Nursery Manager

Location: Ladbroke Grove, West London

Contract: Permanent

Interviews: ASAP

Salary: Competitive

About the role:

As we expand, we are looking for a Nursery Manager to join the founding team at our Nurseries. In this role, you will have the opportunity to work with existing managers and our head of teaching and learning to prepare to take on the management of a brand new Nursery.

We are looking for individuals ambitious to progress into leadership roles and eager to learn more about how to run an exceptional nursery. Successful candidates will have a genuine passion for young children and a deep commitment to the mission and values of the Nursery.

Your training will combine management experience in a particular setting along with bespoke training, coaching and a programme of training and experiences that will mean you are fully prepared to take on your very own nursery.

Key Requirements:

• Minimum Level 3 Diploma in Early Years Education and Care or equivalent
• Deputy Manager or Nursery Manager experience
• Right to work in the UK
• An awareness of keeping children safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and knowing how and when to take appropriate action
• A team player that can work collaboratively as well as using own initiative

Key Responsibilities:

• Encouraging young children to enjoy learning about their environment through fun games and activities
• Encouraging the development of social awareness through interactions with other children
• Ensuring that classrooms and outside play areas are child-friendly and safe
• Promoting high standards of the nursery at all times to parents, staff, and visitors
• Keep records of all children’s development and learning journals and share this with parents and carers and ensure all record keeping is up to date and accurate

SEND

• Named SENDCo on site
• Mange initial concerns and support with setting up universal and targeted provision
• Regularly assess impact of provision put in place for initial concern and SEND children
• Meet with ‘initial concern’ and SEND parents termly alongside play partner to communicate nursery concerns, support in place and impact of this support
• Complete ‘one-page profiles’ and IEPs' for children on the SEND register
• Liaise with external stakeholders and complete additional paperwork as needed e.g. provision mapping, SEND folders, inclusion funding applications, ECHP applications

Staff Team

• Daily deployment of the team and ensuring staff are working in line with policies
• Check-in and welfare meetings including return to work meetings
• Liaise with senior staff around concerns, next steps or escalation of staff handbook
• Complete risk assessments for staff members and keep them up to date
• Input into performance management meetings of staff and support development of PM targets, in line with the job specifications and career goals
• Ensure positive communication with staff team about priorities, action plans etc.
• Listen to and respond to staff concerns and worries and work with management to resolve these satisfactorily

Training

• Input into and oversee training targets
• Model ‘in the moment’ to support staff development
• Lead planning meetings weekly
• Facilitate external visitors
• Nursery improvement
• Lead on areas of improvement within the Nursery
• Input into development targets and action plans
• Oversee implementation of development targets and action plans
• Ensure staff understand key priorities and targets

Safeguarding

• Track children's attendance and call daily for unreported absences
• Set an ‘it could happen here’ ethos for all staff to follow
• Ensure all staff follow the safeguarding policy and escalate any issues
• Train staff in safeguarding policy and procedure
• Communicate with DSL over any concerns in a timely manner
• Deputise for the DSL where required

Management Information System (MIS)

• Ensure that MIS data is up to date for all children (including but not limited to: sessions, birth dates, allergies, medical)
• Ensure that all parents are set up on, and have access to the MIS app
• Ensure staff compliance in completing MIS (including but not limited to: first aid, recording naps, recording food, recording medication)
• Follow up with required stakeholders around use of MIS (including but not limited to: finance, parents, staff, Area manager for safeguarding)

Parent relations

• Ensuring that the parent meetings are happening and in line with format as agreed; attend these meetings where required or for training purposes
• Ensure high quality parent communications in line with the schools model
• Proofread, give feedback on and sign off on all external reports e.g. 2-year checks, end of year reports, family posts
• Oversight over Instagram photos and blurbs shared with social media lead twice weekly
• Ensure home visits take place in line with policy and lead on quality. Escalate any concerns
• Manage initial complains and escalate
• Lead on and model positive and open and welcoming culture with parents
• Ensure individual feedback to parents takes place daily

Training on offer

• Mentoring and coaching 1:1 from an experienced early years leader
• Visiting high quality settings and schools
• Training from our Headteacher on:
• Leading people
• Leading change
• Family engagement
• Child development
• Pedagogy, Assessment and Curriculum intent and implementation
• Safeguarding and managing risk
• SEND and EAL provision
• School readiness

Benefits:

• A Real Living Wage Employer: We are a Real Living Wage employer with a minimum salary of £13.15 per hour for all roles in London. We also pay 11% pension contributions
• Ongoing Learning: We are committed to providing the best development for all our staff. We close the nurseries for five days each year to focus on staff training and ensure there is protected time for training and supervision each week for every adult. We work hard to ensure there are clear career progression routes
• Annual leave: We are proud of our staff and want everyone to feel valued for playing their part. That’s why staff receive 25 days holiday each year, excluding bank holidays
• Wellbeing: Staff wellbeing is incredibly important to us. We know that while incredibly rewarding, working in a nursery can be challenging. We therefore work hard to ensure all staff have the support and infrastructure they need to take care of their wellbeing
• Part of a Network: Part of a charity that aims to transform children’s lives through education. Large network of 39 schools across London, Birmingham, Portsmouth, and Hastings as well as a number of charitable ventures. Being part of a network means our staff get access to the opportunities, infrastructure, and support of a large organisation

If this sounds like an exciting opportunity that you would like to pursue, please APPLY NOW!

*Please note we are not able to provide sponsorship for this role*

Or alternatively, please contact me on:

T: 0203 6333 223

E: Abdi.Colad@MLK-Search.co.uk