Senior Nursery Practitioner (Maples) - Nurseries - 80373 - Grade 4 in Birmingham

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £27,546 to £29,171, with potential progression once in post to £32,595.

Grade: 4

Full Time, Permanent

Closing date: 19th August 2026

Our offer to you:

People are at the heart of what we are and do. The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Background:

Department overview Campus Services (CS) employs over 1000 staff with a turnover exceeding £65m in the last financial year. CS plays a key role in the quality of the student, staff and visitor experience, providing services across diverse areas such as the University’s sporting facilities, food and beverage, cleaning, conferencing, hotel operations, day nurseries, Portering, post, branded and own-brand retail outlets, visitor services and attractions (e.g., Winterbourne House & Gardens), student housing, transport, waste disposal and recycling. CS is a highly commercial organisation operating within the University context and has an ambitious strategic agenda, in terms of growing our service profile across both our Birmingham and Dubai campuses.

Our Nurseries:

Join the award-winning team at Birmingham Day Nurseries - the perfect place to learn and grow. The University operates 3 successful day nurseries – The Elms and The Maples (both in Edgbaston), and The Oaks (in Selly Oak) – providing high quality childcare for over 330 children belonging to University staff, students and local families. You will be joining a dedicated and supportive team of over 120 nursery professionals with many years of experience, in a warm and welcoming environment where you will be encouraged to develop and thrive.

Pre-appointment checks:

In line with recommendations and regulations relating to Early Years safeguarding and recruitment, please note that for this role:

• The University will seek references from at least one referee prior to interview. Candidates must therefore provide at least one referee whom we can contact immediately. The remaining referees will usually only be contacted if you are offered appointment.
• Candidates invited to interview will be asked to disclose all past names, for the sole purpose of verifying identity for Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and safeguarding checks.
• All successful candidates will be required to undergo a DBS check covering all names used.

Role Summary:

As a member of a thriving management team, you will be responsible for leading a small team of four staff, ensuring that quality care and education is provided for children in their designated group within the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) play framework of Birth to Five. You will be integral to establishing and developing an effective networking system in partnership with parents/carers, aimed at ensuring a smooth transition from home to nursery.

Main Duties:

• Ensure a safe, secure, stimulating and enriching environment for the children, where each child has access to a variety of opportunities and experiences aimed to promote individual development.
• Encourage the children to establish confidence, independence and positive self-esteem.
• Ensure the individual needs of each child are addressed and met.
• Establish positive relationships with the children by listening to them and valuing what they say and do, encouraging high expectations of what they can achieve.
• Ensure each child receives equal opportunities, experiences, support and guidance regardless of their racial origin, culture, beliefs, spoken languages, gender, social group and disability.
• Direct and support the team to complete child assessment profiles, ensuring they are maintained and stored appropriately.
• Coordinate the daily running of the group, taking into account children’s routines and parental wishes, ensuring staffing requirements are met accordingly through producing staff job charts.
• Greet parents/carers as they arrive and depart, discussing with them any daily queries or concerns.
• Work in close partnership with parents/carers to establish an equal balance of care between home and nursery.
• Show prospective parents/visitors around the premises.
• Lead a team of four staff to achieve and maintain high levels of care and education for the children in their designated group.
• Monitor individual staff performance and support their improvement where necessary.
• Guide staff in the application of new childcare initiatives.
• Devise and implement processes and procedures to alleviate problems, taking appropriate action where necessary.
• Consult with manager regarding more complex issues and escalate if required.
• Support and participate in annual policy reviews.
• Ensure working practices meet the national standards for full day care and the five outcome areas from OFSTED inspections.
• Ensure health and safety requirements are adhered to, including monitoring all daily risk assessment checklists and reporting all maintenance issues.
• Record all information on the appropriate documentation, filing accordingly as appropriate.
• Ensure all nursery policies and procedures (OFSTED and the University) are adhered to by the team.
• Advise and guide staff as appropriate with regards to all policies and procedures.
• Organise informal meetings when necessary and carry out 3 staff Nursery consultations.
• Actively engage in personal development, training sessions, team briefings and other meetings.
• Take responsibility for nursery operations in the absence of the Nursery Manager and/or Deputy Nursery Manager.
• Be friendly and approachable, maintaining a professional, positive and caring attitude at all times.
• Undertake other duties as required to support the management and development of the nursery.
• Support equality and value diversity, including challenging bias prejudice and intolerance if appropriate or bringing it to the attention of a manager.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience:

• BTEC/NVQ 3 in a relevant subject / NNEB qualification or equivalent is required.
• GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C or 4 or above or equivalent level 2 qualification.
• Previous experience of working in a nursery setting.
• Ability to positively manage staff, acting as a role model.
• Knowledge and understanding of the EYFS Birth to Five framework.
• Knowledge of developments in early years education.
• Knowledge of legislation, regulations, inspection criteria and curriculum relevant to Early Years.
• Understanding of how to ensure health and safety and hygiene in a childcare setting.
• Understanding of and commitment to Child Protection procedures.
• Good organisational and prioritisation skills.
• Self-motivated and able to work on own initiative.
• Adaptable to allow for changes in demands/focus.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent organisational skills.
• Ability to work within tight time scales and under pressure.
• Understanding of what equality and diversity is and why it is important, with an ability to identify equality and diversity issues and either address these or bring them to the attention of a manager.
• DBS required.

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Heather Bench, email: h.a.bench@bham.ac.uk

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy.