Nursery Manager – Ryehills Farm Day Nursery, West Haddon
Location: Ryehills Farm Day Nursery, West Haddon
Job Type: Full-time
Salary: £35,000 - £40,000
Hours: 42.5
Lead a nursery where children, families and your team can thrive
We are looking for an experienced and inspiring Nursery Manager to lead our team at Ryehills Farm Day Nursery in West Haddon, part of Climbing High Nurseries.
This is a fantastic opportunity for an accomplished early years leader who wants to make a genuine difference. You’ll have responsibility for the day-to-day leadership of the nursery, bringing together outstanding care and education, safeguarding, team development, operational excellence and strong partnerships with families.
We’re looking for someone who is visible, calm and confident in their leadership; someone who can set high standards while creating a supportive culture in which practitioners feel valued, challenged and encouraged to grow.
Above all, you’ll make sure that every decision starts with the children.
What you’ll be doing
As Nursery Manager, you will:
- Lead the nursery team to provide exceptional, safe and nurturing early years care and education.
- Create a positive, accountable and supportive culture where colleagues understand what great practice looks like and are supported to achieve it.
- Act as the setting’s safeguarding lead and ensure safeguarding, welfare and statutory requirements are consistently embedded in everyday practice.
- Lead the nursery’s educational approach, ensuring an ambitious, inclusive and engaging curriculum in line with the EYFS.
- Champion learning through play, curiosity, creativity and meaningful outdoor experiences.
- Ensure children with SEND or additional needs are identified early and receive effective, inclusive support.
- Induct, coach and develop your team, including Deputy Managers, Room Leaders and emerging leaders.
- Lead supervision, performance management and professional development.
- Maintain high standards of health and safety, record keeping, compliance and operational management.
- Take ownership of occupancy, enquiries, showrounds and family retention, supporting the nursery’s sustainable growth.
- Build warm, professional relationships with parents and carers from their first enquiry throughout their child’s time at the nursery.
- Maintain a strong understanding of the nursery’s strengths and areas for development, ensuring continuous improvement and everyday readiness for Ofsted.
- Work closely with colleagues across Climbing High Nurseries, benefiting from specialist operational, quality, curriculum, training and HR support.
The kind of leader we’re looking for:
You’ll be someone who combines high expectations with warmth, professionalism and a genuine passion for early years.
You will be comfortable leading from the front, developing people, making decisions and taking ownership of the performance of your setting. You’ll understand that excellent nursery leadership is about much more than compliance, it is about creating an environment where children feel safe, secure, curious and included, families feel confident and welcomed, and staff are proud of the work they do.
You’ll bring strong knowledge of the EYFS, safeguarding and early years practice, together with the leadership and organisational skills needed to run a successful nursery.
Previous nursery management or significant early years leadership experience will be important, alongside the appropriate qualifications and suitability requirements for the role.
Our approach:
At Climbing High Nurseries, we believe children learn best through rich relationships, purposeful play, exploration and discovery.
Our leadership values include:
- Putting children at the centre of decision-making.
- Supporting emotional development through secure relationships and co-regulation.
- Setting ambitious standards for care and education.
- Encouraging teamwork, empathy and shared learning.
- Inspiring curiosity, imagination and creativity.
- Giving children meaningful opportunities to engage with nature and the world around them.
- Building an inclusive community in which every child and family belongs.
At Ryehills Farm Day Nursery, you’ll have the opportunity to bring these principles to life every day while making the setting your own.
Why join Climbing High Nurseries?
This is a role with genuine responsibility, but you won’t be leading alone.
You’ll work alongside our wider leadership and support team, including colleagues specialising in quality, operations, curriculum, training and HR. We want our Nursery Managers to have the autonomy to lead their settings confidently while also having access to the support, challenge and professional development they need to succeed.
If you are ready to lead a nursery with ambition, warmth and purpose, we would love to hear from you.
Apply today to join Ryehills Farm Day Nursery and help us create an exceptional place for children to learn, play, belong and thrive.
Safeguarding
Climbing High Nurseries is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The successful applicant will be expected to share this commitment, comply with all safeguarding policies and procedures and meet the appropriate suitability, qualification and safer recruitment requirements for the role.
Pay: £35,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Childcare
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
