Nursery Practitioner, Preschool Teacher Interview Questions and Answers (UK, 2026)

Build a strong, warm relationship with him and learn from his mother what soothes him. Keep the routine the same, be the one who greets him, and tell her honestly how he settles each day. Short, regular updates and a plan for the next days give her something to hold on to.

As the key person for a ten-month-old who screamed when his mother left, I began with her. I asked what soothes him at home, and she told me he likes a muslin cloth that smells of her and being rocked while a song is hummed. I asked her to bring the cloth, and I did the same pattern each morning. I met them at the door, took him in my arms while she was still there, said a quick goodbye with her and never sneaked away. After she left I held him, walked to the window to wave, and then settled to a familiar activity with a basket of textures. I sent her a photo and a message after fifteen minutes each day. The first week he cried for about twenty minutes. By the end of the second week it was a few minutes, and on the Friday he reached for me when she handed him over. She decided to stay. Building a strong, loving relationship with him came first, and that is what I focused on.

Stay calm and listen without questioning her. Do not promise to keep it secret. Reply simply and kindly, then write down her exact words and the time. Tell the designated safeguarding lead straight away and follow the setting's procedure. Do not speak to her parents yourself.

A three-year-old told me while we played in the home corner that her daddy hurt her mummy and her mummy cried. I did not ask, 'Did he hit her?' or 'Did you see it?' because I did not want to lead her. I said, 'Thank you for telling me. That sounds scary,' and I let her carry on playing with the baby doll. I stayed close, made sure she was comfortable and listened to what else she wanted to say. Within a few minutes I wrote down exactly what she said, with the time and my name, in her words. I then told our DSL, who was in the building. The DSL decided what to do with the information, and followed the safeguarding procedure for the setting. I did not speak to the mother or ask the child more questions later, because that could affect any investigation. I did not promise to keep it a secret. I stayed warm and ordinary with the child and told nobody apart from the DSL.

Make sure the child is safe, and check what is happening without accusing anyone. The setting should have a procedure that balances privacy with safeguarding. If it is not being followed, I would report it to the DSL or manager at once, with what I saw, and not discuss it with colleagues.

One afternoon I walked into the baby room and found a colleague changing a nappy in a corner, behind a screen, with the door closed. Our policy is that nappy changes happen in the changing area, with the door open and another adult within earshot. I said, 'Sorry, I was just looking for the wipes,' loud enough for her to hear me, and stayed in the room so the baby was not alone with a closed door. When she had finished, I did not accuse her. I went straight to the manager, who is also the DSL, and told her what I had seen, the time and where. I said I did not know of any harm, but it was not our procedure and I wanted her to know. She thanked me and followed the setting's procedure, and the next day reminded everybody how changes should be done. A gap in how we change nappies is a reason to report, even when the person is a colleague I like.

I am looking at how each child explores: whether they fill, tip, pour or count, how they use their hands, what they say and who they play with. I then use what I see to plan the next step, such as adding scoops or water, and I note only what helps me do that.

Watching a group of two-year-olds fill and empty containers in the sand, I stood back and watched for several minutes before joining in. One child scooped and tipped over and over, which told me he was exploring how to fill things. Another stacked cups in order of size, and said 'big, big, little'. A third carried a bucket to a friend and said 'here'. I made a quick note on my tablet of the child and what he did, and I used a few words in the note, not a paragraph, because a short note is enough and my time is better spent with the children. The next day I added a water tray and some jugs with different sized openings, and sat with the first boy to narrate what he was doing, 'pour, full, empty'. I shared the cup stacking with the second child's parents on the board. Observation is only valuable if it changes what I do for the child next.

Review how he is doing in the three prime areas using my observations and the family's, and write a short, honest summary for his parents that highlights strengths and the need for support. I'd talk to the parents before it is written, be factual, and involve the SENCO and health visitor if needed.

For a boy of two years and three months whose speech worried me, I first gathered what I had seen over several weeks: he used about ten words, pointed for most things, and did not yet put two words together. I asked his mother what she heard at home, and she said much the same, and that he understood everything. I told her before the written summary was ready, in a quiet moment, 'I'd like to talk about his words. He understands a lot, and he is making progress, and I think a little extra help could be useful.' I did not say he had a delay. The summary highlighted what he does well, such as copying actions in songs, where he needed extra support, and what we would do: daily small group songs and rhymes, and a talk with our SENCO. With the parents' agreement we shared the check with the health visitor. The check at age two is a requirement, and the point is to notice early and plan with the family.

Agree that she wants him ready for school, and explain that play builds the foundations: language, listening, hand strength, attention and confidence. I would show her an example of what he does and how it leads to early reading and writing, and invite her to ask questions.

A mother once told me her four-year-old 'just plays' and should be writing his name. I said, 'I can see why you want him ready, and I want that too. Let me show you what he did today.' I told her he had spent twenty minutes with a group, building a shop in the role-play area, and had made a sign with mark-making, 'OPEN', copying the letters of the word. He had also chosen the stories at carpet time, joined in with rhymes and used longer sentences in the shop. I explained that plenty of talk and strong hands come before neat letters, because reading and writing are built on them. I showed her the sign he made and a photo of him holding the pencil with a tripod grip, which comes from using tools and climbing. She said she had not thought about it that way. We agreed that she'd read him a story each night, and I'd show her new sounds he was learning in the group.

Do not put her on the beanbag or cover her with a blanket. Put her to sleep on her back in her own cot, with a firm mattress and nothing else in it, in line with safer sleep guidance. Check her regularly, record the checks and tell my colleague why.

When a five-month-old fell asleep in my arms and a colleague said I should lay her on the beanbag with a blanket, I said, 'I'd rather move her to her cot, because of our safer sleep policy.' I carried her slowly to the cot in the sleep room, laid her on her back, and checked that the cot was clear of toys, bumpers, pillows and loose blankets. She wore a baby sleep bag and I did not tuck a blanket round her. I checked her every few minutes, wrote the times on the sleep chart, and stayed in the room, because a baby that young should always have an adult with her while she sleeps. Afterwards I explained to my colleague that a beanbag is too soft for a baby to sleep on safely, and that babies need to sleep on their back on a firm, flat surface. She had not realised, and she thanked me. I suggested the manager revisit safer sleep at the next team meeting, because new staff may not know.

Act at once: stop her eating, use her allergy action plan, give the adrenaline auto-injector if she has one and I am trained, call 999 and ask for an ambulance saying I think she has anaphylaxis. Stay with her, tell the manager and ring her parents, then record everything.

A child with a known egg allergy was given a biscuit by a new member of staff. Within a minute she began to cough and her lips swelled. I got another member of staff to fetch her allergy action plan and her auto-injector, which we keep in the red bag by the door. I stayed with her, helped her to sit, and called her name. Following the plan, our trained first aider used the auto-injector, and I called 999 and said I thought she had anaphylaxis. I told the operator the child's age and where we were. I stayed with her until the ambulance arrived, then went with the manager's phone call to her parents. Everything was written down: the times, what she ate, what happened and what we did. Afterwards the manager reviewed how the biscuit got there and made sure new staff saw each child's plan on their first day.

Share what I have seen without a label, using examples: what he does when I call his name, how he follows instructions. Listen to his father and ask what he notices at home. Tell the SENCO, and agree a plan with him such as a hearing check, then review.

I noticed a boy in my key group often did not respond when I called his name from behind him, though he followed instructions when I faced him. His father said, 'He's just like I was,' and did not seem worried. I was careful not to say he had hearing loss. I said, 'I've noticed these things, and I'd like to tell you what they are, so we can see what's happening together,' and gave three examples with dates. I asked what he noticed at home, and he said the TV was loud. I took the same notes to our SENCO, who advised that we suggest a hearing check with his GP or health visitor and that we would keep observing. His father agreed to book it. I did not diagnose, and I kept the father involved. The check found glue ear, and the boy had treatment.