Early Years Educator (Room Leader)

About Us

Stretching across Northern, Eastern and Mid Devon, we have a workforce of over 15,000 staff, making us the largest employer in Devon. Our core services, which we provide to more than 615,000 people, cover more than 2,000 square miles across Devon, while some of our specialist services cover the whole of the peninsula, extending our reach as far as Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

We deliver a wide range of emergency, specialist and general medical services through North Devon District Hospital and the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital (Wonford). Alongside our two acute hospitals, we provide integrated health and social care services across a variety of settings, including community inpatient hospitals, outpatient clinics, and within people's own homes. We also offer primary care services, a range of specialist community services, and Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARC).

Our state-of-the-art equipment, leading technologies and strong links to local universities put us at the forefront of research and innovations, enabling us to provide world-class care to our local communities.

Our values are at the heart of everything we do, click here to find out more

It has never been a more exciting time to join the Royal Devon, as you will help to shape our services as we continue along our integration journey.

Role Summary

Are you ready to lead a room where children's ideas shape the day? Join our Ofsted Outstanding First Steps NHS Nursery as a Room Leader. We welcome experienced Room Leaders, Early Years Educators ready for their next step, and teachers with early years experience who enjoy supporting a team.

You'll lead a caring, creative room team while staying close to the children and their learning. From a story that sparks a new interest to a muddy discovery outdoors, you'll have the chance to model excellent practice, develop colleagues and make a difference for the families of NHS staff.

Our nursery provides childcare provision only to colleagues with an NHS contract.

It's set on our Wonford site in a purpose built, spacious building and generous outdoor spaces - a perfect setting for fun, play, and learning! Which is reflected in our Ofsted Outstanding Provider rating and the happy children who attend from 3 months to 5 years old.

Our mission is to ensure that children's wellbeing and development is central to all that we do.

We promote learning in a fun, stimulating, language-rich environment, nurtured through play and meaningful interactions; following children's interests to motivate and inspire them to become active learners.

We recognise the importance of the roles that our parents have in supporting the NHS, so it is important to us that our parents can attend their place of work, knowing that their child's individual needs are met, and that they are being cared and supported to learn and develop to meet their full potential, in a way that is unique to them.

We care for up to 105 children a day in five rooms, with access to our different outdoor play spaces which include:

• a large Astroturf area
• a spacious woodland area
• an extensive full enclosed grass area

We're open for our:

• Breakfast club 7.00am - 8.00am
• Core hours are 8.00am - 6.00pm

About the Role

Please refer to the job description and person specification for the full requirements of the role.

More detail about the role

As a Room Leader, you will guide your team to create warm, responsive relationships with children and plan inclusive experiences around their interests, care needs and stage of development. You will organise the room, support daily practice and help every colleague contribute with confidence.

Drawing on your knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, you will model meaningful interactions, support colleagues to reflect on children's progress and make full use of our outdoor spaces to nurture communication, curiosity and independence.

Are you a teacher who misses spending meaningful time alongside young children? Or an experienced nursery practitioner who loves helping colleagues grow? This role brings both together. You can join children's stories, follow their play and notice those small breakthroughs, while guiding your team to offer the same thoughtful care and learning throughout the day.

Key duties

• Lead your room team in creating a nurturing, inclusive environment and delivering high standards of care and education.
• Guide the planning, delivery and evaluation of experiences that respond to children's interests and development.
• Oversee accurate records of children's progress and care, and build positive partnerships with parents and carers.
• Coach colleagues, model effective practice and support their knowledge, confidence and professional development.
• Promote safeguarding and safe practice in the room, and ensure concerns are shared and acted on promptly.
• Support other Childcare Services provision as required.

About you

We would love to hear from experienced Room Leaders and qualified Early Years Educators ready to lead. Teachers and other professionals with early years experience are also welcome to apply where they meet the requirements in the person specification.

You enjoy working directly with children as much as supporting adults. You can organise a busy room, communicate openly with families and colleagues, and help your team turn children's interests into rich opportunities for play and learning.

A DBS check will be required, we'll cover the costs now and for renewals in the future.

About our team

You'll be supported by our experienced Nursery Manager and service leadership team who are passionate about Early Years Education and developing their team. You'll be joining Early Years Apprentices, Educators, Room Leads, SENDCOs and Deputy Managers.

Our five most important team members are our Axolotls Phil, Lizzie, Goldie, Speckles and Freckles who meet and greet everyone each day. Each room also has a fish tank which provides a calming spot for children to relax, share a story or even a song!

Why join us? We can offer an extensive package of benefits.

Working for the Royal Devon provides you with a whole host of additional benefits including:

• A 37.5 hour working week for full-time (2.5 hours a week less than other settings)
• Hours condensed over four days, giving you more free time (part-time also considered)
• Access to brilliant discounts on big name brands and local companies, plus in our onsite cafes, restaurants, and shop
• Fantastic holiday allowance - 27 days if working a standard 5-day working week, that increases with service and bank holidays
• The chance to 'buy' additional holiday
• Salary sacrifice schemes to make your money work harder, including nursery fees, cycle to work, and more
• You'll be provided with a free uniform
• Stagecoach discount for travel to work and free park & ride services
• Social events and planned activities
• Access to the generous NHS Pension scheme

A healthy work-life balance is essential and Devon is a great place to enjoy it. The working hours

Benefits

Looking after you is important to us.

We strive to help our staff create a healthy work-life balance through flexible working schemes and our family friendly policies.

If you are starting out in the NHS, you'll start with 27 days paid annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising to 33 days plus bank holidays.

You will benefit from access to our own comprehensive occupational health services, including counselling, onsite wellbeing activities and groups.

We will work together to maintain a culture that develops and supports you and your team.

This might include funding for a care certificate, a degree or leadership qualifications. Or it might include days off to study, engage in CPD or rotational placements to help you hone your skills. Wherever you are heading in the NHS, we will help you get there.

Salary is not the only financial benefit

You will have access to an extensive range of staff discounts on shopping, fitness and leisure options and you can spread the cost of technology and home appliance purchases from major retailers. You will also have access to other benefits including:

• National discount services such as the Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts.
• Salary sacrifice options including our OFSTED rated outstanding nursery onsite at Exeter
• Car lease schemes.
• The NHS Pension scheme (one of the most generous and comprehensive in the UK).
• Cycle to work scheme

These are just a few of the benefits available - if the role is something you are interested in, we would love to hear from you.

Attached documents:

• Job Description- Early Years Educator - Room Leader.docx

Salary

Band 4: £28,392 - £31,157 per annum pro rata

Working conditions

Contract: Permanent