Nursery Practitioner

Little Steps, Big Impact - Join a Team where Your Work Shapes Young Lives

Here are just some of our benefits when working for the East Kent Colleges Group:

• Generous Annual Leave - 24 days FTE per annum +5 days after 5 years
• Learning and Development Opportunities - 3-4 annual paid group development days, bespoke programmes e.g. Aspiring Leaders Development Programme and strong internal progression-1 in 3 roles are filled internally
• Exclusive Discounts & Perks - Inc. restaurant, grocery, retail and holidays discounts as well as car leasing and tech purchasing schemes
• Flexible Personal Leave - Time off for your child's first day at nursery, school or college, moving homes and for interviews
• Wellbeing and Health Support - Generous sick pay, counselling services, discounted gym membership at Canterbury College
• Culture and Recognition - Being part of Community Days, an annual Staff Celebration Day, and an eco-friendly organisation dedicated to reaching net-zero by 2030
• Competitive Pension Scheme - 18% employer contribution

Sound good? Well, here's more about the role and our setting.....

The East Kent Colleges Group is home to three amazing nurseries serving students, staff, and the local community from our Broadstairs, Canterbury, and Folkestone College campuses, and thanks to our popularity, we're looking for a full-time Nursery Practitioner to complement our friendly Broadstairs team. Could we be looking for you?

A great team spirit; and warm and nurturing surroundings for the children in our care are at the heart of who we are and what we do and thanks to our popularity we're looking for an experienced Level 3 qualified Nursery Practitioner to support the Nursery and work within our amazing team.

So, if you're looking for somewhere to share your Early Years Level 3 knowledge and skills and make a difference in children's lives… looking for great benefits - good rates of pay and holiday, a reward system and promotion opportunities - and an even better team… and most of all, you're committed to safeguarding, then you're looking for us too

We are committed to development and we'd support development through to Level 3 for the right candidate

We are seeking passionate and dedicated Level 3 Early Years Practitioners who are committed to delivering exceptional care and education. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in children's lives, supporting their learning and development in a nurturing, safe, and inclusive environment.

You will:

• Hold a Level 3 qualification in Early Years Education with proven experience in a nursery environment
• Demonstrate a strong understanding of the EYFS and its practical application
• Take on the role of a key person, delivering high-quality early years education and care
• Work in partnership with parents and carers to support each child's development and wellbeing
• Implement welfare and safeguarding requirements to the highest standards
• Communicate effectively with children, families, and colleagues at all levels
• Demonstrate sound knowledge of child development and individual children's needs
• Apply health and safety knowledge to maintain a safe and nurturing environment
• Promote equality, inclusion, and diversity in all aspects of practice
• Be flexible and willing to take on additional responsibilities as required

Ready to apply?

No need to spend time updating your CV, just click apply and complete our short application form. You can save your progress as you go, and we'll review all applications and get back to all candidates after the closing date.

If you are interested in an informal chat about the role, or have any queries, please email us on

Outstanding Ofsted Provider

East Kent Colleges Group is an Ofsted Outstanding rated provider. It is proud to be the first General Further Education college organisation in the country to have received the Outstanding grade against each of the strands under the new Ofsted inspection framework. An inclusive provider, our colleagues place our students and the communities we serve at the heart of everything they do across EKC Group and this is illustrated in our 'Strong' skills grading by Ofsted.

Commitment to Safeguarding

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and we ensure that all staff are aware of their responsibilities for upholding these principles.

As a designated establishment, we are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and therefore have an obligation to carry out checks to ensure that staff are suitable to work with children and vulnerable adults. These checks include conviction/caution self-declaration, Enhanced DBS check and obtaining sufficient referencing.

It is a criminal offence to apply for a post which involves engaging in regulated activity relevant to children if you are barred from doing so.

If you are successful in being shortlisted to interview, your suitability to work with children and vulnerable adults will be explored as part of the interview process.

Commitment to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

East Kent Colleges Group is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all members of our communities. We are particularly keen to increase the diversity of our staff body and encourage applications from candidates where there is underrepresentation in our workforce.

We are proud to hold the Positive About Disability Award and are a Disability Confident Employer. This confirms our commitment to interviewing all applicants who declare that they have a disability and who meet the essential criteria outlined in the person specification. With any successful candidate, we will explore any reasonable adjustments to a role due to a health needs or disability.

Similarly, we have a commitment to Care Leavers (Care Covenant Pledge) and to current or previous Armed Forces personnel (Armed Forces Covenant Pledge) with a commitment to interview applicants who meet the positions essential criteria and who have declared this on their application.

We welcome applications from anyone wishing to work flexibly and those considering a return to work from a career break.

We do not engage with agencies for permanent staff and have an in-house recruitment team.