Early Years Assistant

Play Away Nursery - Totton 

Nursery Practitioner - Level 3

30 hours per week

£22,074 per annum

Located on the High Street in Totton, just a 3-minute walk from the train station, our nursery is ideally placed for easy commuting. With nearby local businesses and our own on-site car park, making commuting quick and convenient. Our nursery offers five spacious, age-appropriate rooms where children progress at their own pace. At Play Away, we celebrate every stage of childhood, supporting smooth transitions between groups to ensure each child feels confident, settled, and happy. We provide rich sensory experiences, opportunities for imaginative play, and a strong focus on social development.

A standout feature of our setting is our inspiring outdoor environment. With thoughtfully designed spaces and all-weather protection from large, colourful sails, children enjoy outdoor play every day—whether exploring, staying active, or taking time to relax in calm, quiet areas.

Our friendly, long-standing and highly experienced team is at the heart of everything we do. We’re passionate about creating a warm, nurturing environment for both children and staff, and we’re always excited to welcome new team members who share our commitment to high-quality early years care.

We are currently seeking a Nursery Practitioner to join our team. This full-time role requires working 30 hours per week. The ideal candidate will hold a full and relevant Level 3 qualification. Please note, this is a year-round position, as the nursery operates throughout the year and is not term-time only.

Why Join Us?

At Family First, we value our team members and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• £1,000 joining bonus
  
• Referral programme:  Refer a friend and earn upto £750
  
• Employee Childcare Discounts: 75% off nursery fees for our team member’s
  
• Annual Leave: Starting at 24 days, plus a paid day off for your birthday and bank holidays 
  
• Health and Wellbeing Programme: Confidential employee assistance helpline available 
  
• Development: Tailored learning and development opportunities to support your career growth
  
• Excellent Transport Links
  

As Nursery Practitioner, you will:

• Ensure that each child’s individual needs are met and a high standard of professional care and education is delivered in a caring, safe and secure environment in which all children can play, learn and develop
  
• Observe, assess and plan an interesting, stimulating and challenging range of early years activities which supports each child’s individual learning and development needs and abilities
  
• Engage as a professional member of the team, exhibiting a flexible attitude and willingness to develop new skills
  
• Ensure that company policies and procedures are read, applied, reviewed regularly and adhered to by all
  
• Follow risk assessments diligently and report all health and safety matters to management
  
• Enhance the all-around daily needs of children, including their physical, intellectual, social and emotional development
  

*Duties and responsibilities in this job description are not exhaustive or restrictive, changes and other duties relevant to this post may be added.

As Nursery Practitioner, you will need:

• Full and relevant Level 3 childcare qualification - essential
  
• Fluent in written and spoken English - essential
  
• Over 1 year’s experience of working in Early Years - desirable
  
• Knowledge of the Statutory framework for the EYFS and regulatory requirements - desirable
  

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.  A Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate will be required for all posts. This post will be subject to enhanced checks as part of our Safeguarding Duty.

The Play Away Nursery - Totton is part of the Family First Group where we take great care to treat everyone as a person, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin, or political belief has no place within the Family First Group.