Room Leader

Room Leader 2000 1000 Purple Jay

room leader

Nursery: Purple Jay – Lambeth
Contract type: Permanent
Hours of work: 40 hours per week (shifts)
Closing date: 19th March 2019
General summary: To lead and organize the care and learning experiences for all children in your room, particularly those for whom you act as a keyperson.

know someone who would be interested?

Share this job with others!

about purple jay nursery

Established 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 summary

To lead and organize the care and learning experiences for all children in your room, particularly those for whom you act as a keyperson, in a safe, happy, stimulating and developmentally appropriate way, and to lead the team of staff in your room in order to promote compliance with the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), and the nursery’s Policies and Procedures, Operations Manual and Code of Conduct for Employees.

You will be responsible for supporting, supervising and developing all other staff in your room or group.

key responsibilities

  • To act as a ‘key person’ for children in your care and to provide daily verbal and written reports for parents/carers and others on children’s well-being and development;
  • To develop and maintain close, confidential professional relationships with children, parents/carers, staff, management and outside agencies; to manage, direct, supervise, support and set targets for other practitioners in your room, induct new staff in nursery practices and procedures and identify the training needs of individual practitioners;
  • To formulate, plan, deliver, review and develop programmes of activities suitable for the range of children attending – indoors, outdoors and in out-of-setting contexts – which are linked to the EYFS, provide a balance between child initiated and adult led experiences that enable children to develop and which meet their physical, social, emotional and intellectual needs;
  • To lead the work of the room’s staff team in a consistent way: implementing agreed policies and procedures, promoting the development of team decisions that are sanctioned by the management, communicating management decisions to staff and delegating tasks to them fairly and appropriately; to work in partnership with and supporting the manager and deputy to ensure the smooth daily running and administration of the nursery, including feedback on the functioning of your room and regularly attending meetings with Manager, Deputy and others; to participate in schemes of appraisal, supervision and peer observation;
  • To form strong, constructive and supportive relationships with parents, carers and other family members, dealing constructively with any queries or concerns that they have and encouraging their involvement in all aspects of the nursery’s life, including taking a leading role in planning and organizing specific events for parents/carers;
  • To actively support the development of children’s language, communication and thinking skills;
  • To provide individual support to children with additional needs and provide information on their progress to parents/carers, SENCO and outside agencies; contributing to the Common assessment framework (CAF) for individual children and preparing children’s transitional documents;
  • To undertake room audits along with other practitioners in the room in accordance with nursery procedures and Southwark’s Evaluation Toolkit and to use these audits as the basis for the development of room action plans, their implementation and review; to contribute in partnership with the manager and deputy in the production and implementation of nursery action and development plans and training plans for individual members of staff;
  • To work to ensure that the nursery environment, equipment and resources are prepared, cleaned and maintained in accordance with the nursery’s Health and Safety Policy and OFSTED statutory guidance; to develop, implement and evaluate routines and systems which ensure that this is achieved consistently in the room;
  • To be flexible within working practices in the setting, including undertaking domestic tasks when and where this is necessary, and to participate in out of working hours activities (such as training sessions, staff meetings and parents evenings) when required; To lead all staff in the room in the production of regular, accurate and clear observations of children, assessments, written reports and children’s profiles; to keep and monitor accurate records in the room on children, of their attendance and of all accidents, incidents and risk assessments; 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;
  • To actively support, promote and develop the nursery’s policies and practices, particularly those on Inclusion and Equal Opportunities;
  • To ensure the safety and well-being of children, including recognition of signs that a child might be in danger or at risk of harm, and to promote the nursery’s safeguarding policy and practices;
  • To manage and support children’s personal, social and emotional development, including the promotion of positive behaviour strategies;
  • To perform other duties and take on other responsibilities as directed by the management, including taking a leading role in specific activities, initiatives and developments and deputising for the manager/deputy when necessary.

qualifications & experience required

  • Minimum studying towards level 3 (and GCSE maths and english, if applicable)
  • Food Hygiene Certificate
  • Paediatric First Aid Certificate EYFS
  • Certification Safeguarding (Levels 1,2,3 LBS Certificates)
  • Experience of implementing the EYFS and Childcare Standards
  • Experience of working as a keyperson
  • Experience of maintaining children’s records/profiles and completing written reports;
  • Experience of working across full age range from 0 – 5 years;
  • Experience of directing and supervising the work of other staff;
  • Experience of managing the introduction of innovation and change;
  • Knowledge and understanding of the EYFS
  • Knowledge of Health and Safety and Environmental Health
  • Procedures Knowledge of Safeguarding issues and procedures
  • Knowledge and understanding of children’s needs and behaviour and the ability to set and manage suitable boundaries for children;
  • Familiarity with use of a P.C. and basic office programmes (Word, Excel, Publisher, Powerpoint)

specific requirements

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

personal qualities required

  • Ability to speak and write clearly and effectively
  • Ability to work as part of a small team
  • Willingness to work flexibly and under pressure to meet the needs of the service
  • Reliability and ability to be included as a keyholder
  • Commitment to working in early years and taking on additional responsibilities
  • 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. There is a need from time to time to wipe up blood and other bodily fluids.

interested in applying for this job?

Then read our advice on how to apply…

how to apply
Enter your
text here