Early Years Educator (Room Leader)


Company:	NHS Jobs
Salary:	£28,392 to £31,157 a year
Hours:	Full-time
Location:	Exeter, EX2 5DW
Job type:	Permanent
Posting date:	11 Nov 2026
Closing date:	25 Nov 2026

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Summary

Please refer to the job description and person specification for the full requirements of the role. More detail about the role: As a Room Leader, you will guide your team to create warm, responsive relationships with children and plan inclusive experiences around their interests, care needs and stage of development. You will organise the room, support daily practice and help every colleague contribute with confidence. Drawing on your knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage, you will model meaningful interactions, support colleagues to reflect on childrens progress and make full use of our outdoor spaces to nurture communication, curiosity and independence. Are you a teacher who misses spending meaningful time alongside young children? Or an experienced nursery practitioner who loves helping colleagues grow? This role brings both together. You can join childrens stories, follow their play and notice those small breakthroughs, while guiding your team to offer the same thoughtful care and learning throughout the day. Key duties: Lead your room team in creating a nurturing, inclusive environment and delivering high standards of care and education. Guide the planning, delivery and evaluation of experiences that respond to childrens interests and development. Oversee accurate records of childrens progress and care, and build positive partnerships with parents and carers. Coach colleagues, model effective practice and support their knowledge, confidence and professional development. Promote safeguarding and safe practice in the room, and ensure concerns are shared and acted on promptly. Support other Childcare Services provision as required. About you: We would love to hear from experienced Room Leaders and qualified Early Years Educators ready to lead. Teachers and other professionals with early years experience are also welcome to apply where they meet the requirements in the person specification. You enjoy working directly with children as much as supporting adults. You can organise a busy room, communicate openly with families and colleagues, and help your team turn childrens interests into rich opportunities for play and learning. A DBS check will be required, well cover the costs now and for renewals in the future. About our team Youll be supported by our experienced Nursery Manager and service leadership team who are passionate about Early Years Education and developing their team. Youll be joining Early Years Apprentices, Educators, Room Leads, SENDCOs and Deputy Managers. Our five most important team members are our Axolotls Phil, Lizzie, Goldie, Speckles and Freckles who meet and greet everyone each day. Each room also has a fish tank which provides a calming spot for children to relax, share a story or even a song! Why join us? We can offer an extensive package of benefits. Working for the Royal Devon provides you with a whole host of additional benefits including: A 37.5 hour working week for full-time (2.5 hours a week less than other settings) Hours condensed over four days, giving you more free time (part-time also considered) Access to brilliant discounts on big name brands and local companies, plus in our onsite cafes, restaurants, and shop Fantastic holiday allowance 27 days if working a standard 5-day working week, that increases with service and bank holidays The chance to buy additional holiday Salary sacrifice schemes to make your money work harder, including nursery fees, cycle to work, and more Youll be provided with a free uniform Stagecoach discount for travel to work and free park & ride services Social events and planned activities Access to the generous NHS Pension scheme A healthy work-life balance is essential and Devon is a great place to enjoy it. The working hours Benefits We will work together to maintain a culture that develops and supports you and your team. This might include funding for a care certificate, a degree or leadership qualifications. Or it might include days off to study, engage in CPD or rotational placements to help you hone your skills. Wherever you are heading in the NHS, we'll help you get there. Looking after you is important to us. We strive to help our staff create a healthy work-life balance through flexible working schemes and our family friendly policies. If you're starting out in the NHS, you'll start with 27 days paid annual leave (plus bank holidays), rising to 33 days plus bank holidays. You'll benefit from access to our own comprehensive occupational health services, including counselling, onsite wellbeing activities and groups. Salary is not the only financial benefit You'll have access to an extensive range of staff discounts on shopping, fitness and leisure options and you can spread the cost of technology and home appliance purchases from major retailers. You will also have access to other benefits including: National discount services such as the Blue Light Card and Health Service Discounts. Salary sacrifice options including our OFSTED rated outstanding nursery onsite at Exeter Car lease schemes. The NHS Pension scheme (one of the most generous and comprehensive in the UK). Cycle to work scheme These are just a few of the benefits available if the role is something you are interested in, we'd love to hear from you.

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