Early Years Practitioner – Level 3
Dots & Tots Day Nursery | Brixworth, Northamptonshire
£14.00 per hour | Full-time
*COMING END OF 2026*
Professional playmaker, imagination igniter & expert at turning everyday moments into lifelong learning.
We’re looking for a brilliant Level 3 Early Years Practitioner to join the founding team at Dots & Tots Day Nursery, a brand-new children's day nursery opening in Brixworth.
This is more than joining a new job — you'll be joining us right at the beginning, helping to shape our rooms, build our nursery culture and create something really special for our children and families.
At Dots & Tots, we believe childhood should feel like childhood. Expect muddy wellies, stories read for the hundredth time, big questions, messy hands, outdoor adventures, real-life experiences and plenty of opportunities for children to explore the world around them.
What you'll be doing
As a Level 3 Practitioner, you'll be an important part of your room team, creating a warm, nurturing and exciting environment where every child feels safe, included and able to be themselves.
You'll:
- Act as a Key Person for a group of children, building strong relationships with them and their families.
- Observe children's interests, learning and development and use these to plan meaningful next steps and experiences.
- Support children's communication, confidence, independence, friendships and emotional wellbeing.
- Create engaging, play-based opportunities across all areas of the EYFS.
- Get involved in everything from stories and circle times to outdoor exploration, creative activities and real-life hands on experiences.
- Support children with additional needs and work inclusively so every child can participate and thrive.
- Work closely with Room Leaders, the SENDCo and the wider nursery team.
- Maintain accurate observations, assessments and records.
- Follow safeguarding, health & safety and nursery policies at all times.
- Build positive, professional relationships with parents and carers.
What we're looking for
You'll need a full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification suitable for working within EYFS ratios.
We’re looking for someone who is warm, reliable and genuinely loves being around children. Someone who’ll happily get down on the floor and join the play — and accept that they may not be allowed back up again until the tower is finished.
Someone who notices the little things, listens to children’s wonderfully random ideas and knows that some of the best learning happens when nobody planned it, it definitely wasn’t on any activity sheet, and somehow everyone is now making a café out of a cardboard box
Previous nursery or early years experience is required
Most importantly, we want someone who shares our belief that children deserve to feel known, valued, included and excited to come to nursery.
Why join Dots & Tots?
You'll be joining a brand-new independent nursery and becoming part of our team from the very beginning.
Our Benefits Package
28 days annual leave
Inclusive of bank holidays.
Christmas Eve off on us- An additional paid closure day, separate from your annual leave entitlement.
Two paid wellbeing days- After one year's service, you'll receive two additional paid wellbeing days each year — one to use between January and June and one between July and December.
Staff childcare discount- 50%- Helping make childcare a little easier for members of our own team, subject to availability and the nursery's staff childcare scheme.
Training & development
We want people to grow with us, with opportunities for ongoing training, professional development and progression.
Dedicated development time
Planned opportunities for team learning, observations, reflection and professional development.
Long-service rewards
£250 after 2 years' service
£500 after 5 years' service.
Team events
Team events and a Christmas party — because the grown-ups deserve to have fun too.
Our Recruitment Journey
We know interviews work both ways.
We want to find out whether you're right for Dots & Tots, but it's just as important that you have the opportunity to decide whether we're right for you.
Our recruitment process has three stages:
- Initial phone conversation – Let's have a chat
- In-person interview – Let's talk properly
- Stay & Play – Come and meet us
Safeguarding & Safer Recruitment
Safeguarding children is everyone's responsibility.
Dots & Tots Day Nursery is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, and safeguarding runs throughout our recruitment process — not simply at the DBS stage.
Appointments will be subject to satisfactory safer recruitment and suitability checks, which will include, as appropriate:
- Enhanced DBS checks.
- Identity verification.
- Right-to-work checks.
- Verification of relevant early years qualifications.
- Full employment-history checks and exploration of any gaps.
- Appropriate professional references.
- Consideration of the candidate's suitability to work with children throughout the interview and selection process.
- Any additional checks required for the position.
As part of our safer recruitment process, we will make direct telephone contact with the applicant's most recent childcare employer to verify their reference and discuss their previous employment and suitability to work with children.
Offers of employment will be subject to satisfactory completion of the required safer recruitment checks.
Dots & Tots is committed to creating an inclusive workplace and welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.
Pay: £14.00 per hour
Expected hours: 40.0 per week
Benefits:
- Additional leave
- Childcare
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Employee mentoring programme
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
