Level 2 or Unqualified Nursery Practitioner

Job Overview

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us at our Trust Taplins Nursery.

Main duties of the job

Are you a compassionate and caring individual looking to advance your career as a Nursery Practitioner in a fun and nurturing environment? If so, we are seeking enthusiastic Level 2 or Unqualified Nursery Practitioners to join our team at Taplins or to register your interest.

Taplins operates two purpose-built day nurseries supporting our local NHS staff. Being part of the UHS family means you'll enjoy numerous benefits, including a generous holiday allowance and access to a discount scheme.

We provide childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years in our bright and airy nursery, which features a dedicated craft and messy play area and a large, secure outdoor space perfect for adventures. We also offer cosy sleeping areas for when the children need to rest.

No experience working as a nursery practitioner? Don’t worry! If you have previously worked with children and enjoyed it, we would love to hear from you. At Taplins, we can support your journey into a childcare career with training and development opportunities.

Find out more and apply to take the next step towards joining our team, where you can help us create a nurturing environment for children to thrive!

Working for our organisation

As one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, we offer learning and development opportunities to help you achieve the career you aspire to. UHS is rated ‘Good’ by the CQC and in the latest national NHS Staff Survey, we were in the top 10 acute trusts for staff engagement and for staff recommending the hospital as a place to work or receive care.

UHS employees are able to access a range of NHS discounts, are entitled to a minimum of 35 days paid holiday (pro rata), and we offer a generous pension scheme.

Southampton is an attractive place to live and work situated on the south coast, with an international airport and direct trains to London. The New Forest National Park and beaches of the Jurassic coast are also right on our doorstep. The city offers living costs 20% lower than London and 14 schools rated outstanding by Ofsted.

There are opportunities for progression (if that is what you are looking for) within Taplins and the wider NHS. If you are looking to work somewhere you can make a difference, then this could be the job for you as we are always open to new ideas.

Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities

Our Taplins Nurseries at Western Community Hospital and Southampton General Hospital are open Monday to Friday, from 7:00 am to 6:30 pm, and you will work a range of shifts within these hours. Please note that we are closed on bank holidays.

Trust Taplins Western Community Hospital

We welcome applications for both part-time and full-time positions and are happy to discuss working hours if your application is successful. The current hours available are:

• Part-time and full-time hours: 22.5 to 37.5 hours per week
  
  

Taplins Southampton General Hospital

• Part-time hours: 9 to 28.5 hours per week
  
  

If you are invited to an interview, we will discuss your flexibility needs and explore options that work for both you and the service. Even if we are unable to offer your preferred hours immediately, we still encourage you to apply. If your application meets our criteria, we will contact you and add you to our talent pool to stay in touch if suitable hours become available in the future.

Key Responsibilities

• Work as part of a vibrant and caring team to meet the needs of small groups of children.
• Promote each child’s development through fun activities such as reading stories, giving cuddles, pretending to have tea parties, finding bugs in the garden, painting, and more.
• Maintain excellent communication with parents and carers.
• Evaluate activities and maintain online learning journals via Tapestry.
  
  

What We're Looking For

• A calm, kind, and caring individual with an enthusiastic approach to working with children and their families.
• Commitment and reliability.
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team in a busy environment to meet each child’s needs.
• Proactive individuals with brilliant ideas to help us continuously improve our services.
  
  

If this sounds like you, we’d love to meet you!

Important Information

Please note, this is a rolling advertisement, and we are continuously seeking candidates to join our talent pool. Successful candidates will be contacted as opportunities for a start date arise. If your application is successful, a member of our talent acquisition team will reach out to discuss your interest in this position further, including potential start dates either now or in the coming months.

We will only accept CVs for this advertisement, not application forms. Due to the high volume of applications, the vacancy may close early.

Person specification

Qualifications, Knowledge And Experience

Essential criteria

• Good standard of secondary education with literacy and numeracy skills demonstrable to GCSE pass level or equivalent standard
• Demonstrates enthusiastic approach to working with children and learning practically within nursery
• Able to provide relevant activity ideas and ability to care for children
• Willingness and ability to undertake Food Safety training
  
  

Desirable criteria

• Willingness and ability to undertake Level 3 Qualification in Early Years and Childcare
• Current paediatric and/or first aid at work certificate
• Current food hygiene certificate
• Recent previous experiences of working with 3 months – 5-year-olds within a childcare setting.
  
  

Skills and competencies

Essential criteria

• Adaptability
• Time management
• Literacy skills
  
  

Values and behaviours

Essential criteria

• Patients First
• Always Improving
• Working Together