Apprentice Nursery Practitioner

Apprentice Nursery Practitioner | University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust

CAPTION:

• Company: University Hospital Southampton NHS FT
• Salary: £24,852.56 per annum pro rata
• Hours: Full-time
• Location: Southampton, SO16 4XE
• Job type: Apprenticeship
• Posting date: 29 Sept 2026
• Closing date: 29 Oct 2026

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Summary

Taplins Nursery is delighted to offer a fantastic opportunity to work with us.

Job Title: Level 3 Apprentice Nursery Practitioner

Contract Type: Permanent

Under current Home Office rules, this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Successful applicants must meet eligibility criteria for UK apprenticeship funding.

Please be advised that this vacancy may close earlier than stated if we receive a large number of applications.

Previous applicants need not apply.

Are you kind, caring and lots of fun? We are looking for special candidates who love children and want to make working with them their career.

This is a great opportunity to work with a friendly and knowledgeable team, learning to provide high standards of care and education to children aged 3 months - 5 years old, and completing an Early Years Apprenticeship.

Taplins operates two purpose-built day nurseries supporting our local NHS staff, and being part of the UHS family means you'll have access to lots of great benefits such as a generous holiday allowance and a discount scheme.

We're open Monday - Friday from 7am to 6.30pm, so you'll work a variety of shifts within this time. We look after up to 52 children a day in our purpose-built nursery with generous outdoor space, and have a great reputation for developing supportive relationships with the children and families who attend.

Taplins Nurseries, part of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, are recruiting for an individual looking to complete a Level 3 Early Years qualification and join us as an Apprentice Nursery Practitioner.

Taplins provides high-quality childcare for NHS families and offers an environment where practitioners feel supported, valued, and respected. The security and benefits of NHS employment, together with a strong team culture, allow staff to focus on rewarding early years practice without the pressures often experienced in the private sector.

• Opening hours: Monday - Friday, 07:00 - 18:30 (closed on bank holidays)
• Work patterns: Full-time and part-time roles available with flexible working open for discussion
• Location: Western Community Hospital, William Macleod Way, Southampton SO16 4XE

You'll work with experienced members of our nursery team learning to care for small groups of children.

You'll learn to promote each child's development and have lots of fun doing this! Reading stories, giving cuddles, pretending to have tea parties, finding bugs in the garden, painting, and lots more!

You'll complete an Early Years Apprenticeship course, giving you a great qualification to start your career.

What we're looking for

You'll need to be calm, kind, and caring, and have an enthusiastic approach to working with children and their families.

You'll need to be committed and reliable.

We are a busy service, and team working is essential to meet each child's needs, so you'll need to be ready to work closely with others.

You'll need to be prepared to work hard to learn both in nursery and in your college course — always improving ourselves, and our nursery is very important to us.

If this is you, we'd love to meet you!

This advert closes on Tuesday 13 Oct 2026

Apply for this job

#s1-Gen

You'll need to be calm, kind and caring, and have an enthusiastic approach to working with children and their families. You'll need to be committed and reliable. We are a busy service and team working is essential to meet each child's needs, so you'll need to be ready to work closely with others. You'll need to be prepared to work hard to learn both in nursery and in your college course- always improving ourselves and our nursery is very important to us.

Under current Home Office rules, this role is not eligible for Skilled Worker visa sponsorship. Successful applicants must meet eligibility criteria for UK apprenticeship funding. Please be advised that thisvacancy may close earlier thanstatedif we receivea large number ofapplications. Previous applicants need not apply. Are you kind, caring and lots of fun? We are looking for special candidates who love children and want to make working with them their career. This is a great opportunity to work with a friendly and knowledgeable team learning to provide high standards of care and education to children aged 3 months- 5 years old, and completing an Early Years Apprenticeship. Taplins operates two purpose built day nurseries supporting our local NHS staff, and being part of the UHS family means you'll have access to lots of great benefits such as generous holiday allowance, and a discount scheme. We're open Monday- Friday from 7am to 6.30pm so you'll work a variety of shifts within this time. We look after up to 52 children a day in our purpose built nursery with generous outdoor space, and have a great reputation for developing supportive relationships with the children and families who attend. Taplins Nurseries, part of University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, are recruiting for an individual looking to complete a Level 3 Early Years qualification and join us as a Apprentice Nursery Practitioner. Taplins provide high-quality childcare for NHS families and offers an environment where practitioners feel supported, valued and respected. The security and benefits of NHS employment, together with a strong team culture, allow staff to focus on rewarding early years practice without the pressures often experienced in the private sector.

• Opening hours:Monday-Friday, 07:00-18:30 (closed on bank holidays)
• Work patterns:Full-time and part-time roles available with flexible working open for discussion
• Location:Western Community Hospital, William Macleod Way, Southampton SO16 4XE
You'll work with experienced members of our nursery team learning to care for small groups of children. You'll learn to promote each child's development and have lots of fun doing this! Reading stories, giving cuddles, pretending to have tea parties, finding bugs in the garden, painting and lots more! You'll complete an Early Years Apprenticeship course giving you a great qualification to start your career.