The Role

Sheffield Students’ Union Nursery are an inclusive, caring and professional team of educators who are passionate about the early years, valuing the physical and emotional well-being of all the children in our care.  We are recruiting for multiple posts and we are looking for experienced individuals, with a deep understanding of child development and a genuine interest in supporting children to flourish, to join our highly skilled team. 

Positions available

• A full time post (37.5 hours per week)
• A part time post (22 hours per week)
• Flex staff (zero hours post, hours to be discussed) - Relevant experience is required for our flex roles, however, unqualified applicants will be considered for flex roles only. 

In order to be considered for this role you must hold a full and relevant Level 3 or above qualification, possess a positive “can do” attitude with a willingness to work flexibly and demonstrate a clear interest and enthusiasm for child-led early years education. Ideally you should also have experience of working with young children who are multilingual, have English as an additional Language (EAL) or children with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND).

To be successful in this role you will:

• Be enthusiastic about early years and learning through play
• Support children’s learning and development, through effective observation and quality, ‘in the moment’ teaching.
• Plan exciting opportunities for children with a variety of learning styles and needs, including children with ASD.
• Have a good understanding of the EYFS, child development and safeguarding requirements
• Be a friend, a playmate, a safe and trusted person for the children 
• Be approachable and professional in your partnerships
• Be collaborative, flexible and empathetic as part of a team approach  

These positions involve working across the full age range of 6 months to 5 years, requiring the successful candidates to be adaptable and confident in their practice.

These are fixed term posts for 1 year with the possibility of extension.

Please be aware that CVs will not be shared with the hiring manager during the shortlisting process so please use the supporting statement to outline any relevant skills and experience that make you a suitable candidate and which post you are applying for.

Please Click here for the full Job Description and Person Specification 

Please click here to read our candidate pack for application hints and tips 

Please Click here to visit our website

Your Benefits

Sheffield Students’ Union Nursery offers competitive benefits within the nursery sector. You will work in an exciting and progressive environment and enjoy great staff benefits: 

As part of the Nursery team:

• Excellent rate of pay 
• 30 days annual leave per year + Bank holidays 
• Enhanced sick pay
• In house and external training and CPD opportunities
• To be part of an experienced and supportive team
• Considerate and supportive management 

As part of the wider Students’ Union organisation:

• Cycle to work scheme and cycle hub 
• The opportunity to buy or sell annual leave
• Generous workplace pension scheme
• Discounted Sports Sheffield Gym Membership 
• Well being Programme
• Opportunity to purchase an NUS card 
• Enhanced Maternity / Paternity and Shared Parental Leave pay 

Working at the Students’ Union

We exist to represent, support and enhance the lives of our members. We’ve done so since 1906. We are an independent charity and work closely with the University to achieve a world-class student experience. We’ve got a fantastic modern building featuring cafes, two shops, four bars, an advice centre, an activities and sports zone, where students can join over 400 sports clubs and societies. There’s something different happening in the SU every day: from club nights to film screenings, live music, theatrical performances and fascinating talks. We offer a relaxed space for students to take time out. We also have a nursery and offer childcare. We’ve been rated the best Students’ Union in the UK by the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey for ten years running!

Creating a more diverse team

Sheffield Students’ Union is committed to creating a fairer, more equal, more inclusive, more diverse and liberated workforce. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff members are currently under-represented at Sheffield Students' Union

What we are currently doing to create an inclusive workplace - 

• Training for Recruiting Managers on Equal Opportunities and Unconscious Bias
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion working group and staff network 
• Training and development in ED&I including race equality training
• Accessibility audits
• Level 2 Disability Confident employer
• Flexible working arrangements 
• Inclusive policies and procedures 

We want to support you to do your best during the application process, so please do get in touch at su-people@sheffield.ac.uk  with any questions you may have. Additionally, if you have a disability, mental health condition or any other additional needs (such as dyslexia, autism or anxiety), please do let us know so we can tailor the process to suit you

Salary: Level 3 qualified Early Years Practitioners:

Frontline/Assistant C - £23,466 (1 FTE based on 35 hours per week). Hourly rate -£12.86

Flex staff: Hourly rate £12.01

Hours: Various

Closing date: Applications will be reviewed on a continuous basis and the position will close when all roles are filled. 

Start Date:  ASAP