Under 3’s Qualified Practitioner

4 day working week working hours 08:00 - 17:45 (37 hours)

*Fixed days-off can be requested

Starting wage £12.30 per hour

4 day working week

Maximum earnings equivalent per year: 37 hours per week £23,665 per year.
Abbotswood are passionate about staff wellbeing and will not ask staff to work more than 4 long days. Rest is important to be a great childcare practitioner!

We are an all-year-round setting closing for the Christmas week.

About Us

Set in two acres of gardens and woodland, Abbotswood Pre-school and Day Nursery offers childcare for children aged between three months to five years. Our nursery has been transformed over the past 4 years, taking inspiration from ‘Hygge in the Early Years’, our Scandinavian approach which is evident across all areas of the nursery, inside and out, as well as becoming embedded into our home-grown curriculum.

Our growth-centric approach puts the child and staff at the centre of everything we do, and both our children and staff feel a sense of belonging. Our nursery is led by an experienced EYPS Operations Manager, who is closely involved with the Director, and our teams are led by our knowledgeable Deputies and passionate Room Leaders, with rooms encouraged to freely follow children’s interests and the seasons.

We have recently launched our own onsite Academy, in-person training workshops for childcare professionals and families. We are dedicated to continuously challenging our staff team and upskilling everyone based on their own individual strengths.

Check out our virtual tour on You Tube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeH7niAmunI

Would you like to work somewhere that thinks about childcare differently?

Somewhere that supports your development and career progression?

Somewhere that values its staff and children’s health and wellbeing?

Everything we do at Abbotswood is enhanced by the love our staff have for where they work and our children leave with the best possible skills setting them up for life.

We are looking for someone who:

Has a passion for working with young children (6 months to 3 years)

Enjoy and thrives being outdoors all day

Enjoys teaching children using nature and plans meaningful experiences that encompass the seasons

Loves creating new areas in the environment

Wants to develop children’s life skills

Thinks outside the box and has lots of ideas to share

Is passionate about children’s wellbeing and understands it is fundamental to all

Is fun, creative and thoughtful, doesn’t take themselves too seriously and willing to work as part of a large team

About Us

Set in two acres of gardens and woodland, Abbotswood Forest School and Day Nursery offers childcare for children aged between three months to five years. Our nursery has been transformed over the past 4 years, taking inspiration from ‘Hygge in early years’, our Scandinavian approach which is evident across all areas of the nursery, inside and out, as well as becoming embedded into our home-grown curriculum.

We are open for 51 weeks a year and currently offer care to over 90 children every day. Our growth-centric approach puts the child and staff at the centre of everything we do, and both our children and staff feel a sense of belonging. Our nursery is led by an experienced EYPS operations manager, who is closely involved with the director, and our teams are led by passionate room leaders, with rooms encouraged to freely follow children’s interests.

The Role:

Have your own autonomy on where you want to take your career and develop young children’s skills and knowledge

Think differently about childcare, take yourself on a personalised journey

Be a key person and responsible for children’s individual learning & development

Responsible for contributing to planning, team meetings, leading outdoor play and sharing your knowledge

Developing your knowledge in the outdoors and hygge approach to enhance every child’s experience at Abbotswood

You are joining a nursery that is staff focused. We are not the same as other nurseries, we want to develop you; we want you to thrive and create your own role into how you want to work.

Career Progression

We operate a successful and well-embedded development program, offering employees plenty of progressive career prospects. All employees are encouraged to access our range of continued professional development opportunities. Roles include:

Apprentice
Qualified Level 3 Practitioner
Qualified Practitioner (Level 4, 5, 6)
Senior Practitioner (we do not limit the amount of senior positions within the nursery)
Forest School Lead
Room Leader and Nursery 3rd in Charge

We also offer a number of other roles, such as:

Cook
Lunch Time Cover
Office Manager
Deputy Manager
Nursery Manager

Minimum Requirements:

Level 3, 4, 5, higher wage paid to Level 6 or Early Years Teacher

Experience working with children under 3

Foundation of safeguarding knowledge and experience

Enhanced DBS and update service (Initial DBS paid for by us)

Must drive / have own transport. Due to our countryside location, we are not near any public transport

How to Apply

At Abbotswood Preschool and Day Nursery, the safeguarding of the children we care for is paramount to everything we do. To help us with this, we have a robust recruitment process. Here’s what to expect when applying to work with us:

Telephone chat: This is a short, informal chat, to get to know you and make sure we are right for each other. We will read the job description and think about why you want this role.
Nursery Tour and Stay & Play: You will be invited to nursery during opening hours for a tour of our site, and the chance to spend some with one of the age groups for 30 minutes.
Face To Face Interview With the Nursery Manager: Depending on timing, we may ask you to sty for an interview on your stay and play day, or book another suitable day. During the interview, we will read through your CV, discuss examples of when you have performed well at work or in education, research some details about the company and the role. We’d love for you to make sure that working with us is important to you. Make sure you know why this is the perfect job for you and ask lots of questions!
Job Offer: We will email you with the outcome of your interview. If successful, we will ask you to complete further information to send back to us, including details to complete your enhanced DBS (criminal check) certificate. We will also ask you to provide us with two references.

Salary Terms:

Our salaries are calculated on a 37-hour week over 4 days. Other nursery salaries are calculated over 5 full days or 45 hours. Salaries are paid hourly. Your hourly wage will always be agreed and discussed with you as part of the interview process. We pride ourselves on paying our staff their value and are committed to offering continuous pay increases for up-skilling and annual pay increases. Subject to your age and experience, the offered wage for this role may be below this wage.