Assistant Head of Nursery - Ilkeston

Ready to lead with passion, purpose, and heart? We are looking for a dedicated early years leader to guide our team, support our families, and champion the best start in life for every child.

About Us

Established in 1993, Cherubs Nurseries is a family‐run business on a mission to give all children the personalities, skills and experiences they need to take on the world, without limitations. Central to our approach (inspired by Montessori, Hygge, Reggio and Forest School) is our Community Life work which aims to make the communities we serve better places to live, work and grow up in. From annual fundraising events to community clean ups and a robust Sustainability Action Plan.

We know it takes a village to raise a child and we want our nurseries to be reflective of our communities. We champion diversity in the early years sector and are driven to bring more men into early years, supporting MITEY to achieve a mixed-gender early years workforce.

Why work at Cherubs Nurseries?

• Family‐run business, but with all the benefits you would expect from a bigger group!
• Committed to taking people where they want to go - from personalised professional development pathways to continuous internal training.
• Experienced and long‐standing teams - plenty of support whilst you get to grips with Cherubs Nurseries.
• Opportunity to progress and transfer internally - whether that’s within your current nursery or to another team or nursery within the group.
• Exceptional early years environments – we heavily invest in our nurseries to ensure they align with our approach and curriculum and are the best places to work for our team.
• Proactive and forward‐thinking culture - we’re committed to making Cherubs Nurseries a great place to work.

About our Nursery

Cherubs Ilkeston is a brand new, modern 72-place nursery. It has a rapidly developing team (due to only opening in September 2024) so there are plenty of opportunities for career progression. The nursery is well‐placed with good bus and road links and local amenities within walking distance such as supermarkets and food outlets.

Cherubs Nurseries Rewards and Benefits

• 30% off childcare at Cherubs Nurseries
• Long‐service awards for 5+ years' service
• Annual "Me Day" after 1 years' service
• Electric Car Scheme (for those eligible)
• Free healthy lunch, made by our Nursery Chef

What you’ll be doing

• Ensure you are visible within your nursery, this may involve being room‐based and ensuring that all rooms in your nursery are being successfully run and operating to Cherubs Nurseries guidelines.
• Ensure that ratio and internal regulations are met at all times, whilst taking into account any statutory or welfare requirements.
• Assist in completing all office‐based duties, ensuring deadlines are met and targets achieved against the management calendar.
• In the absence of your Nursery Manager, take ownership and responsibility for the day‐to‐day running of the nursery, ensuring all children have the best time whilst in our care.
• Keep up to date with all industry news, legislation and policy changes – relaying this back to your team where appropriate.
• Audit children's Nursery In A Box profiles ensuring they provide accurate, detailed and reflective accounts of the child's current development needs and ensure staff are providing developmentally appropriate challenging next steps.
• Ensure the nursery receives excellent (outstanding) outcomes in internal audits and those of external authorities such as Ofsted.
• Embrace and implement the Cherubs Nurseries vision, values and brand promises, ensuring you promote these in all aspects of your role.
• Maintain open‐communication with the Senior Management Team, giving them an honest and transparent overview of the nursery operation.
• Mentor your team and always demonstrate best practice, ensuring that your team learn and develop because of your outstanding practice.

Passionate about giving children the best start in life? So are we. If you’re nurturing, dedicated, and ready to help little minds grow, we’d love to welcome you to our team. Apply now and start making a difference every single day.

Disclaimer: Cherubs Nurseries is committed to upholding a safe and compliant workforce and business. All roles require: the right to work in the United Kingdom, the completion of a "Keeping Children Safe" Form, a DBS and at least 2 satisfactory employment references. Some roles may also require a 5‐year employment history. Cherubs Nurseries is an equal opportunities employer committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and will make reasonable adjustments to support candidates and employees with disabilities and learning difficulties.