At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead a team to deliver high-quality early years education and care for children.
- Company: Join Spring Nurseries, a family-focused environment dedicated to nurturing children's growth.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days annual leave, flexible packages, and discounts at 15,000 retailers.
- Other info: Diverse and inclusive workplace with clear career pathways and opportunities for growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on children's lives while developing your career in a supportive setting.
- Qualifications: Level 3 early years qualification and experience in an early years setting required.
The predicted salary is between 27300 - 27300 € per year.
Location: Rowlands Gill, Gateshead
Salary: £27,300 per annum
Contract/Hours: Permanent/Full Time – 40 hours per week.
Closing date: Midnight on the 29th of June 2026
Benefits:
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- Professional qualifications and excellent training
- Flexible maternity, adoption, and paternity packages
- Up to 5% employer contribution and life assurance cover
- Blue Light Card eligibility with discounts at 15,000 national retailers
About the role
As a Senior Early Years Practitioner, you’ll play a key role in the nursery’s daily routine, leading your room to deliver high quality early years education and care for all children. You’ll plan, implement and review engaging activities that promote learning and development in line with the EYFS, ensuring every child thrives in a safe, stimulating, and inclusive environment. In this role, you will support and guide other practitioners, model best practice, and help maintain strong, positive partnerships with parents and carers. You'll be responsible for completing accurate and up-to-date observations, assessments, and records.
About the nursery
Located in Rowlands Gill, Spring Highfield offers high quality childcare within a warm, calm and stimulating environment for children aged 3 months to five years. A vibrant setting, with a team who are passionate about nurturing curiosity, confidence and creativity through play-based learning. As a Senior practitioner, you’ll join our dynamic team, working together to support each child’s learning to ensure each day is fun and engaging.
What you’ll be doing
In the role of Senior Early Years Practitioner, you'll be:
- Leading the staff within the room on providing learning programmes for individual or groups of children appropriate to their needs and developmental stages in accordance with Early Years legislation and guidance.
- Supporting children with emerging or established special educational needs, working closely with families, staff, external agencies, and professionals to ensure each child's needs are understood and met.
- Ensuring the compliance and application of nursery policies and procedures and relevant legislative requirements, informing management immediately of any instances of non-compliance or variations in practices.
- Contributing to and participating in the wider nursery management through leading on specific areas of development within the nursery, as directed by the Nursery Manager.
- Preparing and supervising dedicated areas/rooms within the setting on specific working patterns through planning, monitoring of outcomes, managing ratio of children, and the provision of a stimulating and appropriate range of activities whilst ensuring health and care needs are met.
What we need from you
In the role of Senior Early Years Practitioner, we're ideally looking for someone who has:
- Level 3 early years and childcare qualification e.g., NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 3 in Childcare and Education.
- A thorough knowledge of children's developmental needs from 0 to 5 years.
- Experience working and leading in an early year setting.
- Strong planning, observation and reflection of children and their learning.
- Effective communication skills across multiple age groups.
- Paediatric First Aid qualification.
Why Spring Nurseries
Imagine a place where laughter echoes, imaginations run wild, and every day is a new adventure. At Spring Nurseries, we are a family, dedicated to nurturing children to thrive and supporting staff through a clear career pathway. Whether this is a career change for you or the next step in your journey, we'd love to hear from you. We work together to reach our mission to give children a healthy start in life.
Contact
If you need support with your application, please contact our Recruitment Team at RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 13128. We'll be happy to give you any support you require.
Diversity, Equality and Inclusion
At Spring Oscars, we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within the organisation. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups. Male staff are often under-represented within this sector, and we would like to encourage more male applicants for our roles. We are committed to safer recruitment practices to protect our service users; therefore, all applicants are expected to have an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best practice.
Don't meet every single requirement?
If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.
Application Process
Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role. There are 5 sections for you to complete - Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration – please refer to the Job Description when applying. We also want to know what unique qualities you can bring to help us reach our vision for children and families.
Talent Pool
We're sure you've got what it takes to join our ambitious team. If you're unsuccessful this time around, we'd like to hold your details in case similar jobs come up that you might be better suited for. But feel free to let us know if you'd rather we didn't do that.
Want to know more about Spring and Oscars? Check out our socials on LinkedIn, Facebook or YouTube.
Early Years Practitioner Level 3 in Gateshead employer: Action for Children
At Spring Nurseries, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a supportive and nurturing environment for our staff in Rowlands Gill. With a commitment to professional development, flexible benefits, and a vibrant work culture that values creativity and collaboration, we empower our Early Years Practitioners to thrive while making a meaningful impact on children's lives. Join us to be part of a passionate team dedicated to fostering curiosity and confidence in every child.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Early Years Practitioner Level 3 in Gateshead
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the early years sector, attend local events, and join online groups. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by practising common questions related to early years education. Think about your experiences and how they align with the role of a Senior Early Years Practitioner. We want you to shine when it’s your turn to impress!
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your passion for early years education during interviews. Share specific examples of how you've made a difference in children's lives or how you've led a team. This will help us see your commitment and enthusiasm for the role.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who take the initiative to connect directly with us.
We think you need these skills to ace Early Years Practitioner Level 3 in Gateshead
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV:Make sure your CV is tailored to the Early Years Practitioner role. Highlight your relevant qualifications, experience, and skills that match what we're looking for. This shows us you’re serious about the position!
Craft a Compelling Supporting Statement:Your supporting statement is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you're passionate about early years education and how your experiences align with our values. Be genuine and let your personality come through!
Showcase Your Unique Qualities:We want to know what makes you stand out! Share any unique qualities or experiences that could help us reach our vision for children and families. This is your moment to show us why you’d be a great fit for our team.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets to us directly. Plus, you’ll find all the info you need to complete each section of the application process.
How to prepare for a job interview at Action for Children
✨Know Your EYFS Inside Out
Make sure you’re well-versed in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Familiarise yourself with its principles and how they apply to your teaching style. This will show that you’re not just qualified, but also passionate about delivering high-quality early years education.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
As a Senior Early Years Practitioner, you'll be leading a team. Prepare examples of how you've successfully led others in previous roles. Think about times when you’ve modelled best practices or supported colleagues in their development – this will highlight your leadership capabilities.
✨Engage with the Interviewers
Don’t just answer questions; engage in a conversation! Ask thoughtful questions about the nursery’s approach to learning and development. This shows your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if it’s the right fit for you too.
✨Prepare for Scenario Questions
Expect scenario-based questions that assess your problem-solving skills and ability to handle challenging situations. Think through potential scenarios you might face in the role and how you would address them, especially regarding children with special educational needs.
