Executive Principal

Overview

This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious Early Years\’ Leader to take on an influential leadership role in a growing nursery setting. We are currently seeking to appoint an Executive Principal to take responsibility for the overall strategic vision, direction and leadership of the Little Learner\’s Nursery group. They will provide professional leadership and management of Nursery Managers and give the necessary support and guidance to enable them to deliver the highest standards of care and education. We are a strong, experienced, hard-working and friendly staff team. We provide a nurturing and safe environment in which children thrive as they learn. If you are an excellent Nursery leader looking for an exciting opportunity to help the nurseries to grow and develop please do get in touch. Little Learners Nursery Group is made up of St Saviour\’s Nursery, St Mary\’s Nursery and St Margaret\’s Nursery. In 2019 we opened \’Little Learners in Nature\’ which is an outdoor provision, based at St Saviour\’s, that draws on the principles of forest school. The children spend the day playing and learning outside and have access to ponds, tepees, mud kitchens, hammocks, a fire pit, a stone circle, a willow arch, bug hotels, and a giant den-making zone.

We can offer:

• Enthusiastic, well-behaved children who are eager to learn
• Excellent career development
• Bespoke training programmes
• Loyalty bonus
• Annual pay reviews
• Hardworking, motivated and positive colleagues

You will be responsible for

• The professional leadership and management of Nursery Managers
• Ensuring that all children attending the nursery receive rich and stimulating experiences appropriate to their age and stage of development
• Ensuring that practice and provision in the nursery meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage
• Having an overview of the daily operations of the nursery group in order to ensure the health and safety of all children, their parents and carers, the team and any visitors to the nurseries
• Ensuring all statutory requirements are strictly adhered to across the nursery group
• Control of costs in line with agreed budgets
• Facilitating inspections by regulatory bodies and implementing any recommendations
• Agreeing and delivering occupancy targets
• Monitoring and supporting the managers with new admissions to the nursery group
• The recruitment, induction, support, training and appraisal of all staff alongside the managers to ensure delivery of high quality childcare practice
• Developing a well-qualified and experienced team able to meet and exceed all relevant standards
• Proactively representing the nursery group and advancing its interests in the local community
• Working in partnership with senior management to create, update and review the self-evaluation and improvement plans for the nurseries within the group

• At least a Level 3 government recognised EYFS qualification or QTS
• A good level of applied literacy and numeracy skills
• A minimum of 4 years\’ experience of working in a management capacity in a group day care setting for children aged 0-5 years
• Knowledge of OFSTED standards and experience of good and or outstanding inspections
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal
• Knowledge of health & safety legislation
• Strong organisational skills
• Strong people management skills with the ability to lead and motivate a team
• Thorough with strong attention to detail and a commitment to excellence
• Resilience, i.e. maturity, ability to cope with pressure and difficult situations
• Self-confidence with strong interpersonal skills
• Willing to acquire new skills and undertake further training when necessary
• An enjoyment of working collaboratively as a member of a team

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and applicants must be willing to undergo Child Protection screening, including checks with past employers and the Criminal Records Bureau. References will be taken up before interviews are offered.

Waltham Forest is a diverse borough where diversity is valued and is integral to both, service delivery and employment of its staff. The Council is proud of its rich mix of communities and as the largest employer in the area, it works hard to respond to the changing needs of its population. We use our statutory duties on race, gender and disability equality and best practice in respect of age, faith and sexual orientation to ensure equality of opportunity in the workplace. The Council is committed to meeting its 4 equality objectives: – Promoting equality of opportunity – Opposing all forms of discrimination, intolerance and disadvantage – Ensuring our workforce reflects the diverse communities of Waltham Forest at all levels. – Providing fair, appropriate, accessible and excellent Services to all. Respecting Diversity is a core Council value. To support the above and reduce the risk of bias in its recruitment activities, the council is operating an anonymous shortlisting process, which hides personal information that can identify individuals until their application has been considered for shortlisting. The council also operates a scheme whereby, for jobs graded up to and including scale SO2, internal candidates are considered first. This includes those candidates who self-identify as having a disability for the purposes of the Disability Confident scheme. For more information, please refer to our recruitment and selection policy