Early Years Practitioner Level 2 in Braintree

Salary: £26,600 per annum (pro rata) – equivalent to £12.75 per hour

Location: Braintree, Essex

Contract / Hours: Permanent / Part Time – 15 hours per week (lunch cover) 11:00-14:00

Benefits:

• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays (pro rata)
• 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

A bit about the role:

At Spring Seesaw, we create a nurturing, engaging environment where children feel safe, valued and excited to learn. This part-time Lunch Cover role is ideal for someone who loves working with children and wants to support during the busiest and most social part of the day. You'll help create positive mealtime experiences, support children's independence, and ensure smooth transitions between activities. Working across different nursery rooms, you'll provide cover for the team's lunch breaks while maintaining a safe, caring, and engaging environment where each child feels supported.

In this role, you will:

• Support children's learning and development through planned activities and spontaneous play opportunities.
• Build warm, professional relationships with children, parents, and colleagues.
• Observe, assess, and record children's progress in line with the EYFS.
• Help create a safe, stimulating, and inclusive environment.
• Contribute to daily routines, including mealtimes, personal care, and transitions.
• Work as part of a team to maintain high standards of care, safeguarding and well-being.

We are looking for someone who has:

• A Level 2 or 3 Early Years and Childcare qualification (NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 2 or 3 or equivalent)
• Experience in planning and delivering educational programmes for children aged 0 to 5, tailored to their individual needs and developmental stages.
• The ability to observe and offer guidance to less experienced colleagues, helping them to develop their skills.
• Experience of applying effective communication techniques with children and their families.
• Knowledge of children's emotional, physical, psychological, and educational development from 0-5 years.

Why Spring Nurseries:

Imagine a place where laughter echoes, imaginations run wild, and every day is a new adventure. That's Spring Nursery! We are committed to creating a joyful and nurturing environment where children thrive. As part of Action for Children, we are on a mission to provide outstanding early education that is accessible to all. We support your career growth – see our Spring Career Progression Map for opportunities to progress into a specialist role.

How to apply:

If you require any support to apply, please contact the Recruitment Team at RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference 13345.

Diversity, equality and inclusion:

We work hard to create an inclusive environment where individuality is celebrated and everyone feels valued and supported. We actively encourage applications from people with Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, and people with a disability, who are under‑represented within Action for Children. Men are currently under‑represented within our Children Service roles. We would like to change that, so we encourage men to apply for any of our Children Service roles.