Senior Nursery Practitioner - Campus Services - 42815Z25 - Grade 5

University of Birmingham; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 33,000; Full time

Job summary

A well-established educational institution in Birmingham seeks a Nursery Manager to lead a small team in providing quality care and education for children aged Birth to Five. The role includes ensuring a safe environment, managing staff performance, and fostering relationships with parents. The ideal candidate will have relevant qualifications, experience in nursery settings, and strong leadership skills. This role offers a full-time fixed term contract until December 2026 and includes various benefits like generous annual leave and professional development opportunities.

Benefits

40 days paid holiday

Volunteering day

Occupational sick pay

Pension scheme

Subsidised nurseries

Qualifications

• Must hold relevant childcare qualifications.
• Experience managing a team in a nursery setting essential.
• Knowledge of child protection procedures required.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small team to provide quality care and education.
• Ensure a safe, stimulating environment for children.
• Monitor staff performance and support professional development.

Skills

BTEC/NVQ 3 in a relevant subject

Previous experience in a nursery

Excellent communication skills

Knowledge of EYFS framework

Ability to manage staff

Understanding of equality and diversity

Education

GCSE English and Maths at Grade C or 4

Job description

Position Details

Campus Services

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £27,166 to £28,768, with potential progression once in post to £32,145

Grade: 4

Full Time, Fixed Term contract up to December 2026

Closing date: 26th November 2025

This role is also open as an internal secondment opportunity which would need to be agreed by your current line manager.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

Pre-appointment checks

• In line with recommendations and regulations relating to Early Years safeguarding and recruitment, please note that for this role:
• The University will seek references from at least one referee prior to interview. Candidates must therefore provide at least one referee whom we can contact immediately. The remaining referees will usually only be contacted if you are offered appointment. Please indicate clearly on your application form which referee(s) we may contact prior to interview.
• Candidates invited to interview will be asked to disclose all past names, for the sole purpose of verifying identity for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and safeguarding checks. Candidates will be asked to bring documents to verify their identity (e.g. birth/adoption certificate and any evidence of name changes).
• All successful candidates will be required to undergo a DBS check covering all names used.

Role Summary

As a member of a thriving management team, you will be responsible for leading a small team of four staff, ensuring that quality care and education is provided for children in their designated group within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) play framework of Birth to Five. You will be integral to establishing and developing an effective networking system in partnership with parents/carers, aimed at ensuring a smooth transition from home to nursery.

Main Duties

• Ensure a safe, secure, stimulating and enriching environment for the children, where each child has access to a variety of opportunities and experiences aimed to promote individual development.
• Encourage the children to establish confidence, independence and positive self-esteem.
• Ensure the individual needs of each child are addressed and met. This will include supporting physical needs (e.g. food, drink, rest and health) as well as emotional needs.
• Establish positive relationships with the children by listening to them and valuing what they say and do, encouraging high expectations of what they can achieve.
• Ensure each child receives equal opportunities, experiences, support and guidance regardless of their racial origin, culture, beliefs, spoken languages, gender, social group and disability.
• Direct and support the team to complete child assessment profiles, ensuring they are maintained and stored appropriately.
• Coordinate the daily running of the group, taking into account children’s routines and parental wishes, ensuring staffing requirements are met accordingly through producing staff job charts.
• Greet parents/carers as they arrive (e.g. early morning) and depart (e.g. late evening), discussing with them any daily queries or concerns.
• Work in close partnership with parents/carers to establish an equal balance of care between home and nursery. Ensure acknowledgement of their parental role when offering support and guidance regarding their child’s welfare and care needs, including valuing their opinions.
• Show prospective parents/visitors around the premises.
• Lead a team of four staff to achieve and maintain high levels of care and education for the children in their designated group.
• Monitor individual staff performance and support their improvement where necessary.
• Guide staff in the application of new childcare initiatives.
• Devise and implement processes and procedures to alleviate problems, taking appropriate action where necessary. Consult with manager regarding more complex issues and escalate if required.
• Support and participate in annual policy reviews.
• Ensure working practices meet the national standards for full day care and the five outcome areas from OSFTED inspections.
• Ensure health and safety requirements are adhered to, including monitoring all daily risk assessment checklists and reporting all maintenance issues. Record all information on the appropriate documentation, filing accordingly as appropriate.
• Ensure all nursery policies and procedures (OSFTED and the University) are adhered to by the team. Advise and guide staff as appropriate with regards to all policies and procedures.
• Organise informal meetings when necessary and carry out 3 staff Nursery consultations.
• Actively engage in personal development, training sessions, team briefings and other meetings.
• Take responsibility for nursery operations in the absence of the Nursery Manager and/or Deputy Nursery Manager.
• Be friendly and approachable, maintaining a professional, positive and caring attitude at all times.
• Undertake other duties as required to support the management and development of the nursery.
• Support equality and value diversity, including: (a) challenging bias prejudice and intolerance if appropriate or bringing it to the attention of a manager; (b) moderating own behaviour to avoid unfair discriminatory impact or bias on others.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• BTEC/NVQ 3 in a relevant subject / NNEB qualification or equivalent is required
• GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C or 4 or above or equivalent level 2 qualification
• Previous experience of working in a nursery setting
• Ability to positively manage staff, acting as a role model
• Knowledge and understanding of the EYFS Birth to Five framework
• Knowledge of developments in early years education
• Knowledge of legislation, regulations, inspection criteria and curriculum relevant to Early Years
• Understanding of how to ensure health and safety and hygiene in a childcare setting
• Understanding of and commitment to Child Protection procedures
• Good organisational and prioritisation skills
• Self-motivated and able to work on own initiative
• Adaptable to allow for changes in demands/focus
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent organisational skills
• Ability to work within tight time scales and under pressure
• Understanding of what equality and diversity is and why it is important, with an ability to identify equality and diversity issues and either address these or bring them to the attention of a manager.

Dimensions

You will directly manage a small team.

You will not manage a budget.

Planning and organising

This role has considerable responsibility for managing a team of staff and a range of activities in the Nursery, which will require you to plan ahead.You will be planning your own and others’ workloads.

Problem solving and decision making

This role will be working within overall processes and procedures, with an expectation that you will solve most issues within the group, but referring to your manager as appropriate.

Internal and external relationships

You will be leading a team and interacting with them, your managers, and with children and carers/parents from a range of backgrounds.

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Emily Grainger, email: [e-mail]

View our staff values and behaviours here

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.