Job summary
- Main area
- Nursery
- Grade
- Band 4
- Contract
- Fixed term: 12 months (N/A)
- Hours
- Part time - 15 hours per week (N/A)
- Job ref
- 188-THQ050226
- Employer
- University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust
- Employer type
- NHS
- Site
- HR Trust Taplins
- Town
- Southampton
- Salary
- £27937- £30162 per annum pro rata
- Closing
- 24/02/2026 23:59
- Interview date
- 02/03/2026
Employer heading
Senior Nursery Practitioner (Room Leader)
Band 4
Job overview
University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.
Please see below for detailed job description of the role.
You’ll based at Western Community Hospital at Trust Taplins nursery in our Purple room (children aged 2:6-3:6) working as a key-person and room leader.
Main duties of the job
Are you a knowledgeable and inspiring Early Years practitioner, passionate about providing high standards of care and education to children aged 3 months- 5 years old? Do you want to develop your own skills as well as the skills of the practitioners in your team?
This is a great opportunity to work with a friendly and experienced Leadership team working together to provide high standards of care and education to children aged 3 months-5 years old.
Taplins operates two purpose built day nurseries supporting our local NHS staff, and being part of the UHS family means you'll have access to lots of great benefits such as generous holiday allowance, and a discount scheme.
We're open Monday- Friday from 7am to 6.30pm and you'll work a Monday 10.15-6.30pm and Tuesday 6.45-2.30pm. We work in our purpose built nurseries with generous outdoor space, and have a great reputation for developing supportive relationships with the children and families who attend.
Working for our organisation
University Hospital Southampton is one of England's largest acute teaching Trusts, offering a wide range of learning and development opportunities to support your career aspirations.
Located on the south coast with an international airport and direct rail links to London, Southampton offers an ideal setting to live and work, with the New Forest, South Downs and Jurassic Coast.
We believe that using technology wisely shows strong time management and commitment to innovation. However, personalizing your recruitment application to highlight your unique skills and experiences is crucial. Relying too heavily on generic, AI-generated content instead of drawing from your own strengths and accomplishments may lead to your application being rejected if multiple candidates present identical or similar information.
At UHS we’re committed to providing a flexible working environment where possible. Whether you are balancing family, study, or your wellbeing with your career, we want to support you so you can help our patients.
At UHS, we proudly champion individuality, recognizing that outstanding care is only possible with a diverse, inclusive team. We’re committed to creating an anti-racist, anti-discriminatory environment where everyone feels valued, safe, and empowered to make a meaningful impact in our communities. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds, identities, and experiences to join us in building a healthcare community where everyone can belong, thrive, and contribute.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
What you’ll do
You’ll role model, motivate, lead, coach, support and manage our teams to provide high standards of childcare and education.
You’ll be responsible for leading specific areas of practice or completing specific management tasks.
What we’re looking for :-
You’ll hold an appropriate Early Years qualification (Level 3 or above- see job specification for details), and be able to use your experience to support others.
You’ll need to be calm, kind and caring, with a sense of humour- we like our nurseries to be happy places!
You’ll have a knowledgeable, enthusiastic and inspiring approach to leading a team and working with children and their families.
You’ll need to be committed and reliable with a flexible approach.
Attached you will find the person specification document which provides more detail about the essential and desirable skills and experience needed for this role. We highly recommend you review this document and use it when completing your application as these criteria are used by hiring managers as guidance during shortlisting.
For an overview of the main duties of the role please see the ‘Job Description and Main Responsibilities’ section below. To understand the day-to-day responsibilities in more detail please read the full job description document attached.
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
- Current food hygiene certificate
- To hold a full and relevant Level 3 Early Years Qualification (in accordance with https://www.gov.uk/guidance/early-years-qualifications-finder ) or above. If level 3 qualified post June 2016, to also hold a full paediatric first aid (PFA) or an emergency PFA certificate.
- Experience as a Senior Nursery Practitioner or experience gained through acting up or relevant equivalent experience
- Able to provide relevant activity ideas and ability to care for children
- Demonstrates enthusiastic approach to working with children and learning practically within nursery
- Recent previous experiences of working with 3 months – 5-year-olds within a childcare setting.
Desirable criteria
- Current paediatric and/or first aid at work certificate if qualified pre- June 2016, or if candidate holds a qualification higher than level 3
- Experience in supervising students and/or colleagues.
Trust Values and Bahaviours
Essential criteria
- Patients First
- Always Improving
- Working Together
Employer certification / accreditation badges
Applicant requirements
This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975 (Amendment) (England and Wales) Order 2020 and it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Documents to download
Further details / informal visits contact
- Name
- Anna Rixon
- Job title
- Nursery Manager
- Email address
- [email protected]
- Telephone number
- 07795 685987
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