Nursery Manager

Nursery Manager

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about purple jay nurseryEstablished in 2011, Purple Jay Nurseries began with Mother Goose Nursery in Peckham Rye. We believe that love and education are paramount to our children, and this has shaped the way we work today.

We offer a child-focused approach, where all of our kids are encouraged to develop socially, physically and emotionally in a stimulating, caring environment.

As a family-run organisation with family values, our commitment to our pupils has resulted in an OFSTED “Good” rating, based on our educational practices and caring nature.role summaryTo lead the nursery in the provision of high quality, inclusive and safe care and learning for local children that meets all of the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework (EYFS) and OFSTED and ensures that all children have access to a broad range of stimulating activities and learning opportunities in their play, supported by a suitable, capable and dedicated group of staff; to be responsible for the smooth day to day operation of the nursery and to be accountable to senior management for all aspects of the nursery’s provision. This role requires the experience and confidence to make sound day-to-day decisions within a broader view of the nursery’s strategic development whilst remaining sensitive to the needs of children and families.

You will be responsible for Deputy Manager, Room Leaders (directly) and all other nursery staff (indirectly).key responsibilities

• Managing quality:
  • To have responsibility for the delivery of a curriculum that provides a broad, varied and stimulating set of learning experiences for all children in the nursery within the requirements of the EYFS Framework, the nursery’s Operations Manual and Code of Conduct for Employees;
  • To maintain systems that successfully monitor, review, develop and deliver high standards of physical, emotional, social and intellectual care for all children in the nursery, including those with additional educational needs; to utilise programmes of staff peer observation, supervision and appraisal in order to formulate development plans for individual members of staff and to ensure that such plans are made effective;
  • To contribute, along with other members of senior management, to the review, development and implementation of all nursery policies, including in particular those on Inclusion and Equality, Health and Safety and Safeguarding;
  • To Supervise and operate systems and procedures that ensure the cleanliness, safety and maintenance of the nursery (including the storage, preparations and serving of food) and the welfare of children and are carried out according to the nursery’s Health and Safety policies, risk assessments and cleaning schedules; to administer medicines, and treatments (such as asthma pumps and ‘epipens’), in accordance with the nursery’s medication policies and to record, witness and supervise their use;
• Managing change and development:
  • To have lead responsibility for the operation of the nursery’s quality assurance systems, including the nursery’s annual development plan, the Operational Plan, the local authority’s quality assurance scheme (‘Pathways to Quality’), OFSTED’s Self Evaluation Form, L.B.Southwark’s quality improvement cycle and the implementation of all recommendations from OFSTED inspections, local authority audits, Environmental Health and Food Safety inspections etc;
  • To arrange, attend, participate and where necessary to lead or chair: team meetings, staff meetings, unit meetings, management meetings, staff appraisals and supervisions, disciplinary and grievance meetings, etc; to use such meetings to implement decisions that maintain and improve the quality of provision in the nursery;
  • To plan, develop and implement strategies for the nursery development, and to involve the nursery in local and national initiatives that improve the quality or range of services that the nursery is able to offer;
• Managing people:
  • To identify staffing requirements and take a leading role in the recruitment, selection, induction and training of all nursery staff, including ancillary and bank staff, in compliance with the nursery’s Recruitment Policy; to manage staff sickness and absence in accordance with the nursery’s Absence Policy and Procedures;
  • To assess the training needs of staff and produce organizational strategies and plans to meet the nursery’s training and development needs and to utilize available training opportunities; to lead and participate in schemes of appraisal, supervision and peer observation.
  • To actively promote and lead the nursery’s Partnership with Parents and Carers, including a comprehensive key person system, detailed entry and development profiles on children, regular feedback and reporting, parents evenings, parental involvement in events, outings and celebrations and an effective complaints procedure;
  • To promote and protect the safety and welfare of children in the nursery’s care, to ensure the familiarity and effectiveness of all staff in implementing the nursery’s Safeguarding Policy, to be alert to any possible signs of children being harmed or abused and knowledgeable of ways to respond to these;
• Managing resources:
  • To maintain a suitably qualified staff team that meets the requirements of EYFS and OFSTED, satisfies child/staff ratios at all times and effectively deploys staff across all ages of children and areas of the nursery and curriculum, indoors and outdoors;
  • To ensure that a sufficient range and quantity of good quality resources and equipment for all ages and areas of the curriculum are available, properly stored, presented and maintained and replaced and replenished as necessary;
  • To manage an allocated budget in accordance with agreed procedures; iv. To meet the occupancy and revenue targets set for the nursery and to manage all operating costs to ensure the nursery’s continued profitability; to maintain the image, reputation and presentation of the nursery in order to sustain demand for places and to operate a waiting list efficiently to ensure that demand is translated into high levels of occupancy;
  • To manage the upkeep and condition of all equipment, fixture and fabric of the nursery premises, including security and emergency systems, and to manage and maintain the effectiveness of IT systems and software.
• Managing information:
  • To be familiar and knowledgeable with the nursery’s Policies, Operational Plan, Codes of Conduct, Admission procedures, Information and Induction Packs, Practitioners Guidebook and other sources of information;
  • To maintain the nursery’s register and records of attendance and payments due/received;
  • To prepare and submit relevant administration in a timely and accurate manner and maintain all records, reports and statistical and other information as required by management, OFSTED, Local authority and other outside agencies, maintaining high standards of accuracy and confidentiality in compliance with the nursery’s policies on Confidentiality and Information sharing;
  • To participate in the evaluation and review of services offered by the nursery;
• Other Duties:
  • To promote, attend and represent the nursery at appropriate events, conferences, meetings and training events;
  • To organize and attend out of working hours activities (e.g. Staff Training, Staff Meetings, Parents/Carer’s Evenings, Celebrations and events) as and when necessary;
  • To undertake any other tasks requested which are commensurate with this role;
  • To have responsibility for the security of the nursery buildings, for being a keyholder and for designating other key-holders

qualifications & experience required

• Minimum Level 3 Qualification in Early Years
• Safeguarding (Levels 1,2,3 LBS Certificates)
• Paediatric First Aid Certificate
• Food Hygiene Certificate
• Qualification in English and Maths to GCSE Grade C or equivalent
• Minimum of two years working in an Early Years Setting Experience of taking a leadership role in the provision of high quality care and education in the early years (at least 1 year)
• Knowledge and understanding of private nurseries
• Experience of initiating change and improvement in early years settings
• Experience of managing and supervising other staff
• Experience of implementing the EYFS
• Experience of record-keeping and maintaining confidentiality
• Experience of working in partnership with other agencies
• Knowledge and understanding of EYFS Framework and OFSTED requirements for Early Years Settings Ability to contribute to the development, review and implementation of nursery policies
• Understanding of, and commitment to, equal opportunities and inclusion policies and their practical application
• Knowledge of Health and Safety issues and requirements
• Knowledge of environmental health and food safety procedures
• Knowledge of Safeguarding issues and procedures
• Ability to manage a budget Ability to use Office based computer programmes

specific requirements

• Satisfactory enhanced DBS check (and other, if required)
• Entitlement to work in UK
• Two satisfactory references

personal qualities required

• Ability to communicate clearly and well, both orally and in writing (including the writing of reports, records and proposals) with a wide variety of audiences, including parents/carers, colleagues, students and childcare professionals
• Ability to observe, analyse and plan strategically for the development and improvement of services
• Ability to plan and prioritize workloads on your own initiative, sometimes to strict deadlines, whilst maintaining a high level of confidentiality and discretion
• Willingness to work flexibly to meet the needs of the service
• There is a requirement, subject to appropriate guidance or training, to lift and carry children, and to spend time outdoors throughout the year and in all weathers.

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