About Spring

Spring Nurseries by Action for Children offer unmatched opportunities in positive learning environments for children aged 0-5. We have a flexible and modern approach to childcare, to support families across the UK and provide each and every child with the best start in life. Our award-winning nurseries are all rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted (or equivalent inspectorate) and provide children with safe and exciting learning experiences. Our nurseries are bright, modern and engaging with professional and nurturing teams who inspire and enable children to discover their individuality and creativity, supporting to unleash their full potential.

We are proud to be part of the Action for Children family, a national children's charity and our success in Spring makes a difference. With over 150 years of experience in caring for children and young people, we are an award-winning quality and ethical provider. Any profit we make is aligned to support vulnerable children and young people in need across the UK, through the work of Action for Children.

Perks

We have some of the best employment terms and benefits package in the sector, including generous leave entitlement, paid time off to deal with family emergencies and paid maternity leave – as well as lots of benefits to save you and your family money and to save for your future.

• Annual leave Up to 30 days a year, dependent on your role, as well as public or bank holidays that fall in your area of the UK.
• Save on top brands Get discounts from household names like Morrisons, Tesco, Asda, ASOS, John Lewis, Curry’s PC World, Argos, Primark, Marks & Spencer, Alton Towers and many more.
• My Cycle scheme A great way to save money when purchasing a new bike or cycling equipment.
• Season ticket loan A loan to help you cover the cost and benefit from huge savings when commuting to work by public transport.
• Concierge service A concierge service can help you with things like booking holidays and VIP tickets.
• Family leave On top of statutory maternity pay, we pay 50% of your salary for 12 weeks. For the partner, we top up the first week of statutory pay to 100% of their salary. We also offer up to three days of paid dependency leave each year, should you need to take care of loved ones.
• Volunteer day You can take one day, fully paid, to volunteer at any Action for Children service in your local community.
• Staff discount on nursery places We offer up to 50% discount on a nursery place for your own child.
• Pension To help you save for your future, we contribute up to 7% of your salary to your Action for Children pension scheme.
• Salary Finance Salary Finance can help reduce financial stress through affordable loans, a save as you earn scheme, and tips to help you manage your money.

Your health and wellbeing

Your wellbeing is hugely important. We know that everyone can need a little bit of help from time to time, so we offer a range of support.

This includes:

• Mindfulness tips, advice and videos.  
• A fantastic team of colleagues who are trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• An employee assistance programme, Health Assured, which offers free independent counselling, 24-hour support and advice.
• Health Shield – for a small monthly payment, you can get discounts on healthcare treatments, including dentist and optician appointments, and prescription charges.
• Flexible working, including the opportunity to request to work part-time or at home.

Everyone’s welcome

We’re committed to being an inclusive place to work where everyone is treated with respect. Joining one of our staff networks is a brilliant way to meet people and get involved in exciting projects.

• Inclusion Champions: a network of ambassadors who put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of everything we do.
• Celebrate LGBT+: our award-winning staff group that’s open to everyone, whether or not you identify as LGBT+.
• Christian Faith Staff Network: for people who identify with or have an interest in the Christian faith.
• Breakthrough Network: a group that promotes race equality by influencing our strategy, policies and guidance.
• Gender Empowerment Network: a community that spots and suggests solutions to gender inequality.
• Menopause Support Group: supports staff who are going through or want to know more about the menopause.
• Inspire: for people with disabilities, health conditions or caring responsibilities.
• Homeworkers’ Network: a group that brings together people who work at home.
• Green Action Network: raises awareness of and takes action on environmental issues.
• Our trade union partners Trade unions do a great job supporting their members at work. We work with UNISON and Unite. They do lots of different things, like offering advice and giving you a voice.

Learning and development

The learning never stops at Action for Children. We want you to pick up lots of skills and have new experiences. To help you thrive, we use a 70/20/10 learning approach:

• Experience: 70% of learning comes from on-the-job opportunities, which take you out of your comfort zone and build experience.
• Exposure: 20% of learning comes from seeing other people in action and learning from their strengths, skills and knowledge.
• Education: 10% of learning is through formal activities like training courses, webinars or reading.