Early Years Teacher

Role Purpose

The Early Years Teacher will play a key role in delivering high-quality, ambitious early education and ensuring children receive the strongest possible foundations for their future learning.

Working directly with children and alongside nursery teams, the Early Years Teacher will model excellent practice, support high-quality curriculum delivery and ensure the nursery’s pre-school programme is fully embedded into everyday practice.

The role will either be primarily based within a designated nursery but may also provide teaching, curriculum and quality support across nurseries within the group depending on the need.

Key Responsibilities

Teaching, Curriculum & Children’s Progress

• Deliver consistently high-quality teaching and learning in line with the EYFS and the nursery’s curriculum.
• Ensure the curriculum and the initiatives supporting it are delivered to the highest standard and is ambitious, purposeful and progressive for all children.
• Ensure the nursery’s pre-school programme is fully embedded into everyday practice and delivered consistently.
• Create engaging learning opportunities that build on children’s interests, knowledge, skills and individual stages of development.
• Use a strong understanding of child development to identify appropriate next steps and adapt teaching accordingly.
• Monitor children’s progress, identifying where additional support, intervention or challenge may be required.
• Ensure school readiness is embedded throughout the pre-school experience, preparing children effectively for their transition to school.
• Ensure transition reports are completed and partnership with local schools is in place
• Promote children’s curiosity, independence, confidence, resilience and love of learning.

Quality of Practice & Team Development

• Model excellent early years teaching, interactions and practice to colleagues.
• Work alongside practitioners within rooms, providing practical coaching, guidance and support to strengthen teaching and curriculum delivery.
• Support teams to understand the intent of the curriculum and pre-school programme and how this translates into effective everyday practice.
• Observe practice and provide constructive feedback to support continuous improvement.
• Contribute to staff training, professional development and quality improvement activity where required.
• Work collaboratively with Nursery Managers, Room Leaders and the Quality & Education team to maintain consistently high standards.

Inclusion & Learning Environments

• Ensure teaching and learning is inclusive, ambitious and accessible for every child.
• Work closely with the SENCO and wider team to support children with SEND or additional needs.
• Adapt teaching, experiences and environments to support individual children’s learning and development.
• Support teams to create stimulating, purposeful and well-organised indoor and outdoor learning environments.
• Ensure environments and experiences introduce children to a broad range of knowledge, vocabulary, concepts and opportunities.

Parents & Partnerships

• Build positive and professional relationships with parents and carers and support them to understand their child’s learning and development.
• Work collaboratively with families, schools and external professionals to support children’s individual needs and transitions.
• Contribute to parent events, workshops and transition activities where appropriate.

Multi-Site Support

• Work flexibly across other nursery settings within the group when required.
• Provide targeted teaching, curriculum and quality support where additional expertise is required.
• Support the consistent implementation of the curriculum, the chalk initiatives and pre-school programme across settings.
• Model excellent practice and provide practical, in-room coaching to nursery teams.
• Share effective practice, ideas and resources across settings and contribute to wider quality improvement initiatives.

Safeguarding & Compliance

• Place the safety, welfare and wellbeing of children at the centre of all practice.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of safeguarding responsibilities, the EYFS statutory framework and relevant early years guidance.
• Follow all safeguarding, health and safety and nursery policies and procedures.
• Always maintain confidentiality and professional boundaries.
• Contribute positively to Ofsted inspections, Local Authority visits and quality assurance activity where required.

Person Specification

Essential

• Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS) or another appropriate recognised Early Years teaching qualification.
• Experience within a nursery or early years setting.
• Experience supporting school readiness and transition into Reception.
• Strong knowledge of the EYFS, child development and how young children learn.
• Experience working with children within the early years age range.
• Ability to model high-quality teaching and support the development of other practitioners.
• Strong understanding of safeguarding and inclusive practice.
• Excellent communication, organisation and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with nursery teams, families and external professionals.
• Willingness to work flexibly across multiple nursery settings when required.

Desirable

• Experience coaching or mentoring practitioners.
• Experience of curriculum development or quality improvement.
• Knowledge and experience of supporting children with SEND.

Our Expectations

Our Early Years Teacher will combine strong educational knowledge with a practical, hands-on approach. They will be ambitious for every child and work alongside nursery teams to ensure high-quality teaching, the curriculum and our pre-school programme are consistently embedded in everyday practice.