Nursery Practitioner in Somerset

Location: Somerset, UK

Contract Type: Permanent

Education Phases: Through School

Job Roles: Other Support

Working Patterns: Full-Time

Application Deadline: Monday, 21st September 2026

Visa Sponsorship Available: No

Is a Shared Job: No

About us

Taunton School is a large, exciting and diverse organisation. We are ambitious without pretence and extraordinarily friendly, with relationships based upon mutual respect between all members of the school community. The staff are true enthusiasts. We aspire to deliver exceptional every day, whilst creating a welcoming and supportive environment where individuals can thrive, find their exceptional, and be celebrated. Our 3 cornerstone values are Humility, Engagement and Kindness. We are also a Menopause Aware Employer. If this sounds like a cultural fit for you, and you meet the job requirements, we would love to hear from you.

Job Description

Are you passionate about education and dedicated to providing a safe, caring and happy environment for children to thrive? We have an exciting opportunity for a Nursery Practitioner to join our exceptional team. We would like to hear from applicants who have a genuine love of the Early Years and can demonstrate a warm, friendly, caring and flexible approach to the role and contribute to the inspiring and homely environment we provide for our children.

The post is full time and permanent, 40 hours per week, all year round. Working hours would be a range of shifts between 7.15am-5.45pm. Keeping our pupils safe is everyone’s responsibility. As this is a pupil-facing role, the successful candidate will have specific safeguarding responsibilities.

We acknowledge that candidates may use AI in writing their applications and ask that if they do, they declare where this has been the case. Our recruitment processes help us understand what candidates uniquely contribute, and submissions that rely too heavily on AI risk obscuring the very qualities we are looking to discover. If you use AI, let it support your thinking not replace it. We encourage you to apply even if you feel that you do not meet all the required qualifications.

Frequently cited statistics show that women and underrepresented groups are more likely to only apply to jobs if they meet 100% of the listed qualifications. We encourage you to break that statistic and apply if you think you have what it takes to join us. If you wish to apply under the Disability Confident Scheme, then please make us aware of this and ensure that you meet the minimum requirements for the role.

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

Taunton School is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of gender, marital status, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, disability, or age. We particularly encourage applications from under-represented groups. Candidates will be assessed against relevant criteria only (i.e. skills, qualifications, abilities, experience) in selection and recruitment. If you require reasonable adjustments to be made to enable you to participate in the recruitment and selection process, please contact tsrecruit@tauntonschool.co.uk

SAFEGUARDING

Taunton School operates in a regulated sector and adheres to the Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE) statutory guidance. We are committed to working together to safeguard children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. If you are shortlisted for interview the HR team may carry out an online search via Google to check presence and activity, as part of the School’s due diligence. As a regulated sector we are required to request references prior to interview unless your permission is not granted. Offers of employment are subject to satisfactory safeguarding and pre-employment checks as part of the School’s due diligence, in line with Keeping Children Safe in Education. These include, but are not limited to, ID and Right to Work in the UK, satisfactory references, a successful enhanced DBS check, and satisfactory online searches. This job is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and subsequent amendments. You are not entitled to withhold information about convictions which would otherwise be considered as ‘spent’. All applicants must therefore declare all previous convictions and cautions, including those that would normally be considered "spent", except those that are classed as protected offences. It is a condition of employment that the employee should not have been convicted of a criminal offence against children, nor have been dismissed from or resigned from a previous employer for misconduct of a similar nature. Important safeguarding information: Anyone who is barred from undertaking regulated activity with children is not eligible to apply for this role. It is an offence to apply for a role at the school if you are barred from work engaging in regulated activity relevant to children.

CLOSING DATE

The closing date for receipt of applications is Monday 21st September, however, please note that early applications are encouraged as they will be reviewed as received, and the vacancy may close early should a successful appointment be made. If you have not heard from us within 2 weeks of the closing date, please assume that your application has unfortunately been unsuccessful. Due to numbers of applications received for our jobs, we do not provide feedback at this stage.