Nursery Support Operative - Nurseries - 107880 - Grade 2

Position Details

Elms Day Nursery

Location: University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham UK

Full time starting salary is normally in the range £24,097 to £25,203 (pro-rata for part time)

Grade: 2

Part Time, 28.5 hours per week

Fixed Term contract up to September 2027 

Closing date: 8^th September 2026

The University will seek references from at least one referee prior to interview. Candidates must therefore provide at least one referee whom we can contact immediately. The remaining referees will usually only be contacted if you are offered appointment. Please indicate clearly on your application form which referee(s) we may contact prior to interview.

Our offer to you

People are at the heart of what we are and do.

The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.

We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.

We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.

Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.

The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.

Find out more about the benefits of working for the University of Birmingham

Background

The role of the Nursery Assistant is to ensure that all children attending The Elms Day Nursery receive high quality care, are kept safe, and receive rich and stimulating play experiences which meet their individual needs and support all aspects and components of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

At the Elms we work with children, parents, external agencies and the community to ensure the welfare and safety of children to give them the very best start in life. Children have the right to be treated with respect, be helped to thieve and be safe from any abuse in whatever form.

Role Summary

This role will be working with various age groups from 6 weeks-4 years supporting both the children and colleagues and entail light domestic duties as and when required in the playrooms.

This role as a Nursery Assistant is working 28.5 hours per week for a private early years day nursery based in leafy Edgbaston, next to the University of Birmingham campus offering excellent public transport links. You will receive a generous package of benefits including:

• 40 days paid holiday a year (depending on working hours)
• 1 paid day a year for volunteering
• 2 paid staff training days
• Occupational sick pay
• Discounted gym membership at the new sports centre
• Recognition scheme
• Staff discount on childcare
• An in-depth induction to the nursery including EYFS
• Ongoing training and development opportunities

Main Duties

• Provide high quality, positive care for children through social, emotional, educational, and practical interaction, nurturing, and guidance.
• Make sure the children are kept safe, are well, and that Child Protection Procedures are followed.
• Contribute towards observations and keep recording of the activities and progress of children.
• Partner with parents/carers to keep them informed of their child’s day and progress.
• Organise, maintain and ensure a clean, tidy, hygienic, safe, child-friendly environment.
• Help to supervise activities such as arts and crafts, cooking, reading, music, and outdoor and physical activities.
• Maintain toys and equipment.
• Feed babies and ensure the nutritional needs of children are met, complying with Food Safety Regulations.
• Change nappies and help children with potty/toilet training.
• Help children to learn social, emotional, numeracy, language, and practical skills.
• Work with staff within the nursery to provide a high quality nursery service.
• Work with outside professional bodies or agencies as appropriate.
• Implement the daily routine of the nursery.
• Participate in meetings out of hours annual staff meeting
• Follow the nursery’s practices, processes, and procedures. E.g. positive behaviour management techniques.
• Learn about developments in childcare and undertake training as required.
• Ensure the health and safety of colleagues and children, complying with all Health and Safety requirements.
• Treat everyone with dignity and respect, support equality, and value diversity.
• Undertake other duties as required.

Required Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications, Experience

• Hold a full and relevant childcare and education qualification to NVQ Level 2/3 or equivalent

• Where possible GCSE English Language and Maths at Grade C or above

• Experience in working with children from birth to 5 years and positive behaviour management

• Knowledge of developments in early years of education and willingness to undertake training

• Knowledge of legislation, regulations, inspection criteria, and curriculum relevant to Early Years.

• Understanding of how to ensure health and safety and hygiene in a childcare setting

• Understanding of and commitment to Child Protection procedures

• Suitability and ability to care for children, including the ability to deal with challenging behaviours

• Ability to communicate well and work well with children and adults from diverse backgrounds

• Reliable

• Punctual

• Ability to write legibly and present information well

• Ability to work well as part of a team

• Good organisational skills

• Ability to learn and understand how diversity considerations affect early years’ childcare.

• Ability and willingness to take on duties as required

DBS required

The University is committed to safeguarding and we promote safe recruitment practice, therefore all associated pre-employment checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed. Due to the nature of the work undertaken in this role all successful applicants will be subject to a satisfactory DBS clearance prior to appointment.

Informal enquiries to Selina Hunt, email: [email protected] 

View our staff values and behaviours here

Use of AI in applications: We want to understand your genuine interest in the role and for the written elements of your application to accurately reflect your own communication style. Applications that rely too heavily on AI tools can appear generic and lack the detail we need to assess your skills and experience. Such applications will unlikely be progressed to interview.

We believe there is no such thing as a 'typical' member of University of Birmingham staff and that diversity in its many forms is a strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation and debate at the heart of University life. We are committed to proactively addressing the barriers experienced by some groups in our community and are proud to hold Athena SWAN, Race Equality Charter and Disability Confident accreditations. We have an Equality Diversity and Inclusion Centre that focuses on continuously improving the University as a fair and inclusive place to work where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. We are also committed to sustainability, which is a key part of our strategy. You can find out more about our work to create a fairer university for everyone on our website.