Senior Early Years Practitioner

Spring Nurseries by Action for Children; Langport; On-site; GBP 17,000 - 28,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday

Staff discounts portal

Blue light card with retailers

Pension with employer contribution

Professional development

Job summary

Spring Nurseries by Action for Children is hiring an Early Years Practitioner (Room Lead) to lead a dedicated room for children aged 0–5. You will guide colleagues, plan engaging activities, and collaborate with families to ensure consistent, high‑quality care.

The role focuses on safeguarding, play-based learning within the EYFS, and creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for every child to thrive.

Qualifications

• Qualified Level 3 early years practitioner with EYFS knowledge.
• Experience planning and delivering engaging activities for 0–5s.
• Ability to lead a room and support a team.

Responsibilities

• Lead your room with confidence and support colleagues.
• Build positive relationships with children and families.
• Observe development and adapt activities to individual needs.
• Collaborate with nursery leadership to maintain high standards.
• Create a safe, inclusive environment where every child thrives.

Skills

Level 3 EY

EYFS knowledge

Childcare planning

Family engagement

Education

Level 3 childcare qualification

NNEB/CACHE NVQ3

Job description

Job title:Early Years Practitioner (Room Lead) Salary:up to £28,000 per annum (depending on experience)Location:GatesheadContract/Hours:Permanent/Full Time – 40 hours per week (Part-time applicants considered)

Benefits:

• Time off to recharge– 25 days per annum plus bank holidays
• Treat yourself:Staff discounts portal and blue light card with 15,000 + retailers.
• Salary Finance – access tofinancial advice and the ability to manage savings or loans directly from your salary.
• Childcare Discount –A whopping 60% off childcare within our nurseries and out of school clubs
• Up to 3 Days Dependency Leave –to care for dependents in an emergency.
• Paid maternity, adoption, and paternity leave.
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities.
• Secure your future:Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover.

A bit abouttherole

Make a difference from day one as a Senior Early Years Practitioner, using your experience and leadership skills to help children aged zero to five grow and thrive, while supporting your team to create a safe nurturing nursery environment.

What you do could make a difference

Lead your room with confidence, support colleagues, share your expertise and help create a positive, well-organized environment where great early years’ practice can thrive.

• Take the lead role within your room, supporting colleagues and working closely with the nursery leadership team.
• Build positive, trusting relationships with children, helping them feel safe, valued and confident.
• Observe and support children's development, recognise their individual needs, interests and progress.
• Work closely with colleagues and families to provide consistent, high-quality care and learning.
• Create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where every child can thrive.

Let’stalk about you.

As a qualified Level 3 early years practitioner who is passionate about helping young children to learn, develop and feel confident. You'll understand the needs of children aged 0-5, be confident working within the EYFS, and bring a caring inclusive approach to supporting every child.

• A Level 3 Early Years and Childcare qualification (NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 2 or 3 or equivalent)
• Knowledge and understanding of children's development from 0-5 years and how this informs your practice
• Experience of planning and delivering engaging, age-appropriate activities that meet individual needs and developmental stages.
• An understanding of the EYFS and how to support children's learning and development through play.
• An awareness of SEND and how to provide inclusive support within an early year’s setting.

About Spring

Spring offers award-winning childcare services, as part of the national charity Action for Children. It's our mission to be the best provider of outstanding quality early education to children throughout the UK, that is accessible to all. We are focused on enabling young people to learn, have fun and make friends in our bright, engaging settings. That starts with creating a happy environment for our team. Join us and you can look forward to:

• A kind, caring culture with an emphasis on wellbeing, both physical and mental.
• Flexible working – wherever possible we offer flexibility on hours and/or hybrid working.
• Lots of opportunities for training, learning, development, including gaining qualifications.
• Excellent benefits that compare favourably to other employers in our sector.

About the Service

Spring Leam Laneis a welcoming, inclusive Nursery where children can learn, play and explore in a safe and supportive environment. With dedicated outdoor spaces, a forest school area, sensory rooms and a library, there are plenty of opportunities to make learning engaging and meaningful for every child.

Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

At Spring Nurseries, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we are taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.

We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.

We also encourage applications from men, who are under-represented in our Children’s Services roles. We recognise that people hold multiple identities, and we value the richness this brings to our team.

Whether this is a career change for you or the next step in our journey, we'd love to hear from you.

We work together to reach our mission to give children a healthy start in life.

Good luck! We can't wait to hear from you.

Job Description

Want to know more about Spring and Oscars?

Check out our socials on, Linkedin, Facebook or Youtube.

See below for further information about working with us:

Employee Reward Booklet

Spring Early Years Career Pathway