Describe the Training and Qualification of Nursery Nurses

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Qualification of Nursery Nurses

Nursery workers, sometimes called nursery nurses, work with babies and young children from birth to five years in childcare settings. Nursery nurses make sure that the children under their care develop and learn in a safe and supportive environment. They must be committed to helping children thrive and get the best start in life. Need a warm and positive approach, lots of creative ideas and a willingness to work as part of a team.

Nursery nurses do not always need formal qualifications to start training as a nursery worker, although a good standard of general education, such as GCSEs, including English and maths, would be helpful. For all jobs, you will need to have background checks carried out by the Disclosure and Barring Service.

Nursery workers have to:

Plan and supervise activities like arts and crafts, music and cooking
Help children to learn numeracy skills through activities like counting games
Read stories and provide activities to develop the children’s language skills
Take children on outings
Feed and change babies
Observe children and make notes for use in reports
Work to Early Years Foundation Stage standards on child learning
Make sure the children are safe and well at all times (safeguarding)
Report any concerns to your manager, such as signs of abuse.

The duties may include acting as a key worker for one or more children, monitoring their progress and sharing information about their development with their parents and guardian. With experience, nursery nurses could also specialise in working with children with physical disabilities, learning difficulties or mental health issues.

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Nursery nurses work with children from birth to approximately seven years of age. They work in a variety of settings, mainly in nurseries which are run by Local Authorities or privately owned, and in nursery, infant and specialist schools. Although nursery nurses work mainly with healthy children, it is possible to specialise, for example, in working with children who are physically disabled or have learning difficulties or mentally health problems. Their duties cover all aspects of physical care and safety.

Nursery nurses are responsible for social and educational development. This involves planning and supervising activities including reading, arts and crafts, music and cooking. The nursery nurse is responsible for observing and monitoring children. They will work closely with parents and report any concerns. Responsibility for the safety of the children is an important aspect of the work. Physical care such as feeding, changing, and bathing forms a large part of the work. They may also be required from time to time to make reports on a child’s development.

Working hours and conditions

Nurseries can be open from around 7am in the morning to 6pm in the evening. You would normally work eight-hour shifts within these times each day.

Income

The starting salary for junior or trainee nursery workers is from £10,000 to £14,000 a year, depending on age.

Qualified and experienced nursery workers can earn between £15,000 and £22,000, depending on responsibilities.

Entry requirements

You could start your career by working as a nursery assistant under the supervision of more experienced staff. This could be a paid job or through volunteering. With further training you could move on to become a qualified nursery worker.

You do not always need academic qualifications to start training as a nursery assistant or nursery worker. Some course providers and employers may prefer you to have GCSEs, particularly in English and maths (A*-C). Check with course providers for exact details.

Pathways

Council for Awards in Children's Care (CACHE) Diploma course is what majority of nursery nurse studied. The course prepares a nursery nurse to work in a managing role with children in nurseries. To apply you’re required no educational qualifications but will need to be at least 16 years old. Nursery nurse can also enroll on a National Vocational Qualification in Children's Care at a college, which is similar to CACHE Diploma. The CACHE and National Vocational Qualification are each accessible at Levels 1-3. Levels 1 and 2 offers a foundation course in childcare skills, but many roles, such as nursery or pre-school work will require a nursery nurse to have a full Level 3 qualification.

There are three different qualification pathways to be a nursery nurse; graduate degree, apprenticeships and college courses. The graduate degree offers a variety of jobs compared to other two degree because you can have a doctorate, bachelor and master degree making you a professional. You can easily be promoted if you have a degree. However, this doesn’t mean that having qualification from a college course would prevent you from a promotion or becoming a successful nursery nurse. If I was to be a nursery nurse I would be taking the graduate degree because it would give me the opportunity to get a higher paid job than the college course. The apprenticeship qualification is beneficial as it gives me the chance to have experience on the course I want to get involved. However, it is time consuming and may result in me being unemployed. I think the graduate degree would secure me a future.

References:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/parents/nursery_nurse/