Senior Early Years Practitioner

Nottingham; Nottingham; Hybrid; GBP 29,000 - 31,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous holiday entitlement

Professional development opportunities

Staff discounts and employee benefits

Wellbeing support

Job summary

The University of Nottingham is seeking a Senior Early Years Practitioner to join our Childcare Services team. This role combines your experience to create a safe, nurturing and inspiring environment where children can thrive.

You will supervise day-to-day practice, support colleagues and ensure every child receives the best support, working with families and external professionals to promote positive outcomes.

Qualifications

• Qualified to at least a full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification recognised by the Department for Education.
• Knowledgeable about the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and safeguarding responsibilities.
• Able to build positive relationships with children, families, colleagues and external professionals.
• Passionate about delivering high-quality, inclusive care and education that enables every child to flourish.

Responsibilities

• Supervise day-to-day practice within the nursery.
• Coach practitioners and support children's learning.
• Analyse children's progress and lead team meetings.
• Develop provision and work with families and external professionals to support individual needs.

Skills

EYFS knowledge

Safeguarding responsibilities

Relationship building

Inclusive care

Education

Level 3 Early Years qualification

Job description

Area
Student Experience and EDI - Child Care

Location
University Park

Salary
£28,940 to £31,082per annum (pro-rata if applicable)

Posts will initially be offered at the minimum salary point with progression to the higher salary point achieved through an annual incremental pay rise

Closing Date
Tuesday 01 September 2026

Reference
REG225026

The University of Nottingham has been providing an outstanding student experience for over 140 years and is a leading university of worldwide significance with established campuses in UK, China and Malaysia.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Early Years Practitioner to join our Childcare Services team at the University of Nottingham. This is an exciting opportunity to combine your current experience to create a safe, nurturing and inspiring environment where children can thrive.

You will play a key role in supervising day-to-day practice within the nursery, supporting and developing colleagues, and ensuring every child receives the very best support. You will work closely with families, practitioners and managers to continuously improve the quality of provision and promote positive outcomes for all children.

No two days are the same. One day you may be coaching practitioners and supporting children's learning, while the next you could be analysing children's progress, leading a team meeting, developing provision or working with families and external professionals to support individual needs.

About the team

Our Childcare Services team provides high-quality early years education and care within a well-established, university-based setting. We are proud of our child-centred approach, where curiosity, creativity and exploration are encouraged and celebrated.

You will join a supportive management and practitioner team that is committed to continuous improvement, reflective practice and evidence-informed approaches to children's learning and development.

About you

We are looking for someone who is:

• Qualified to at least a full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification recognised by the Department for Education.
• Knowledgeable about the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework and safeguarding responsibilities.
• Able to build positive relationships with children, families, colleagues and external professionals.
• Passionate about delivering high-quality, inclusive care and education that enables every child to flourish.

Further information about the experience and skills required for this position can be found on the attached job Role profile.

What we offer

The University of Nottingham is committed to providing a positive and rewarding working environment where our people can develop and thrive.

We offer:

• A friendly, diverse and supportive working environment.
• Generous holiday entitlement, 27 days (pro rata if applicable) plus bank holidays and University closure days.
• Access to a wide range of professional development, training and career progression opportunities.
• Staff discounts, travel schemes and a range of employee benefits.
• Wellbeing support and employee assistance programmes.
• The opportunity to work within a highly respected university childcare service dedicated to excellence in Early Years education and care.

Further information is available in the role profile.

This is a full time role, your working hours will be 39 hours per week.

Join us and help make a meaningful difference to children's lives every day.

It is a condition of this post that satisfactory enhanced disclosure is obtained from the 'Disclosure and Barring Service'.

Our university is a supportive, inclusive, caring and positive community. We welcome those of different cultures, ethnicities and beliefs – indeed this very diversity is vital to our success, it is fundamental to our values and enriches life on campus. Visit our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion website.

To help you succeed, we published Candidate Guidance to provide support on the application and interview process.

We welcome applications from UK, Europe and worldwide and aim to make your move to the UK as smooth as possible. Visit the Moving to Nottingham page for details.

This position does not fulfil the UK Visas & Immigration sponsorship criteria for Skilled Worker, therefore we can only accept applications from candidates who already have the right to work in UK.