Early Years Teacher

Job summary

Are you a nurturing, passionate Early Years Teacher who believes that children’s emotional wellbeing is the foundation for lifelong learning? 

This is an exciting opportunity to join a dynamic and growing children’s charity and play a leading role developing an Early Years service that places children’s wellbeing at the heart of everything we do. 

A little about us 

St Francis Nursery and Family Centre, based in Tower Hamlets, offers high quality early education and care for children aged from 9 months – 5 years. We also provide holistic family support, helping to give all children the best possible start in life. We are now at an important stage in our development, growing and enhancing our early years offer to support even more children and families. 

If you are passionate about helping young children feel safe, confident, and emotionally secure while inspiring a lifelong love of learning, we would love to hear from you. 

Apply today and help us nurture happy, resilient learners from the very start. 

What we are looking for 

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced teacher to join our warm and welcoming nursery and help lead and shape our provision as we continue to grow and develop. It is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is committed to supporting children’s wellbeing, emotional resilience, and personal development during their most formative years. 

You will have: 

• A recognised teaching qualification (EYTS or QTS). 
• Experience working in private, voluntary, or school-based nursery. 
• Experience of supporting children’s emotional wellbeing and positive behaviour. 
• A strong understanding of early childhood development. 
• Excellent communication skills and a nurturing, patient approach. 
• A passion for making a difference to the lives of children and families. 

Why join us? 

The successful candidate will receive an excellent package including: 

• Term-time only contract. 
• Up to 11% employer pension contribution. 
• Access to a staff Health Plan and Employee Assistance Programme. 
• A supportive and collaborative team environment. 
• The opportunity to help lead and shape a growing nursery, with excellent career progression and development opportunities. 
• The chance to wake up each morning and feel you are making a difference! 

Job Description: 

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Planning, curriculum development and assessment

• Plan, deliver, and evaluate exciting and age-appropriate educational activities aligned with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework.
• Use Development Matters to help design an effective and engaging Early Years curriculum for children of different ages and developmental stages, including children with additional needs.
• Ensure children’s progress is rigorously monitored and assessed and that this is used to inform future activities, providing tailored high-quality provision.
• Guide other staff members to make purposeful observations and assessments.
• Ensure data is collected and monitored to evidence the impact of our work.

Delivery and quality

• Work with colleagues to develop a safe, fun and stimulating learning environment.
• Inspire and nurture children’s curiosity, creativity, and confidence through play and meaningful learning experiences.
• Build warm, trusting relationships with children, families, and colleagues.
• Act as a key person, fostering strong attachments and positive peer relationships.
• Maximise and build on the use of the setting’s facilities to enrich learning opportunities.
• Work confidently with children with a range of additional needs, providing sensitive and effective support for them and their parents/carers, including helping families access appropriate support services.
• Keep up to date with Ofsted’s Early Years Inspection Framework, ensuring we adhere to best practice and promptly implement any Ofsted recommendations or guidance to support the continuous improvement of our service.
• Maintain up-to-date training and knowledge of Early Years service delivery and safeguarding guidance and legislation.
• Ensure our services are culturally appropriate and meet the needs of the diverse communities we serve.
• Together with the St Francis team, take children and families on daytrips to various destinations including safari parks and the seaside.
• Support with some office duties as required.

Safety, emotional wellbeing and support

• Create a safe, calm, and emotionally supportive environment where every child feels valued and secure.
• Support children in recognising, understanding, and managing their emotions.
• Support the health and safety of families and staff, undertaking risk assessments and mitigating any risks identified.
• Be aware of the physical safety and well-being of the children and administer first aid and comfort as necessary.

Safeguarding

• Ensure safeguarding is always paramount and embrace a culture of curiosity and continuous improvement.
• Effectively implement our safeguarding and child protection practice and procedure.
• Ensure that all safeguarding cases are logged, monitored, reviewed and followed up appropriately, seeking support from colleagues as required.

Partnerships

• Establish excellent relationships with children and their families, working with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
• Work closely with parents/carers, offering support individually and in groups, to enhance their understanding of child development and help promote positive parenting.
• Provide parents/carers with guidance, activities and resources to promote a positive home learning environment for their children.
• Work collaboratively with staff across CCS, including our Connect-Ed mental health team, to provide holistic and complementary support for families.

Service Development

• Support senior staff with identifying any emerging needs within our local communities.
• Work in partnership to co-create effective early intervention initiatives to address the needs of families accessing our early years services.

Salary: £35,000 per annum 

Hours: 35 hours per week: 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday (term-time only) 

Location: This role will be based at our Nursery in Poplar, Tower Hamlets. 

How to apply 

Please provide: 

• Your CV 
• A cover letter (maximum two pages of A4) outlining how your skills and experience make you a strong candidate for this role and what motivated you to apply. Please refer to the job description. 

Key dates 

CLOSING DATE: Monday 13th April 2026, 9am 
INTERVIEW DATE: Week commencing 20th April 2026 

Further information 

St Francis Nursery and Family Centre is operated by the Catholic Children’s Society (CCS), a registered charity.?CCS is an inclusive employer and we aim to have a workforce that reflects the rich diversity of the communities we service. There is no requirement for our staff to be Catholic and we encourage applications from candidates from diverse backgrounds. 

Note:
Fundamental to fulfilling the responsibilities of this post is the ability to respond flexibly and positively to support our organisational goals and business needs. This job description is a guide to the level and range of responsibilities which the post holder will initially be expected to undertake. It is not exhaustive and will be subject to review/change to meet evolving circumstances and demands. It will not form part of the postholder’s contract of employment.

CCS is committed to safer recruitment and maintaining a strong and positive safeguarding culture. This post will be subject to an enhanced DBS check. References from current/past employers will also be sought once an offer has been made.

Charity No. 210920