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Nursery Nurse Interview Questions

Edited by Indeed Employer Content Team
Last updated 8 December 2024
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

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Whether you are preparing to interview a candidate or applying for a job, review our list of top Nursery Nurse interview questions and answers.

  1. What do you enjoy about working with children? See answer
  2. Have you completed any childcare or early years education qualifications courses? See answer
  3. What aged children have you worked with previously and which age range do you most enjoy working with? See answer
  4. Do you enjoy working within a team and what challenges have you experienced when working as a team in the past? See answer
  5. What appeals to you most about working with us as a Nursery Nurse? See answer
  6. How do you stay up to date with new teaching tools and techniques? See answer
  7. What unique skills can you bring to the Nursery Nurse role? See answer
  8. Can you tell me about an educational activity you’ve organised for children between the ages of 0 and 5 years?
  9. How would you handle a parent complaining about their child’s clothes being covered in paint after arts and crafts?
  10. Do you have a current Paediatric First Aid certificate?
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Indeed’s Employer Resource Library helps businesses grow and manage their workforce. With over 15,000 articles in 6 languages, we offer tactical advice, how-tos and best practices to help businesses hire and retain great employees.

Read our editorial guidelines

10 Nursery Nurse Interview Questions and Answers

What do you enjoy about working with children?

The goal of this question is to understand what motivates candidates to pursue a career in childcare. It may be an interest in early years education or a passion for encouraging the development of social skills in young children. What to look for in an answer:

  • Experience working with children
  • Interest in children's development and education
  • Personal motivation for the work

Example:

 'I've always been interested in pursuing a career in education. However, when my niece was born I realised just how important early years education is. Watching her grow and absorb so much information in those early years inspired me to focus on working with younger children. I look forward to the opportunity to encourage the young minds of the future to be inquisitive, compassionate and ambitious."

Can you tell me about an educational activity you've organised for children between the ages of 0 and 5 years?

Being able to organise and execute engaging activities is important as a 294821193nursery13.67nursery practitioner5.19childcare5.03nursery nurse3.48apprenticeship3.21313909954310000.0022755.1041000.00YEARLY405294932025-09-012025-09-302025-08-012025-08-312025-10-05Nursery Nurse. Candidates should also have an awareness of early learning goals and the key areas of development that educational activities support. What to look for in an answer:

  • Adaptable to different children's needs
  • Awareness of early-stage foundation years standards
  • Enthusiasm for teaching

Example:

"I previously worked as a Childminder and cared for children from age 0-10 years, so activities I planned had to be adaptable to the varying age groups. One of my favourite activities with the children was foraging for sticks, leaves and pinecones to take home and use for crafts. Exploring outside is so important for children's physical and mental wellbeing, plus incorporating arts and crafts allowed them to have some creative playtime too."

Have you completed any childcare or early years education qualifications courses?

Candidates with relevant qualifications should be well informed about current policies and regulations, health and safety and how to provide equal opportunities for all children. What to look for in an answer:

  • Using the right terminology
  • Understand the importance of OFSTED inspections
  • Interest in new teaching techniques

Example:

"I completed my Early Years Practitioner level 3 diploma a few years ago now and continue to use the tools and techniques learned on the course in my daily work. My previous employer also offered workshops and training seminars over the summer holidays which I always enjoyed, as they would often provide extra resources to help ensure our teaching exceeded OFSTED expectations."

What aged children have you worked with previously and which age range do you most enjoy working with?

There's no right or wrong answer when it comes to the age range candidates most prefer working with. The goal here is to see how candidates recognise the unique challenges that different age groups present. What to look for in an answer:

  • Awareness of children's changing needs
  • Enthusiasm for working with children
  • A positive attitude about the unique challenges of different age groups

Example:

"I've previously cared for children from newborn to 10 years of age. While I enjoy working with children of all ages, those aged 3-5 years old are my preferred group to work with. Although younger children can be challenging, I find at this age they are incredibly curious, and I really enjoy encouraging them to be inquisitive and try new things."

How would you handle a parent complaining about their child's clothes being covered in paint after arts and crafts?

As each parent has their own parenting style and expectation of the nursery, situations can arise where parents may be unhappy with the nursery team. Being able to diffuse a tense situation while remaining professional is important should these situations arise. What to look for in an answer:

  • Excellent communication and conflict resolution skills
  • Ability to remain professional in stressful situations
  • Ability to listen and empathise

Example:

"I've found the most important step in resolving tense conversations with parents is to listen to their concerns and then find a resolution that they're happy with, without compromising their child's needs. For example, I might offer for them to drop off a spare set of overalls or an older shirt to help keep clothes clean in the future."

Do you enjoy working within a team and what challenges have you experienced when working as a team in the past?

Ensuring there is an appropriate staff to child ratio at all times requires teamwork. As such, the ability to communicate and work well with others is a key soft skill in childcare. What to look for in an answer:

  • Understand the importance of teamwork
  • Enjoyment working with others
  • Ability to compromise and resolve conflict professionally

Example:

"I thoroughly enjoy working within a nursery team and have had positive experiences with colleagues. In a previous role, a colleague was often reluctant to stay late to support with after-hours activities. As we have to maintain staff-child ratios, I once had to insist she stay to prevent us from breaching those requirements. After that evening the team arranged a rota for after-hours activities to prevent this happening again."

What appeals to you most about working with us as a 294821193nursery13.67nursery practitioner5.19childcare5.03nursery nurse3.48apprenticeship3.21313909954310000.0022755.1041000.00YEARLY405294932025-09-012025-09-302025-08-012025-08-312025-10-05Nursery Nurse?

This question allows candidates to share their motivation for joining the team and also presents an opportunity for them to show they understand any areas the nursery specialises in. What to look for in an answer:

  • Knowledgeable about the nursery
  • Shared interest and values
  • Enthusiasm for the opportunity

Example:

"During my studies, I was particularly interested in the benefits of outdoor education. I understand you have excellent outdoor learning facilities here and have heard great things about nature walks in the area. I would really like to learn more about the benefits of this style of learning and see this first hand too."

Do you have a current paediatric first aid certificate?

While this may not be necessary for the role, having a current first aid certificate and previous experience as a first aider may be an asset. What to look for in an answer:

  • Previous experience as a first aider
  • Confident discussing first aid duties
  • Interest in taking first aid training

Example:

"I hold a current paediatric first aid certificate and in my current role, I'm one of two first aiders in the team. On the job, I've had experience tending to cuts and scratches, bumps on the head and one serious incident of an allergic reaction. While it can be stressful, I feel confident in my abilities to calmly and quickly provide the care needed in emergency situations."

How do you stay up to date with new teaching tools and techniques?

Best practices and tools for learning are constantly evolving. Candidates should be interested in learning and implementing new teaching techniques, to not only improve their personal performance but also the quality of the nursery overall. What to look for in an answer:

  • Awareness of specific, current tools
  • Ways they implement new concepts
  • Sharing knowledge with others

Example:

"The university I studied at has a great selection of online resources, and I have access to the latest academic journals in childcare and early years education. I also have a few friends that work with young children, so we also share resources, especially when we find something to be effective."

What unique skills can you bring to the 294821193nursery13.67nursery practitioner5.19childcare5.03nursery nurse3.48apprenticeship3.21313909954310000.0022755.1041000.00YEARLY405294932025-09-012025-09-302025-08-012025-08-312025-10-05Nursery Nurse role?

Offering candidates the opportunity to share their unique skills is a chance to see how they may be able to bring a specialist skill or niche area of expertise to the nursery. What to look for in an answer:

  • Passion for their area of interest
  • Opportunity to incorporate specialism into the curriculum
  • Drive to expand their skills

Example:

"Food and nutrition are of particular interest to me. As well as providing learning opportunities for the children to be creative with food, I would love to work with you to organise nutrition programmes to inform local families on the importance of healthy foods in their diet."

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