Nursery Nurse | Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust in Thatcham

We are looking for a qualified Level 3 Nursery Nurse to join our team at Kiddies Cabin Day Nursery located within Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. We pride ourselves on nurturing a positive and supportive environment for our children.

Working hours: We are open Monday to Friday, from 7:30am to 6:00pm, closed on Bank Holidays and during the Christmas and New Year period. Our team works on a rota basis, covering 37.5 hours per week typically 7.5 hours per day.

Your role: You will be responsible for a group of children, providing daily care, activities, and completing developmental reviews. You will support children from 6 months to reception age, ensuring high standards of care and learning in a safe, stimulating environment, in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage. You will support and inspire children to become independent, creative, and confident individuals. By planning engaging and stimulating activities, you will help children achieve their full potential. Building strong relationships with parents is essential. You will also maintain a positive, caring approach, contribute creative ideas, and work collaboratively within the team, bringing experience in working with children with special needs, working closely with the nursery team and the area SENCO to provide the best support.

Encouraging all areas of the children’s development within Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) with appropriate activities, play opportunities and actions through imaginative play and innovative programming. Compiling and maintaining development records on children and reporting to the Team Leader at agreed intervals. Providing a stimulating, friendly and caring environment at all times. Demonstrating good practice with regards to special needs and inclusion, working with the nursery and area SENCO as appropriate. Being a key carer carrying out all related responsibilities in building relationships with a small group of children and their families. Working with Early Years and other professional teams to continuously improve the quality of childcare and education and to learn about current developments in childcare practice and policy.

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is a specialist mental health and community health services trust. Rated ‘outstanding’ by the CQC, we’re committed to providing the best possible care to people across Berkshire. As an employer, we’re committed to offering an inclusive and compassionate environment where our people share in a sense of belonging and are supported to flourish.

Our values at Berkshire Healthcare are:

• Caring for and about you is our top priority
• Committed to providing good quality, safe services
• Working Together with you to develop innovative solutions

Your wellbeing is important to us. Some of the benefits of working for us include:

• Flexible working options to support work-life balance
• 27 days’ annual leave rising with service + opportunity to buy and sell
• Excellent learning and career development opportunities
• ‘Cycle to Work’ and car leasing scheme including electric vehicles
• Access to a range of wellbeing tools and services
• Discounts at hundreds of popular retailers and restaurants
• Staff networks for race, diversity, disabilities, the environment and armed forces community to support equality
• Generous maternity, paternity, adoption and special leave
• Free parking across Trust sites

The “must haves” for this role:

• NVQ 3 in childcare or equivalent qualification in line with those listed on the ‘qualification finder’ section of www.education.gov.uk
• An understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage
• A knowledge of safeguarding children and child protection

For further information about the role, please see attached job description and person specification. We strongly encourage you to review how you meet the criteria in the person specification and write about this point-by-point in your supporting statement for the best chance of being shortlisted. We’re committed to equal opportunities and welcome applications from all sections of the community. Our commitment to inclusion is reflected in our accreditations: Race Equality Matters Silver Trailblazer, Neurodiversity in Business Corporate Member, Disability Confident Leader, Carer Confident Level 2, and the Armed Forces Covenant Gold Award. Reasonable adjustments will be provided to candidates as needed. We welcome a conversation about flexibility and any other questions you may have.

Please don’t hesitate to call: Leigh Kelly, Nursery Manager on leigh.kelly@berkshire.nhs.uk who’ll be delighted to help.

*Applications for this role will be considered on a first come first serve basis and we may close the vacancy early if the right candidate is found. Please note, if we receive a high number of applications, we may close this role earlier than the advertised closing date, so please submit your application as soon as possible. This advert closes on Monday 31 Aug 2026.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme.

About Disability Confident: Disability Confident is a government scheme. It encourages employers to recruit and retain disabled people and those with long term health conditions.