North Bristol NHS Trust (NBT) and University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) have merged as of 1st July 2026 to become Bristol NHS Foundation Trust. This will create an exciting future that brings together the best of both organisations. As a single, strong and sustainable organisation, we will not only be able to deliver better outcomes for our patients and fairer care for our population, but it will also provide greater opportunities for our people.
Bristol NHS Foundation Trust recognise the value of a healthy work-life balance. When applying, speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate flexible working, so your work life fits around your home life.
We particularly welcome applications from Black, Asian and minority ethnic candidates as they are under-represented within the Trust.
Our job adverts may close as soon as sufficient applications have been received. Considering this, if you are interested in this role, please do apply as soon as you can.
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Job Overview
To work as part of a team with children aged 0-5 years. To help provide high quality, stimulating childcare encompassing their development, racial, cultural, religious, language, gender and disability needs. Ensuring the quality of care is of the highest level, which provides a safe, caring, happy and stimulating environment.
Please be aware that a Level 3 in Health and Social Care is NOT the correct qualification for this Early Years Practitioner role.
Main duties of the job
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NNEB, NVQ level 3 Qualification or BTEC
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Paediatric First Aid
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Child Protection Training
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Knowledge and understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and Welfare requirements
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Working knowledge of all the settings policies and procedures and the ability to put these into practice when required.
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Experience of working with children aged 0-5 within an early years setting
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Understanding and awareness of Health and Safety
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To have strong communication skills essential for team work
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To take responsibility for a group of children, taking an active role in settling a new child in, liasing with parents and keeping up to date records of learning and development.
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To have effective writing skills, enabling completion of children’s written assessments and other related and non-related paperwork
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To have the imagination and enthusiasm to plan and evaluate activities for children
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To establish and maintain relationships within the staffing team, with parents and with all children.
Working for our organisation
North Bristol NHS Trust employs over 12,000 staff providing healthcare to the residents of Bristol, South Gloucestershire and North Somerset from our award-winning hospital building at Southmead. We are the regional Major Trauma Centre, and an internationally recognised centre of excellence in a range of services and major specialities. Our vision is that by enabling our teams to be the best that they can be, we will provide exceptional healthcare, personally delivered.
North Bristol NHS Trust values all people as individuals. We aim to be an anti-discriminatory organisation and are committed to building a team that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We welcome applicants from all underrepresented groups.
Detailed Job Description And Main Responsibilities
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To ensure the health and safety of the children in your care
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To provide a safe, stimulating environment to encourage children to reach their full potential
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To plan and evaluate day-to-day activities to ensure that children experience a wide range of appropriate activities that meet their interests and learning needs
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To organise both individual and group activities for the children and ensure they are adequately supervised on and off the site
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To take responsibility and care for a group of children, taking the lead for their learning diaries and completing all observations, reports and other paperwork as necessary
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To work closely and build a good relationship with parents and ensure all relevant information is available to parents and communicate with them daily as regards their child’s welfare
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To provide a transition plan for new children to the nursery or for those children who are moving on to another setting or school
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To work alongside other agencies to support special educational needs
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To occasionally take part in home/school visits for any children needing extra support
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To work as part of the early years team, usually in one room but being flexible about working in other rooms with different age groups and occasionally, working at other locations within North Bristol Trust
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To be responsible for the maintenance of positive behaviour in accordance with the Behaviour Policy
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To attend staff training, feeding back information to colleagues and to keep up to date with childcare information
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To have a sound knowledge and understanding of the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage and Welfare Requirements which is implemented and lead by the manager
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To follow North Bristol Trust’s and the Childcare Services Dept. policies and procedures
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To work towards and contribute to a quality assurance scheme
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To attend parents’ evenings to provide parents with their child’s progress and developmental files and discuss any issues they feel relevant
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To attend and contribute to staff meetings on a regular basis
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To maintain professional relationships, build on team work and share ideas
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To promote equal opportunities and follow the Valuing Diversity and Promoting Equality policy within the setting and ensure that a culturally sensitive environment is maintained
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To adhere to the settings dress code at all times
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To attend staff appraisals where performing and training needs are monitored
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To be aware of data protection and the importance of confidentiality
Person specification
Shortlisting criteria
Essential criteria
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NNEB/DCE/NVQ level3/BTEC in Childcare
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Experience with children between the ages of 0-5 years
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NHS experience
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Experience in a childcare setting
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Able to work under pressure
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Able to plan for a wide range of activities
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Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
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Knowledge of current legislation
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Team player
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Enthusiasm for the role
We hope that you will decide to join us and become part of this exciting journey, helping us to shape our future together.
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As an equal opportunities employer actively working towards a diverse workforce we aim to recruit and retain a workforce which represents the rich diversity of the local population at all levels and are committed to designing our services around the needs of individual patients and those around them. Anonymous information will be used from your application to ensure we’re meeting our pledge.
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The Trust is committed to investing in and caring for all our staff. We will support you in maintaining and improving your health and wellbeing, as well as your career development through management and training support - developing exceptional people for exceptional careers.
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BFT is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults.
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To comply with Part 7 of the Immigration Act 2016 all applicants must be able to speak fluent English to an appropriate standard which will be assessed at Interview.
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If you require sponsorship for a visa to work in the UK, to avoid disappointment, please check to ensure you are eligible under the UKVI points based system.
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The Trust uses electronic new starter forms on Trac to collect personal details. Information collected is securely stored and used to set up the employee record on the ESR HR system.
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By applying for this post, you are agreeing to Bristol NHS Foundation Trust transferring the information contained in this application to its preferred applicant management system. If you are offered a job, information will also be transferred into the national NHS Electronic Staff Records system.
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Please be aware of scams – unless specified above, we will only communicate with you via @recruit.trac.jobs or nhs.net e-mails and we will never ask you for any payments.
Important
Please note that if you apply for a position with this Trust, you may be contacted via Trac or via email. This includes invites for job interviews. We therefore recommend that you regularly check your Trac account and email accounts. We may also contact you by texting the mobile number, if provided, on the application form.
Due to the high number of applications that are received for some posts we may close this vacancy before the advertised closing date. Therefore, please apply for this post as soon as you can, if you are interested and you meet the requirements of the Person Specification
Only those candidates who clearly demonstrate how they meet the person specification will be shortlisted for this job.
As a guide interviews should usually take place within 3 weeks of the closing date.
When providing employment reference details, please provide correct work-related email addresses so references can be sought promptly when we are looking to progress your application. Your referee must all be known to you in a line manager or professional lead capacity.