Early Years Nursery Practitioner in Orpington

Employer King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust Employer type NHS Site Orpington Hospital Town Orpington Salary £30,630 - £32,346 per annum, inc HCAS Salary period Yearly Closing 24/09/2026 23:59

King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK’s largest and busiest teaching Trusts with a turnover of c£2.1 billion, 1.5 million patient contacts a year and more than 14,000 staff based across 5 main sites in South East London. The Trust provides a full range of local hospital services across its different sites, and specialist services from King’s College Hospital (KCH) sites at Denmark Hill in Camberwell and at the Princess Royal University Hospital (PRUH) site in the London Borough of Bromley.

We encourage all our staff to have a healthy work/life balance. In doing so, you can apply for flexible working from the beginning of your employment. We offer a range of options which are designed to suit different circumstances and priorities in line with service requirements.

Bright Sparks Day Nursery + Pre-school, operated by King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust at Orpington Hospital, provides childcare for the children of staff working at all sites of the Hospital. The nursery is open from 7:00am to 6:30pm and caters for children aged 3 months to 5 years.

We seek a qualified early years professional with excellent communication skills, who enjoys working with children and their families and who has demonstrable experience of being a dedicated, enthusiastic, empathetic and skilled early years educator.

Main duties of the job

The post holder will be responsible to the Nursery Manager for delivering full day care in accordance with the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 2025. You will also be accountable to the group supervisors for supporting children's learning and development through practices aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage.

You will be expected to work collaboratively with all colleagues, support the key person system and take an active role in planning, reviewing, and developing children's individual learning journeys.

The role also involves engaging in ongoing professional development and promoting best practices that enhance outcomes for children and families. Along with all who work at the nursery you will take proactive responsibility for monitoring health and safety within the nursery, ensuring compliance with policies and procedures, completing risk assessments, and maintaining accurate records.

If you are passionate about teaching early years and committed to creating a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment for young children, we would love to hear from you

Working for our organisation

The Trust provides a full range of local and specialist services across its five sites. The trust-wide strategy of Strong Roots, Global Reach is our Vision to be BOLD, Brilliant people, Outstanding care, Leaders in Research, Innovation and Education, Diversity, Equality and Inclusion at the heart of everything we do. By being person-centred, digitally-enabled, and focused on sustainability, we aim to take Team King’s to another level.

We are at a pivotal point in our history and we require individuals who are ready to join a highly professional team and make a real, lasting difference to our patients and our people.

King’s is committed to delivering Sustainable Healthcare for All via our Green Plan. In line with national Greener NHS ambitions, we have set net zero carbon targets of 2040 for our NHS Carbon Footprint and 2045 for our NHS Carbon Footprint Plus. Everyone’s contribution is required in order to meet the goals set out in our Green Plan and we encourage all staff to work responsibly, minimising their contributions to the Trust’s carbon emissions, waste and pollution wherever possible.

Detailed job description and main responsibilities

To participate in the day to day operation and organisation of the nursery, and to assist in ensuring the smooth running of the nursery setting in accordance with agreed policy and procedures and to promote a good parent staff relationship.

Person specification

Essential/Desirable

• NNEB/BTEC in Childcare, Diploma or NVQ Level 3
• Proven skills supporting children’s development between the ages of 3 months and 5 years
• Good knowledge of Safeguarding and Child Protection
• First Aid course/Food Hygiene

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King's College Hospital is part of King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC), a pioneering collaboration between King's College London, and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts.

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This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.