Do you like active in and outdoor play, reading and supervising other activities with young children? Pre school early years nursery nurse role can provide a salary and a full or part time job at a primary or nursery school using your knowledge, life & social skills.
Nursery assistant jobs at nurseries are for people age 16 and above tasked with a general role with assisting the nursery teacher & nurse with meals, play, educational activities and tidying up.
What is a nursery nurse?
Nursery nurse is a person that looks after and helps with nurturing, early education, emotions, interactive play, safety and other development for babies to young children up to 7 years.
Also known as early educator practitioners workers can be found in nurseries, hospitals, schools, private business, and early learning centres.
As an experienced & qualified worker nursery nurses can work alone or team work and supervise nursery assistants during child play activity while taking responsibility for activities & tasks.
Difference between nursery nurse & nursery assistant
Basically, a nursery nurse is more qualified and can specialise in a certain area of early education or childcare, also can work alone and supervise group work. Nursery assistant role is at a lower level and they take instructions from a nursery nurse, although nursery assistants can train towards being a nursery nurse.
Nursery nurse role
A nursery nurse is a qualified person who’s role and duties is to supervise, lead individual & group play and activates, such as sand castle, building block, reading and developing children’s personal & social skills, up to age 7 at preschool, infant, primary school role or nursery schools.
Following a routine for early learning education and childcare as much as possible nursery nurses work with nursery assistants helping with children’s learning & activates, record keeping and ensuring a clean & safe environment for young learners to develop.
Grade bands at a nursery
As a nursery nurse you start at level 2, 3 depending on qualifications you then progress up each level up to levels 4, 5, 6 with further training & qualifications. Level 5/6 you become a senior worker or can have management job at a nursery.
Salary of a nursery school nurse
Nursery nurse salary for an experienced & qualified person is around £15,000 to £30,000 per year. Additional payments are earned working in London, private schools and extra responsibility with specialist skills such as room leader.
When you first start with no experience remuneration is not a lot. Nursery assistants get paid around minimum wage depending on location and experience & age. Some London employers pay employees around the living wage per hour due to higher living cost.
You’ll find early years wages and salaries are better working at an infant or pre school or NHS, where many nurseries would like to pay more, but are unable to restrictive budgets.
Job contracts can be part or full time, temporary or permanent employment terms with an employer or an agency.
Nursery nurse job description
Role, some duties and tasks as nursery school
- Organise and lead active indoor and wet play such as cooking making arts & crafts and building.
- Reading, writing through story telling, fun use of game & play for children to learn numeracy and English language skills.
- Develop social interaction between young learners empathising right and wrong.
- Arrange and supervise children on trips and outings.
- Liaising and providing feedback to parents and nursery teacher.
- Keep accurate records of every child’s educational progress and health & safety.
- Supervise and work with other staff members such as assistants.
- Help with training of new staff members and nursery assistants.
Every day at a nursery or infant school is action packed with eager children willing to learn, although one or more will not be happy to take part in learning or activities.
You’ll be challenged by children falling sick, tantrums from children (and manager).
Any setting with early years learners will follow strict guideline on health & safety, paperwork administration for record keeping, as well as continued learning and development.
Daily task follow set procedures and a plan to deliver learning in a fun way so to encourage a child’s natural development.
What you will ultimately be doing as a nursery nurse role daily is striking a balance between fun play, relaxing instruction and standing backing watch & observing how a child is learning and progressing.
This way you will be able to implement required learning and changes for individual and group learning.
With experience, you could become a key early educator for one or more children. You’ll monitor their progress and share information about their development with parents or careers.
Preschool worker qualifications required
Nursery nurse qualifications are required for all employers. You must have one of the following or training towards from a course training provider or college:
- CACHE level 3 award for early year’s practitioner/educator.
- Minimum level 2-3 qualification for childcare or it’s, NVQ/SVQ or HNC.
- HNC or SVQ in Child Care and Education (Scottish jobs).
- NNEB.
- SVQ Social Services, Children & Young People (Qualification Scotland jobs).
- First aid certificate is useful.
In Scotland you must also be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council to work in the role.
Nursery apprenticeships are also accepted for a nursery assistant job.
Nursery assistant qualifications expected: Starting English & mathematics at level 2 in England/Wales is a good foundation. You can then train while working towards an apprenticeship or an NVQ.
We all require to start somewhere!.
NVQ nursery jobs
National Vocational Qualifications courses from level 1-3 for jobs working at a nursery can be studied. These qualifications are completed when you are in a job, or through college.
Other qualifications for jobs in nurseries can be studied.
For experienced nursery nurse and assistant jobs employers will expect experience in a previous role as well as an industry qualification.
Skills as a nursery nurse worker
- Excellent communication skills use to working effectively as a team.
- Strong knowledge & understanding of early learning (EYFS).
- Good time keeper.
- Keeping, planner, keep calm, recognise & defuse conflict.
- Health & safety awareness.
- Fun outgoing personality certainly will help.
- Imaginative with thinking about games, play ideas and how to use them for effective learning.
The entire early learning sector for nursery jobs, infant and attached to a primary school will require a full criminal record check conducted by your employer or agency.