Senior Early Years Educator (Children’s Practitioner)

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust; Crawley; On-site; GBP 27,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Living Wage Employer

Flexible working options

Job summary

Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust is seeking a Qualified Senior Early Years Educator (Children’s Senior Practitioner) to join our hospital-based nurseries, supporting 9 months to 5-year-old children. You will deputise for the Nursery Manager and help deliver high-quality education in a safe, nurturing environment.

We welcome qualified and experienced early years educators committed to safeguarding, development, and family engagement.

Qualifications

• Qualified and experienced in early years education.
• Strong commitment to safeguarding and child wellbeing.

Responsibilities

• Promote child development, learning and education.
• Plan, deliver, and evaluate age-appropriate activities.
• Observe, assess, and record children’s progress.
• Support emotional, physical and social development through interventions.
• Ensure safety and wellbeing following safeguarding policies.
• Build strong relationships with parents and carers; update on progress.
• Collaborate with colleagues and other professionals.
• Attend staff meetings and contribute to planning.
• Maintain confidentiality and uphold professional standards; keep environments clean and safe.
• Follow infection control procedures and workplace policies.
• Tasks may vary by workplace setting and responsibilities.

Job description

Job overview

Looking for a Qualified Senior Early Years Educator (Children’s Senior Practitioner) role at the next level with real purpose?

Our hospital-based Trust Nurseries provide high-quality care and education for children aged 9 months to 5 years while their parents and carers work for the NHS, emergency services or in the local community.

By working with us, you aren’t just shaping young minds—you’re directly supporting the NHS heroes who keep our community safe.

If you are a passionate, kind and qualified experienced early years educator, we want to hear from you.

The Senior Early Years Educator (Children’s Practitioner) is a highly trained support role in our Trust workplace Nurseries, who deputises in the absence of the Nursery Manager.

They support the delivery and promotion of high-quality early years education and care for children, ensuring a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment that promotes each child’s health, development and wellbeing.

Please note: Due to recent changes in UK immigration and visa rules, this role may not be eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Applicants who do not currently have the right to work in the UK may not be considered. Candidates requiring sponsorship should review the eligibility criteria on the gov.uk website before applying to assess their eligibility for a Certificate of Sponsorship for this role.

Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes - GOV.UK

Health and Care Worker visa: If you’ll need to meet different salary requirements - GOV.UK

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Main tasks

• a) To be responsible for the comprehensive assessment, planning, care and evaluation of groups of children, under the appropriate delegation from a line manager and in close liaison with the child/family/carer.
• b) To give compassionate, holistic individual care to service users.
• c) Implements the goal planning process and outcome measures used in the working environment to review progress of the child or young person.
• d) Undertakes delegated skills within their role having once undertaken relevant training, deemed competent and adhere to standard operating procedures.
• e) Support children, families and carers to improve and maintain their mental, physical, behavioural health and wellbeing.
• f) Contribute to ongoing assessment recognising when it is necessary to refer to others for reassessment.
• g) Communicate effectively with colleagues, providing clear verbal, digital or written information and instructions.

Working for our organisation

We are the main provider of NHS community services across East and West Sussex, with 6,000 staff serving 1.3 million people. We deliver essential care to adults and children, helping them manage their health, avoid hospital admissions, and reduce hospital stays.

Our Trust vision is to provide excellent care at the heart of the community. We offer opportunities across medical, clinical, support, and corporate services.

Why work for us?

• Positive 2024 NHS Staff Survey results, highlighting compassionate leadership and wellbeing
• Varied environments: community hospitals, patients’ homes, and bases across Sussex
• Flexible working options: part-time, flexi-time, annualised hours, and flexi-retirement
• Excellent training, development, and research opportunities
• Accredited Living Wage Employer, we ensure fair pay for all our staff
• Cost-effective workplace nurseries in Crawley, Hove, and Brighton
• Active EMBRACE, Disability & Wellbeing, LGBTQIA+, and Religion & Belief networks
• Level 3 Disability Confident Leader and Veteran Aware Trust

Our values—Compassionate Care, Working Together, Achieving Ambitions, Delivering Excellence—guide everything we do.

We embrace diversity and encourage applications from all backgrounds, particularly from ethnically diverse, disabled, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. We aim to create an inclusive environment and support reasonable adjustments during recruitment.

This post may close early if sufficient applications are received.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

Main responsibilities

• a) Promoting child development, learning and education.
• b) Plan, deliver, and evaluate age-appropriate activities that support children’s learning and development.
• c) Observe, assess, and record children’s progress.
• d) Support children’s emotional, physical, and social development through defined interventions.
• e) Ensure the safety and wellbeing of all children, following safeguarding policies and procedures.
• f) Build strong, respectful relationships with parents and carers. Update parents and carers about children’s progress and wellbeing. Support parents in understanding their child’s development and learning journey.
• g) Work collaboratively with colleagues and other professionals.
• h) Attend staff meetings, training sessions, and contribute to team planning.
• i) Maintain confidentiality and always uphold professional standards. Ensure the environment is clean, safe, and well‑organised.
• j) Follow infection control procedures and policies.
• k) Specific tasks and knowledge will vary depending on workplace setting and responsibilities.