Nursery Teaching Assistant

Cornwall Council; Padstow; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Part time

Job summary

A regional education authority in the UK is looking for a Nursery Teaching Assistant at St Merryn School, starting January 2026. This role requires a Level 3 qualification in Early Years and involves working with nursery pupils. Ideal candidates are caring, team players, and adaptable. The position is a fixed-term, variable hours contract, with an initial workload of 21.25 hours per week, focusing on nurturing and educational support for children aged 3 to 11.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Membership of Local Government Pension Scheme

Access to 24/7 wellbeing services

CPD and training opportunities

Qualifications

• A Level 3 qualification in Early Years is essential for this role.
• Experience of working within an Early Years setting.
• Understanding of the needs and development of early years pupils.

Responsibilities

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

Skills

Caring and nurturing

Teamwork

Flexibility

Behaviour management skills

Education

Level 3 qualification in Early Years

Job description

Nursery Teaching Assistant
St Merryn School
Contract type: Fixed term variable hours contract until July 2026
Available hours: Variable hours contract with initial hours of 21.25 hpw
Salary: Grade C £12.56 p/hour
Start date: January 2026
Closing date: Monday 12th January 2026
Interview date: w/c 19th January 2026

How to apply: Apply online at www.kernowlearning.co.uk/vacancies

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 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

Our school is a primary school and nursery for children aged between 3 and 11.

We consider ourselves to be very fortunate because of the fantastic relationships that exist between our school, our children’s families and with the wider village community. It is these solid partnerships that enable us to live up to our school motto of ‘Bright Futures build on Firm Foundations’.

Our school is a special place; a community focused school where every child is nurtured and valued as an individual. Our Trust’s Core Shared Values of ‘Strength, Wisdom and Courage’ and our Trust Philosophy, ‘work hard, be honest & help other’ reflect our learning community’s ambition and attitude. By being true to these values and philosophy, our pupils are enabled to fulfil their potential and encourages confidence and creativity to prepare them for their next phase of education and life beyond.

Kernow Learning is a multi-academy trust of 21 primary schools in Cornwall. We believe that our trust is at the precipice of something great; through a mix of collective synchronicity and autonomy, our schools are working together to provide strength so that they can stretch their offer beyond expectations in their drive for excellence. Our trust is not insular; we embrace collaboration, innovation, and development. Our English Hub supports schools across Cornwall to secure children’s early reading, whilst our Teaching School Hub, as a partner in OneCornwall, provides services to schools across Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly in relation to areas such as the Early Career Framework and National Professional Qualifications.

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.

If you would like the opportunity to contribute to the success of our trust, then we would love to hear from you. You can apply for this position online by visiting www.kernowlearning.co.uk/vacancies.

Kernow Learning is committed to safeguarding the welfare of children and follows the Safer Recruitment process. The successful candidate will be expected to share this commitment and will be required to undertake checks including an enhanced disclosure through the DBS process, as well as prohibition, S128, and Social Media/online presence checks.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all.

Unfortunately, Kernow Learning is not a sponsoring organisation for overseas candidates. This means that the successful candidate will need to possess the right to work in the UK or be able to secure the right to work in the UK independently.

For further information, or for support with the application process, please contact our HR Team on 01637 303106 or email [e-mail].

Apply now at www.kernowlearning.co.uk/vacancies.

St Merryn School
St Merryn
Padstow
PL28 8NP

This is not a Cornwall Council vacancy therefore please contact the organisation direct for further information.

Organisation address: Kernow Learning, The Old Cricket Pavilion, Treninnick Hill, Newquay, TR7 2JU

Contact detail: Kernow Learning

Email: [e-mail]

Website and link to apply: www.kernowlearning.co.uk/vacancies