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Early Years Practitioner
BARNARDO'S
26,142.4 - 28,660.16 per year
Cookstown
Part-time
26th October 2025

🌟 Part-Time Opportunity Available – Early Years Practitioner, 20 Hours per Week

📍 Based at in Outreach Play Team, Cookstown

Are you passionate about giving young children the very best start in life?
Do you thrive in a caring, play-based learning environment where no two days are the same?
If so, this exciting opportunity could be perfect for you!

We're looking for enthusiastic, compassionate, and committed individuals who want to make a genuine impact in children's early years.

About the Role

As an Early Years Practitioner, you will be a vital part of our multi-disciplinary team, delivering engaging and nurturing early years programmes for children aged 0–4 and their families.

Your role will include:

  • Supporting the Developmental Programme for 2–3-Year-Olds, running three 2.5-hour sessions weekly (September–June)
  • Delivering fun, creative Outreach Play Sessionsin local community settings
  • Building trusted relationships with families, including conducting home visits
  • Promoting positive play, early learning, andsocial development
  • Working collaboratively with colleagues to ensure the highest standards of care

About Us

G-old Community Partnership Sure Start has been supporting families in the Mid Ulster area for over 24 years. Funded by the Department of Education and delivered by Barnardo's, our work is rooted in community needs and focused on early intervention. We are passionate about helping children and families thrive in warm, inclusive environments.

What We're Looking For

Essential Criteria:

  • QCF Level 2 in Playwork or equivalent (or willingness to work towards it)
  • Relevant experience working or volunteering with children aged 0–4 years
  • A full driving licence and access to a car are essential, due to the wide geographical area covered across Mid Ulster.* As driving is an intrinsic part of this role, applicants with a disability that prevents them from driving should be able to demonstrate an alternative means of meeting the mobility requirements of the post

Desirable Criteria:

  • Experience communicating effectively with parents/carers regarding their child's needs

Ready to Make a Difference?

📅 Apply now and help shape the future for our youngest children – right from the very beginning.

Please ensure that you outline in your application how you meet the essential criteria listed in the attached additional information sheet.

Location :  G-Old SureStart, Cookstown. (With possibility of cover across G-Old sites).

Salary:  £26,142.40 - £28,660.16 (full time equivalent). This is equivalent to £13.59 - £14.90 per hour, starting on the first point of the scale.

Hours of Work:  20 hours per week 

Contract:  Permanent

Closing date:  Midnight, 26th October 2025

Waiting List: A waiting list of applicants will be compiled for any similar posts arising in the next 12 months.  

Contact Details: recruitment.support@barnardos.org.uk 

The successful candidate will also be required to undertake  an Enhanced Access NI with Child Barred List check. Social Services vetting will also be required.

Please note due to the high volume of applications for some posts, this advert might close before the displayed closing date. We recommend that you apply for this role as soon as possible.

We know that our colleagues go above and beyond in delivering our vital work, driven by their passion and commitment to Barnardo's values.  We also know that we can only realise our ambitions and achieve better outcomes for more children, thanks to the talent, hard work and creativity of our people. 

For all these reasons, we are committed to a new approach to pay and reward, to ensure it is fair, attractive and progressive, which was rolled out in April 2023. This is a positive change for the charity, and a part of our People & Culture Strategy. It will assist us in supporting colleagues to belong, thrive and grow in their colleague journey at Barnardo's and in time will offer clear routes of progression for colleagues in both their career and their pay. 

Whilst the full pay band and salary range is advertised, our approach to starting salaries is to appoint between the minimum to mid-point of the pay band – this ensures that pay steps are available to reward our colleagues annually based on their contribution to excellence and alignment to our values and behaviours.  More details on Barnardo's pay framework can be found upon application. 

Workplace Offer: What it means for you

Our hybrid working initiative is based on trust, flexibility and empowerment. We understand our workplace offer means different things to different people, and we encourage those conversations. This may mean working at one of our stores, services, working at home, in the community, at one of our Collaboration Hubs or depending on the role any combination of these. Please read through the advert carefully to understand the remits of hybrid working that will be specific to the role.

  • Barnardo's believe in creating equality of opportunity in the workplace and supporting people to manage their work-life balance; we are therefore open to offering flexible working arrangements.
  • Annual Leave entitlement for full-time colleagues is 26 days per annum, increasing to 27 days per annum, after 3 years Barnardo's service, 29 days per annum, after 5 years Barnardo's service and 30 days per annum, after 7 years Barnardo's service. Those working less than full time are entitled to the same level of holiday pro rata
  • The ability to buy up to another 5 days annual leave via our HolidayPlus scheme
  • A host of family friendly leave options including company Maternity Paternity and Adoption pay; together with all family additional leave options
  • Service related sick pay from day 1
  • Access to a Group Personal Pension with a matched 4% or 6% contribution from Barnardo's. Ability to pay via salary sacrifice to garner both tax and NI savings on your own contribution
  • Death in service cover of 4x annual earnings for all staff contributing to our Group Personal Pension
  • Cycle2work scheme
  • Interest free season ticket loans
  • Discounts and cashback from at high street shops including major supermarkets, cinemas, gyms, leisure/theme parks, holidays and much more via our Benefit Portal
  • 20% discount at Barnardo's stores
  • Opportunity to purchase a health cash plan to claim towards dental, glasses, therapy etc
  • Free access to round the clock employee assistance program for advice and support
  • Access to Barnardo's Learning and Development offer

*T&C's apply based on contract

We are committed to being an inclusive employer and cultivating a culture where everyone can belong and thrive through inclusion and connectivity. We want our workforce to be reflective of the communities we work with, and for equality, diversity and inclusion to be embedded in everything we do. We are a Disability Confident Leader, are progressing our ambition to be an anti-racist organisation with Anti-Racism Commitments and actions in place and have networks for colleagues who are disabled, LGBT+, Black and Minoritised Ethnic and Women. We particularly encourage applications from Black and Minoritised Ethnic and/or disabled candidates who are currently underrepresented in our workforce. For disabled applicants, we offer reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

  • Reference number:21898
  • Job Title:Early Years Practitioner
  • Location:Cookstown
  • Locality:Cookstown
  • Contract type:Permanent
  • Hours:20
  • Salary:£26,142.40 - £28,660.16 FTE
  • Closing Date:26 October 2025
  • Interview Date:TBC

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