Nursery Manager in Derby

We are a vibrant and nature-focused nursery that offers an exciting outdoor forest school experience. Our nursery is home to a variety of animals, and we engage in outdoor activities such as fire-making and nature exploration. We believe in providing stimulating and purposeful learning opportunities for all our children, inviting parents to join in activities and supporting our community. Additionally, all of our children participate in Jo Jingles every week, where they thrive and engage with the music in a fun and stimulating way.

Role Overview:

As a Room Leader at our nursery, you will be responsible for overseeing the care and development of up to 15 babies, working closely with a team of skilled practitioners. You will create a nurturing and safe environment for children under 2 years old, ensuring their physical, emotional, social, and intellectual growth. You will assist in the implementation of a key person approach, helping babies form secure attachments and guiding your colleagues in identifying training and development needs. Your role will also involve maintaining high-quality learning journals and records on the EyLog and EyMan systems, ensuring that each child's progress is accurately tracked. Building positive relationships with parents will be essential, inviting them to participate in activities and keeping them informed about their child’s development.

As a leader, you will model professionalism, consistency, and impartiality, fostering respect among your team, parents, and children. You will also ensure that the statutory requirements of the EYFS framework are met, uphold safety standards, and promote the welfare of all children, staff, and visitors at the nursery. A passion for outdoor learning and a strong understanding of child development will be key to your success in this role.

Essential Qualifications & Skills:

• Full and relevant Level 3 qualification in Childcare (Essential)
• Previous experience working with babies under 2 years old
• A passion for the outdoors and outdoor learning, with an enthusiasm for forest school activities
• Strong understanding of child development and the ability to provide purposeful learning experiences
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, particularly in working with parents and colleagues
• Knowledge of and commitment to safeguarding and child protection

Benefits:

At Family First, we value our team members and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Annual leave: 24 days’ holiday, plus bank holidays and an extra paid day off for your birthday
• Childcare discount: 75% off nursery fees for team members
• Wellbeing support: Access to a confidential Employee Assistance Programme helpline
• Learning and development: Tailored training and development opportunities to support your career growth
• Pension: Company pension scheme
• Employee discounts: Access to Perkaboo employee discounts
• Mentoring: Employee mentoring programme
• Health and wellbeing: Dedicated health and wellbeing support
• Refer a Friend scheme: Earn up to £750 through our referral programme

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate will be required for all posts. This post will be subject to enhanced checks as part of our Safeguarding Duty.

Handkerchief Nursery is part of the Family First Group where we take great care to treat everyone as a person, with equal rights and responsibilities to any other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on the grounds of gender, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civil partnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy or maternity, ethnic or national origin, or political belief has no place within the Family First Group.