Imagine a normal day here.
You arrive at a restored Victorian building tucked away off Garratt Lane.
The babies are downstairs in calm, natural rooms.
The toddlers have their own spaces upstairs.
Outside, children are already heading towards the mud kitchen, planters, sandpit and climbing equipment.
And at the back of the garden, the preschool children have a separate cabin of their own, with direct access outside.
That's the setting behind this Level 3 Nursery Practitioner job in Tooting.
Tiny Tots Recruitment is looking for a qualified practitioner who wants somewhere with personality, where the environment feels considered rather than corporate.
The nursery describes The Cottage as its newest setting and has deliberately retained the character of the Victorian building while creating modern early years spaces inside.
9:30am - Follow what the children are interested in
There are four classrooms within the main building.
Rather than filling them with rows of identical plastic resources, the nursery uses bespoke, natural toys and materials designed to encourage curiosity, creativity and exploration.
Your role is to make those resources mean something.
You'll be:
Building secure relationships with your key children Observing children's interests and development Planning meaningful next steps Creating engaging play and learning experiences Supporting communication, confidence and independence Encouraging children to make their own choices Maintaining accurate observations and developmental records Working closely with parents and carers Supporting children's emotional and physical wellbeing Maintaining strong safeguarding practice Working collaboratively with the rest of the room Bringing your own ideas into the nursery rather than simply repeating last week's planning
The group's current practitioner recruitment specifically looks for people who can support children's learning through observations and reports, communicate effectively with families and work collaboratively with colleagues.
11:00am - Get outside
The garden wraps around the nursery and is divided into different areas rather than being one big patch of artificial grass.
Children have continuous opportunities to use:
Climbing equipment Tricycles Sandpits A mud kitchen Natural investigation areas Large planters
And those planters aren't just decorative.
During warmer months children use them for growing vegetables and flowers. During colder months they are transformed into areas for construction and investigation.
So outdoor provision continues to evolve rather than disappearing once summer finishes.
1:30pm - Preschool has gone somewhere else
Not out on a trip.
Just to its own building.
The preschool provision operates from a separate cabin at the rear of the garden, giving older children a calmer space for focused activities and school readiness while maintaining almost seamless access to the outdoors.
It's a thoughtful bit of nursery design.
Preschoolers get increasing independence and a space that feels different from the baby and toddler provision, without becoming disconnected from the wider nursery.
2:30pm - Today's timetable might include dance
The nursery also brings specialist activities into the setting.
Children currently have sessions from Deborah Jayne's School of Dance, using music and movement to support development.
There are also weekly Playball sessions, built around movement, coordination, teamwork and physical development.
It gives practitioners something different to build on rather than every enrichment activity having to be planned and delivered internally.
4:00pm - You're still a practitioner, not a paperwork machine
Observations matter.
Planning matters.
Assessment matters.
But they're supposed to help you understand children better.
The wider nursery group's current recruitment focuses heavily on practitioners providing nurturing care, supporting learning and development, communicating with families and creating engaging educational experiences.
That's the balance we'd want you to bring.
You'll need a full and relevant Level 3 Early Years or Childcare qualification, alongside a good understanding of the EYFS and safeguarding.
Previous nursery experience would be ideal, particularly if you're already comfortable with key children and observations.
And when it's time to go home?
The nursery operates:
Monday to Friday 7:30am to 6:30pm
throughout the year, apart from Christmas week and bank holidays.
Your individual rota will sit within those opening hours.
The Cottage is on Garratt Lane, SW17, with Tooting Broadway the most useful recognisable candidate location. Wandsworth's Family Information Service also lists numerous nearby bus routes alongside Tooting Broadway Underground.
What comes with the opportunity?
Current recruitment across this nursery group includes:
£26,520 to £30,160 per year Permanent, full-time employment Childcare benefit Cycle to work scheme Discounted or free food Employee discount Health and wellbeing programme Referral programme Family-run nursery group Natural-resource learning environments Ongoing opportunity to develop within several South West London settings
The Cottage itself is registered with Ofsted as a full-day-care setting in Wandsworth and is currently rated Good.
Does this sound more like your kind of nursery?
You don't have to want the biggest nursery.
Or the biggest nursery group.
Maybe you want somewhere that feels a little more personal.
Somewhere children can move from a Victorian classroom into a wraparound garden, then eventually into their own preschool cabin.
And somewhere you're joining a family-run organisation rather than disappearing into a huge national structure.
If you're looking for a Level 3 Nursery Practitioner job in Tooting, Early Years Practitioner role in SW17 or qualified nursery job near Tooting Broadway and Earlsfield, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today through Tiny Tots Recruitment for a confidential conversation about the opportunity.