Nursery Practitioner
Permanent early years practitioner jobs
The professional title for the job most people call nursery nurse. Level 2 and Level 3 both count in ratio, but not for the same things.
£27,000 to £30,500 at Level 3, outside London
Guide band for 2026. See how we work these out.
Early Years Practitioner is the title the sector uses and the one on most adverts. Level 2 is the entry qualification. Level 3 is the one that lets a setting count you where it matters, and it is the difference between assistant pay and practitioner pay.
What the role involves
- Delivering the EYFS curriculum day to day, indoors and outdoors
- Key person responsibilities for a group of children at Level 3
- Observation, assessment and the two-year-old progress check
- Working with parents on what happens at home as well as in the setting
- Supporting children with additional needs alongside the setting's SENCo
What you will need
- Level 2 for assistant and support roles, Level 3 to be counted as a practitioner
- Enhanced DBS, and an understanding of safeguarding that goes past the certificate
- Evidence you can write a useful observation rather than just a long one
- Reliability, which in this sector means the children see the same face each week
Also advertised as: Nursery Nurse, Nursery Practitioner, Early Years Educator. Settings use these titles more or less interchangeably, so search for all of them.
Where
Where we recruit this role
We place early years practitioner roles across the UK. These are the areas we cover most closely.
Questions
About this role
What does an early years practitioner earn?
Our 2026 guide puts this role at £27,000 to £30,500 at Level 3, outside London. Bands assume a 40-hour week and are built from the National Living Wage floor and the published sector median. The full method is on our salary guide.
Is this a permanent role?
Every role we place is permanent. Tiny Tots Recruitment does not run a temp desk and does not offer agency shifts.
What else is this job called?
You will also see it advertised as Nursery Nurse, Nursery Practitioner, Early Years Educator. The qualification and the ratio requirements are the same whichever title a setting uses.
Related
Other roles we recruit
Nursery Nurse
The Level 3 role at the heart of every nursery. Key person to a group of children, responsible for their day, their development records and their families.
£27,000 to £30,500 outside London
About this roleNursery Assistant
The way into the sector. Level 2 or unqualified, working alongside practitioners, with most settings willing to fund your Level 3.
£26,400 to £28,000 outside London
About this roleRoom Leader
Running a room: the children in it, the staff in it, the ratio, the planning and the parents. The first genuinely managerial job in a nursery.
£29,000 to £33,500 outside London
About this roleLooking for an early years practitioner role?
Register once and we will come to you when something fits. You will know the setting, the room and the pay before you decide whether to meet them, and your CV goes nowhere without your say-so.