Job Purpose:
Leadership & Operational Management
- Lead Daily Operations — Support the Nursery Manager in overseeing the smooth running of the nursery each day.
- Staff Leadership — Provide guidance, mentoring and modelling of best practice to all practitioners.
- Supervisions & Coaching — Support with staff supervisions, performance discussions and ongoing professional development.
- Room Leadership — Step into any room as needed to maintain ratios, quality and consistency.
- Decision‑Making — Make confident, informed decisions in the absence of the Nursery Manager.
- Policy Implementation — Ensure all staff follow nursery policies, procedures and risk assessments.
⭐ Safeguarding & Compliance
- Deputy DSL Duties — Support safeguarding processes, record concerns accurately and escalate appropriately.
- Health & Safety Oversight — Monitor risk assessments, daily checks and safe working practices across the setting.
- Regulatory Compliance — Ensure the nursery meets EYFS, Ofsted and local authority requirements at all times.
- Incident Management — Lead responses to accidents, incidents and emergencies, ensuring correct reporting.
⭐ Quality Improvement & Curriculum
- Curriculum Monitoring — Support the Manager in reviewing planning, observations and learning outcomes across rooms.
- Environment Audits — Regularly check that learning spaces are purposeful, safe and well‑resourced.
- Modelling Outstanding Practice — Demonstrate high‑quality interactions, communication and teaching strategies.
- Support for SEND — Work with the SENCO to ensure inclusive practice and tailored support for children with additional needs.
⭐ Family & Community Engagement
- Parent Communication — Support staff in delivering consistent, professional communication with families.
- Conflict Resolution — Help manage parent concerns sensitively and professionally.
- Community Links — Strengthen relationships with local services, professionals and community partners.
⭐ Administrative & Organisational Duties
- Record Keeping — Support with maintaining accurate registers, accident logs, medication forms and staff records.
- Staff Rotas — Assist with planning rotas to ensure ratios and room coverage are always met.
- Resource Management — Oversee stock levels, ordering and resource organisation across the nursery.
- Checklist Oversight — Ensure morning and evening checklists are completed to a high standard.
⭐ General Responsibilities (Your Original List, Now Integrated)
- Manage a safe learning environment.
- Be committed to keeping children safe and behaving professionally.
- Create a supportive, happy culture and behaviour management strategy.
- Operate as a Key Worker, observing, assessing and planning next steps.
- Maintain accurate learning journals using Tapestry or similar.
- Contribute to monitoring the EYFS curriculum.
- Offer varied experiences that meet diverse learner needs.
- Work collaboratively with colleagues, parents/carers and professionals.
- Provide activities for children absent from nursery when requested.
- Ensure the environment is clean, tidy and well managed.
- Put resources away appropriately after use.
- Demonstrate excellent time‑keeping and organisation.
- Be approachable, friendly and an effective communicator.
- Maintain confidentiality at all times.
- Uphold high standards of professional conduct.
- Follow direction from the line manager.
- Support cleaning, food preparation and washing duties as required.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: From £14.50 per hour
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
Application question(s):
- Do you hold a Forest School Leader Qualification?
- Do you hold a level 3 Early Years Qualification?
Experience:
- Nursery: 3 years (preferred)
Work Location: In person
