Job Description

Location:

Exeter

Salary

: up to 26,499 per annum (with pay progression opportunities)

Contract/Hours:

Permanent/Full Time - 40 hours per week


Part time contracts would be considered

Closing date:

Midnight on the 28 th of January 2026

Benefits:

Time off to recharge

- 25 days plus bank holidays

24/7 Confidential Helpline

speak to trained counsellors any time, 365 days a year, for emotional, wellbeing or mental health support.

Enhanced Well-being

: 8 sessions In-Person, Phone, or Online Counselling or CBT

Treat yourself:

Staff discounts portal and blue light card with 15,000 + retailers

Salary Finance

- access to financial advice and the ability to manage savings or loans directly from your salary

Childcare Discount -

A whopping 60% off childcare within our nurseries and out of school clubs

Up to 3 Days Dependency Leave -

to care for dependents in an emergency.

Paid maternity, adoption, and paternity

leave

Gain professional qualifications

and excellent training/development opportunities

Secure your future:

Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover

Why Spring Nurseries

Imagine a place where laughter echoes, imaginations run wild, and every day is new adventure. At Spring Nurseries, where more than a collection of settings, we are a family, dedicated to nurturing children to thrive and supporting staff through a clear career pathway.

A Day in the Life of an Early Years Practitioner (Level 3)

Each day at Spring Cedars starts with a warm welcome, familiar faces and children eager to share their stories. As an Early Years Practitioner Level 3 you'll will play a key role in delivering high quality early years education, supporting children's learning and development in line with the EYFS. You'll create engaging, creative environments where children feel safe, confident, and ready to explore, extending their ideas and encouraging skills to grow.


You'll observe children as they learn, capture their progress, and plan their next steps with careful stop whether you're guiding a small group activity, supporting a moment of discovery outdoors, or helping a child master a new skill, your expertise and presence make real difference. You will support and mentor your colleagues, model best practise and work closely with the team to ensure every child is nurtured, listened to, and celebrated each day.

A bit about the Nursery

Spring Cedars has just been fully revamped, offering a fresh, bright, and welcome environment for children to learn and grow. The nurseries beautifully resourced, featuring a brand-new indoor area with modern, well-equipped rooms. With longstanding, experienced staff team, we provide a nurturing, supportive space where children thrive and every day is full of discovery and fun.

Your mission (should you choose to accept it)

Supervise and protect our children in the safe and stimulating environment Lead exciting preschool activities that spark creativity and curiosity Prepare children for the next big adventure: School Creating engaging learning experiences that help children shine Build strong relationships with parents/carers and families Meet each child's unique needs with love and attention Bring a positive attitude and make every day magical.

What we need from you

In the role of Early Years Practitioner (Level 3), we're ideally looking for someone who has:


A Level 3 Early Years and Childcare qualification (NNEB, CACHE, NVQ Level 2 or 3 or equivalent) Experience in planning and delivering educational programmes for children aged 0 to 5, tailored to their individual needs and developmental stages. The ability to observe, guidance support less experienced colleagues, helping them to develop their skills. Experience applying effective communication techniques with children and their families. Knowledge of children's emotional, physical, psychological, and educational development from 0-5 years Awareness and understanding of special educational needs (SEN) and how these are supported in an early year setting.
Ready to make a difference in the lives of children? Whether you're looking for a career change or the next step in your journey, we'd love to hear from you!

Contact:

If you need support with your application, please contact our Recruitment Team at RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting reference

12486

.


We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

At Spring Oscars we're dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace. We actively encourage applications from Black, Asian & Minority Ethnic and disabled candidates as they are under-represented within the organisation. We want to take deliberate and purposeful action to ensure equal opportunity to all groups.


Male staff are often under-represented within this sector and we would like to encourage more male applicants for our roles.


We are committed to safer recruitment practices to protect our service users; therefore, all applicants are expected to have an understanding of and commitment to safeguarding best-practice.

Don't meet every single requirement?

If you're excited about this role but your experience doesn't align perfectly with the job description, we'd love you to apply anyway. You might just be the perfect person for this role, or another role within the Action for Children family.

Application Process

Please note we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.

There are 5 sections for you to complete - Personal Details, CV, Supporting Statement & Information, Equality & Diversity, Submission & Declaration - please refer to the JD and Person Specification when applying.


We also want to know what unique qualities you can bring to help us reach our vision for children and families.

Talent Pool:

We're sure you've got what it takes to join our ambitious team. If you're unsuccessful this time around, we'd like to hold your details in case similar jobs come up that you might be better suited for. But feel free to let us know if you'd rather we didn't do that.



If you need support with your application, please contact our Recruitment Partner



We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Want to know more about Spring and Oscars?

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