Nursery Manager

Nursery Manager

Bloomsbury, central London

£35-£45,000 annual salary

Are you passionate about high-quality early years education, with proven leadership skills and the ability to connect inner-city children to nature? We are looking for a dynamic, proactive and experienced Nursery Manager with a love for the outdoors to lead and collaborate with our wonderful team of experienced and passionate staff.

The nursery is a unique community nursery established for nearly 60 years. It is a registered charity overseen by a management committee (MC) made up of parents. CGN provides a special setting on a conservation site, boasting a wild and magical outdoor garden space, in an historic part of central London. We pride ourselves on providing children with the opportunity to discover and develop their skills in an extensive outdoor setting with a strong focus on child-led play-based learning which is underpinned through forest school and environmental activities.

The Manager is responsible for the day to day operations of the nursery setting, ensuring the daily delivery of high quality and innovative early years practice that reflects the EYFS curriculum and pedagogy of the nursery.

We are looking for an experienced Manager to help lead, motivate and inspire the nursery team to deliver and promote exemplary early years education. This role requires a strong, communicative, caring and experienced leader who has a passion to continuously enhance and develop the setting to reflect the interests and needs of the families and local community.

You will be responsible for: Deputy Manager, SENCO, Early Years Practitioners

Your responsibilities will include:

• Further improving the quality of care and education throughout the setting.
• Adhering to, and support all team members to understand and follow, the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Arranging regular staff meetings as appropriate including agendas and minutes. Supervise and support all members of the setting team in their day-to-day duties. Carrying out inductions, appraisals and reviews, training and development and individual supervisions.
• Being responsible for all duties associated with the management of the setting e.g. maintaining records on the children and their families, ordering equipment, maintaining an inventory, keeping personnel records, ensuring other records are adequately maintained and updated: the daily attendance register, accident and incident records.
• Effective staff recruitment and retention following best practice.
• Promoting the high standards of the setting at all times to parents, staff and visitors.
• Maintaining high occupancy levels through site visits and promotion of the setting.
• Leading regular development updates and meetings with the Management Committee.
• Reviewing and implementing policies and procedures.
• Working closely with Treasurer and accountant to monitor expenditure and generate financial projections.
• Fundraising through grants, events and other initiatives.

What we are looking for in the ideal Nursery Manager:

Key Competencies and Behaviours:

• Ability to manage and develop the team to achieve positives outcomes through support, delegation, training and leadership.
• Ability to communicate ideas and information clearly and articulately.
• Able to work under pressure to achieve results in a quality, timely and cost-effective way.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills to build rapport with families, management committee and the local community and encourage their involvement.
• Committed to equal opportunities and an understanding of equality and diversity issues.
• Ability to adapt quickly to changes and uses their initiative on a daily basis.

Essential Requirements:

• At least two years’ proven management experience of working in an early years care and education setting.
• Minimum Level 3 early years education and childcare qualification or equivalent.
• Sound understanding of EYFS, child development, and of children’s needs.
• Demonstrable and detailed knowledge of statutory requirements and current legislation relevant to the early years.
• Demonstrate a commitment to continuously promoting a culture of safeguarding.
• Ability to write clear reports.
• Knowledge of data protection and information management practices and their application within a setting.
• Knowledge of SEN and Code of Practice.
• Understanding of the Forest School ethos.

Desirable Criteria:

• A degree in Early Childhood studies, Qualified Teacher Status, or other relevant Level 6 qualification.
• Forest School qualification.
• Paediatric First Aid certified.
• A love of nature (outdoorsy person)

Further information on the role

Schedule:

• Day shift
• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• London, WC1N 1PH: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (required)

Expected start date:

• As soon as possible, ideally October 2022.

To apply: please send your CV and a covering letter to chair@cgnursery.co.uk