership of Local Government Pension Scheme
• A real commitment to wellbeing, including access to 24/7 wellbeing services and employee assistance programme
• Access to discounts with national and local retailers and service providers
• A range of CPD and training opportunities, both internally and externally, learning from local and national speakers and specialists to support your professional growth
• The support and skills of our networks of colleagues both within our schools and our Shared Services teams

Commitment to safeguarding

Kernow Learning Trust is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and we implement the safer recruitment process; the successful candidate will be expected to share this commitment and to undergo checks including an enhanced DBS clearance, prohibition and online (social media) checks. We are an equal opportunities employer, and we welcome applications from all. Kernow Learning is not a sponsoring organisation. Therefore, the successful applicant must already possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.