YMCA Fairthorne Group
Lead Early Years Practitioner
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Lead great practice. Make a difference for every child.
Some Early Years roles are about your own room. This one is about the whole nursery.
As a Lead Early Years Practitioner at the YMCA Fairthorne Group, you’ll be part of the nursery leadership team, helping to strengthen practice across the setting whilst supporting children who may need something extra to thrive.
This is a primarily supernumerary role, giving you the space to work alongside practitioners, observe children, coach colleagues and help make sure additional needs are identified and supported well.
As an Lead Early Years Practitioner you’ll:
- Work alongside practitioners across the setting
- Observe children and help identify where additional support may be needed
- Support key persons to develop appropriate support plans
- Help coordinate referrals and next steps where specialist support is required
- Coach practitioners and model strong Early Years practice
- Support colleagues to build confidence in SEND, behaviour and inclusion
- Contribute to nursery improvement priorities
- Help embed high standards of care and practice across rooms
- Support safeguarding and safe Early Years practice
- Deputise for the Nursery Manager when required
- Spend time directly with children in rooms and outdoor spaces.
A role with wider impact
You’ll work across the nursery, supporting children, practitioners and leaders. A big part of your role will be helping us make sure that children with additional needs, vulnerabilities or emerging concerns are noticed early and supported consistently.
Helping every child belong - Children don’t all develop in the same way or at the same pace. Some need additional support with communication, some with behaviour or emotional regulation, some may have an identified SEND need and others may simply be experiencing something in their lives that means they need more support for a period of time.
Your role is to help us notice. To ask the right questions. To work with practitioners and families. And to make sure the support around the child is thoughtful, consistent and appropriate.
The aim isn’t to define children by what they find difficult. It’s to understand what they need so they can participate, grow in confidence and feel that they belong.
Developing great practitioners
A big part of this role is helping other people become even better at what they do. You’ll observe practice, share ideas, model approaches and coach colleagues.
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Sometimes that means helping somebody recognise something they’re already doing brilliantly. Sometimes it means supporting them to try something differently. And sometimes it means having a constructive conversation when practice needs to improve.
We’re looking for someone who can challenge positively, build confidence and bring people with them. Because better practice for practitioners means better experiences for children.
The person we’re looking for
Ideally, you’ll hold a Level 5 Early Years or Childcare qualification. We’re also happy to consider experienced Level 3 practitioners who have the right background and are willing to continue developing.
You’ll need experience of:
- Working in an Early Years setting
- Supporting improvements in practice
- Modelling good practice and coaching colleagues
- Understanding child development
- Supporting behaviour and additional needs
- Working with children who may be vulnerable or need additional support.
You’ll also need a good understanding of safeguarding and health and safety. Paediatric First Aid and Designated Safeguarding Lead training would be valuable, but we can support the right person to complete these where needed.
More importantly, we’re looking for somebody who is:
- Confident without needing to dominate
- Warm and approachable
- Observant
- Calm under pressure
- Comfortable giving constructive feedback
- Able to build trust with practitioners and families
- Curious about why things happen, not just what happened
- Passionate about inclusion
- Motivated by seeing other people develop
- Committed to improving experiences for children.
A different kind of Early Years setting
At the YMCA Fairthorne Group our nurseries give children the opportunity to experience nature and outdoor learning as a natural part of everyday nursery life. Children can explore, investigate, get muddy, build confidence and develop independence through real experiences both indoors and outside.
For practitioners, it means working in an environment where learning doesn’t stop at the nursery door. And as Lead Practitioner, you’ll help make sure those experiences are accessible and meaningful for every child.
Benefits that make a difference
- 100% off childcare - Free childcare for YMCA employees at our nurseries.
- Extra support during the school holidays - One free week of YMCA Day Camps for each of your children every year, plus 50% off a second week.
- More time away from work - 25 days’ annual leave plus Bank Holidays, increasing with service up to 30 days, with the option to buy up to 10 additional days.
- Celebration Leave - An additional day to celebrate something that matters to you.
- Health and wellbeing - Access to our Health Cash Plan and Employee Assistance Programme.
- Family support - Enhanced family leave provisions.
- Everyday benefits - Blue Light Card eligibility, Cycle to Work scheme and discounts on activities, camping and experiences at YMCA Fairthorne Manor.
- Career development - Access to professional learning and development, with opportunities to build specialist knowledge in areas such as SEND, safeguarding and Forest School, as well as progressing into wider leadership roles across YMCA Fairthorne Group.
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Part of something bigger
Fairthorne Manor Nursery is part of YMCA Fairthorne Group, supporting children, young people and families across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. Our nurseries are one part of that story.
Across YMCA, we help children and young people build confidence, experience new things, develop independence and find somewhere they belong.
As Lead Practitioner, your impact can ripple much further than one child or one room.
- The practitioner you coach.
- The child whose needs are recognised earlier.
- The family who feels listened to.
- The improvement that becomes everyday practice.
Those things matter.
And they’re part of our wider ambition to help people:
- BELONG
- CONTRIBUTE.
- THRIVE.
Ready for the next step?
If you’re an experienced Early Years Practitioner, Room Leader, SEND Practitioner or aspiring Early Years leader looking for a role where you can influence practice across a whole setting, we’d love to hear from you.
Apply today and discover where a leadership career at YMCA Fairthorne Group could take you.
Safeguarding
YMCA Fairthorne Group is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. Successful applicants will be required to complete appropriate safer recruitment and pre-employment checks, including an Enhanced Disclosure through the Disclosure and Barring Service.
Equality, diversity and inclusion
YMCA Fairthorne Group is committed to creating an inclusive organisation where everyone is treated fairly, with dignity and respect. We welcome applications from people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives.
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