Nursery careers · Tilehurst, Reading
Do work that matters. Grow while you do it.
Join a close-knit, family-run nursery where warmth, professional standards, safeguarding and ongoing learning all matter.
Why work here
A serious early-years career in a genuinely caring setting.
The recruitment page should attract people who want both warmth and standards: practitioners who enjoy children, understand responsibility and want to keep developing.
Ongoing learning
Support for CPD and further childcare qualifications as skills and responsibilities develop.
Progression
Opportunities to take on more responsibility rather than treating every practitioner role as a dead end.
Close-knit team
A family-run setting where room teams are part of one shared nursery culture.
Meaningful practice
A clear pedagogy gives practitioners a professional language for why they do what they do.
Safeguarding standards
Enhanced DBS checks, references and safer-recruitment requirements form part of appointments.
Visible impact
Early years practice changes how children communicate, relate to others and approach learning every day.
Roles
Roles we regularly recruit for.
If your exact role is not currently advertised, strong candidates can still register interest rather than waiting for the perfect job title to appear.
Nursery Practitioner
Work directly with children across nursery rooms, contributing to care, observation, planning, safeguarding and parent communication.
- Level 2 / Level 3-type qualified roles may arise
- Room practice and key-person responsibilities
- Ongoing learning expected
Baby Room Practitioner
For practitioners who understand responsive care, individual routines, attachment, early communication and the pace of infant development.
- Warm, attentive interactions
- Care routines handled with consistency
- Close communication with families
Bank / Relief Staff
Support continuity across the nursery when extra cover is required, while maintaining the same safeguarding and practice standards.
- Flexible availability
- Confidence across rooms
- Reliable communication
What we value in practice
Warmth is essential. So are judgement, reliability and curiosity.
Good early-years practitioners notice what a child is communicating, understand when to join play and when to step back, keep routines safe and dignified, share information clearly and remain curious about why a child is behaving or learning in a particular way.
The DOCKS Approach
A shared language for good early-years practice.
Discover, Oracy, Connection, Kindness and Steady Steps give practitioners a simple way to connect everyday decisions with the nursery’s curriculum philosophy.
Read the CurriculumDevelopment
A career should keep moving.
The website positions Dickory Docks as somewhere practitioners can build capability, not simply fill shifts.
Induction
Understand safeguarding, routines, policies, rooms and the nursery’s expectations.
Practice
Build confidence in observation, key-person work, communication and purposeful play.
CPD
Keep developing knowledge through training, feedback and further qualifications where appropriate.
Progress
Take on more responsibility as judgement, skill and experience grow.
Application process
Simple, respectful and safeguarding-led.
Apply
Complete the online application and provide the information requested.
Meet us
Discuss experience, values and approach to early-years practice.
Checks
Successful appointments are subject to safer-recruitment requirements including references and enhanced DBS checks.
Join
Begin induction and learn how Dickory Docks works in practice.
Careers FAQs
Before you apply.
Clear expectations help the right candidates self-select and make the recruitment process better for everyone.
Can I register interest if my exact role is not advertised?
Yes. Strong candidates can contact the nursery or use the careers application route to register interest for future opportunities.
Are safeguarding checks required?
Yes. Appointments are subject to safer-recruitment requirements, including enhanced DBS checks and references.
Does Dickory Docks support professional development?
The careers proposition includes ongoing CPD, qualification support and opportunities to take on more responsibility as skills grow.
What kind of practitioner fits the culture?
People who combine warmth with reliability, clear communication, safeguarding awareness, curiosity about child development and a willingness to keep learning.
Where is the nursery?
Dickory Docks is on Cockney Hill in Tilehurst, Reading, RG30 4EX.
Bring your care, skill and energy to Dickory Docks.
Explore a career where early-years work is treated as skilled, meaningful work.