Qualified childcare practitioner since 2020. PVG and SSSC registered. Available from February 2026.
John Burdge
Portrait — to follow
Open to roles from February 2026. Currently with My Ohana at Ikea Glasgow. Role ends 13 February 2026.
Open to childcare, supported-living, and learning-disability roles in West Central Scotland.
I've spent more than thirty years supporting people — most of that in the learning-disability sector, helping people live as fully and independently as they choose. I've coordinated supported-living teams, led training, prepared rotas, and worked alongside families, social workers and the Care Inspectorate.
Since 2020 I've worked as a qualified childcare practitioner, most recently at the Ikea in-store creche with My Ohana. Ikea closed all its UK creches in February 2026, so I'm looking for my next role — in supported living, learning-disability services, or childcare.
I'm a calm, dependable presence with the kind of practical, problem-solving streak that comes from a long working life — from circuit-board production to nursing wards, technical helpdesks to nursery floors. References are available on request.
Grouped by sector — most relevant first. Earlier and parallel work is collapsed at the end.
Supporting adults with learning disabilities to live the lives they want — including 17 years at Enable Scotland.
Enable Scotland
Supporting adults with learning disabilities to live the lives they want — accessing services and activities of their choice, navigating challenges, and (when leading teams) ensuring training, annual leave and supervisions stayed up to date and services were always staffed.
Skills gained: Employee management and supervision, recruitment, training, record keeping, assessing service needs and requirements.
Enable Scotland
Supporting people with learning disabilities to live as they want to — accessing services and activities of their choice and tackling whatever else came up.
Skills gained: Communication, teamwork, interpersonal, problem solving.
Partners for Inclusion
Leading a team supporting a man to live in his own tenancy and manage his life. Supporting team to maintain training, update knowledge, keep records and keep the environment safe.
Skills gained: Employee management and supervision, recruitment, training, record keeping, assessing service needs and requirements.
HRM Home-Care Services
Organising a team of support workers in the community: rotas, training, on-call cover.
Skills gained: Employee management and supervision, recruitment, training, record keeping, needs assessment.
North Ayrshire Council
Supporting young adults moving on from care to independent living.
Skills gained: Empathy, problem solving, imagination, teaching.
Haringey Council, London
Integrating children with special needs into mainstream playschemes.
Skills gained: Equality legislation, needs and risk assessment, identifying strengths.
Qualified practitioner working across nursery, creche and supply settings.
My Ohana (Ikea creche)
Care and education of children aged 3 to 10 at the Ikea in-store creche. Cover for the manager. Working from Realising the Ambition, GIRFEC, Pre-Birth to Three and Curriculum for Excellence, against the quality indicators. Two ROSPA inspections and two Care Inspectorate inspections (the second with no requirements).
Skills gained: Preparation of play and learning activities, all aspects of care, physical and emotional support. Operating the secure check-in system and ensuring every child returns to the correct parent or carer. Risk assessments, floor-books, quality-assurance calendars.
Thrive Childcare and Education
Care and education of children aged 0 to 5.
Skills gained: Preparation of play and learning activities, all aspects of care, physical and emotional support.
Bertram Nursery Group
Care and education of children aged 0 to 5.
Skills gained: Preparation of play and learning activities, all aspects of care, physical and emotional support.
Kilpatrick Leisure (Little Pandas Nursery)
Care and education of pre-school children aged 3 to 5.
Skills gained: Preparation of play and learning activities, all aspects of care, physical and emotional support.
Level 2 — Understanding neuroscience and self-regulation in early years
Dumfries and Galloway College
HNC Childhood Practice
City of Glasgow College
NQ (SCQF 6) — Services for children and young people; child development; play in early education and childcare
City of Glasgow College
The Autism Spectrum in the 21st Century
The Open University
European Computer Driving Licence (completed in under a month)
Marr Educational Resource Centre
Leading Others — Pass (15 credits at SCQF Level 8)
Queen Margaret University
SVQ Level 3 — Health and Social Care
Enable Scotland
Highers — Psychology and English
James Watt College, Kilwinning
K668 Learning Disability — Changing Perspectives; K670 — Managing the System
The Open University
SVQ Communication Level 4
Ayr College
Pneumatic and hydraulic control systems
Scotwest Training, Irvine
GCSE O-Levels — Maths, English, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Sociology, Computer Studies. A-Level — Biology
Northumberland Park School, Tottenham
The professional skills sit at the centre. The practical and personal ones are the texture around them — the kind of person John actually is.
If you're hiring for a learning-disability, supported-living or childcare role in West Central Scotland, I'd be happy to hear from you. References available on request.