Qualified Nursery Practitioner (Early Years Educator)
Company: Cheeky Monkeys Nursery
Location: High Peak
Job Types Available:
- 2 x Full-Time, Permanent Positions (Part-time options considered for the right candidates)
- Bank Staff Positions (Flexible zero-hour cover also available)
- Target Age Groups: Baby Room (Birth to 2 years) OR Pre-School Room (2 to 5 years)
- Salary: Competitive – Exceeds National Minimum Wage for qualified practitioners
- Reporting To: Nursery Manager / Management Team
- Perks: Closed all Bank Holidays | Fully closed for one week at Christmas | Established, stable setting (Since 2003) | Tapestry digital software system used
The Opportunity
Are you a motivated, fun-loving, and reliable Early Years professional looking to join a truly fabulous team?
Cheeky Monkeys Nursery is a busy, friendly, and highly successful day nursery that has been providing premium childcare to our local community since 2003. We provide care for children aged 0 to 5 years old on an all-year-round basis, maintaining a warm, inclusive environment where children can thrive, learn, and play safely.
We are expanding our team and are looking for qualified Nursery Practitioners who can react spontaneously to the needs of children, making every single session both deeply educational and incredibly fun. Whether your passion lies in the nurturing, specialized care of young infants in our Baby Room or guiding the active milestone developments of our 2–5 year olds, we have a long-term position for you.
Key Responsibilities
- Holistic Care & Learning: Provide a safe, welcoming, clean, and inclusive learning environment where children feel secure and parents feel fully confident.
- Keyworker Allocations: Act as a dedicated Keyworker for a small group of children, tracking their ongoing developmental milestones and updating their digital learning profiles via the Tapestry system.
- Spontaneous Curriculum Planning: Assist in planning and executing stimulating, age-appropriate, and creative play activities aligned with individual child interests.
- Safeguarding Excellence: Implement and strictly uphold all nursery policies and procedures, placing the absolute highest priority on child safeguarding and welfare.
- Parent Partnership: Maintain warm, professional, and clear communication with parents/carers, including attending occasional parents' evenings and staff training sessions outside of standard hours.
- Team Synergy: Work flexibly and collaboratively across the setting, acting as a highly professional role model to children, colleagues, and families at all times.
Requirements (Person Specification)
- Qualifications: Must hold a full and relevant Early Years Childcare Qualification (Level 3 or above is highly preferred, though highly motivated Level 2 practitioners willing to train towards their Level 3 will be considered).
- Framework Knowledge: A clear, working understanding of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework and OFSTED compliance guidelines.
- Vetting: Must be willing to undergo a comprehensive Enhanced DBS check and provide two professional references (at least one must be childcare-relevant).
- Attributes: Honest, trustworthy, punctual, and highly reliable, with a genuinely kind, caring, patient, and fun-loving approach to early childhood education.
What We Offer
- Financial Reward: An hourly rate that purposefully exceeds the national minimum wage to reflect your professional qualifications and hard work.
- Guaranteed Time Off: Enjoy a reliable work-life balance with all Bank Holidays off, plus a guaranteed nursery closure for one week at Christmas so you can spend quality time with your own family.
- Stable Modern Setting: Work inside an established, reputable business utilizing modern digital tracking tools (Tapestry), drastically reducing your manual paperwork burden.
- Professional Development: Continuous support from an experienced, long-standing management team committed to your ongoing childcare training and career progression.
Strategic Recruitment Tips for Early Years Providers:
- The Paperwork Reduction (Tapestry): The biggest source of burnout for modern Nursery Practitioners is heavy, manual paperwork. Specifically mentioning "Tapestry software" tells candidates that your nursery uses efficient digital logging tools, which saves them hours of physical writing and makes the job drastically more attractive.
- The Christmas Closure Magnet: Many commercial nursery groups force staff to work straight through the festive period on rotating skeleton rotas. Explicitly highlighting We close for one week at Christmas is a premium lifestyle perk that will poach high-quality staff from national corporate chains.
- The Age Group Divide: By separating the ad into specific tracks (Baby Room vs 2–5 Year Position), you let candidates apply for the specific age group they excel at. Some practitioners love the calm, sensory nature of infant care, while others prefer preschool structure—giving them the choice dramatically increases application rates.
Job Types: Full-time, Part-time
Pay: Up to £12.96 per hour
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Free parking
Application question(s):
- Do you have experience working with children aged birth to 2 years.
- Do you have a relevant childcare qualification?
Experience:
- Childcare: 1 year (required)
- Working with children aged 0 - 5: 1 year (required)
Licence/Certification:
- Driving Licence (preferred)
- Level 2 or 3 childcare qualification (required)
Location:
- High Peak SK23 0TQ (preferred)
Work Location: In person
