Nursery Manager

Family First Nurseries; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Quarterly bonus up to £3,000 per year

27 days annual leave plus bankholidays

Birthday day off

Genuine progression opportunities

Supportive leadership team

Employee wellbeing programme

Refer a friend bonus

Well-resourced nursery

Job summary

Family First Nurseries in Derby is seeking an experienced Nursery Manager to lead Handkerchief Day Nursery, driving high standards and occupancy while ensuring safeguarding and EYFS compliance.

You will manage a team, develop staff, and partner with parents, with a quarterly bonus and generous leave. Applicants should have Level 3 childcare and management experience, plus Ofsted readiness.

Qualifications

• Essential: Full and relevant Level 3 Childcare qualification
• Essential: Over 1 year experience in Early Years
• Essential: Strong knowledge of the EYFS and safeguarding
• Essential: Over 1 year of management experience
• Desirable: Level 5 qualification in Childcare and/or Management and Leadership
• Desirable: Experience of successfully passing an Ofsted inspection at a Good or Outstanding level
• Right to work in the UK - Valid Passport or Settled or Pre-Settled under the EU Settlement Scheme.

Responsibilities

• Leading, motivating, and developing your nursery team
• Ensuring EYFS and safeguarding compliance
• Building strong parent partnerships
• Driving occupancy and overall nursery performance
• Leading Ofsted preparation and inspections
• Creating a positive, professional team culture

Skills

Leadership

Team management

Regulatory compliance

Education

Level 3 Childcare qualification

Level 5 Childcare/Management (Desirable)

Job description

Derby, United Kingdom | Posted on 26/08/2026

NurseryManager
Handkerchief Day Nursery - High Street, Kegwort, DE74 2DA

Permanent-Full Time | 40 Hours Per Week £43,775 depending on experience + Quarterly Bonus Scheme worth £3,000 per year*

Are you an experienced NurseryManager looking for a setting where you will feel trusted, supported andgenuinely valued as a leader?

Handkerchief Day Nursery is looking for a confident and experienced Nursery Manager to lead ourwell-established nursery and continue building a positive, high-qualityenvironment for children, families and teams.

This role isideal for a strong Early Years leader who enjoys developing teams, drivingstandards and creating a nursery culture where both children and teams thrive.You will be joining a stable nursery with supportive senior leadership, strongteam foundations and the freedom to lead your setting with confidence.

At Handkerchief Day Nursery, every day is packed with fun, creativity and exciting learning experiences. Come and join a team where no two days are ever the same!.

If you takepride in running a happy, organised nursery and leading a team people genuinelyenjoy being part of, we would love to hear from you.

What weoffer:

• Quarterly bonus scheme worth upto £3,000 per year*
  
• 27 days annual leave plus bankholidays and your birthday off
  
• Genuine progressionopportunities within a growing group
  
• Supportive and approachablesenior leadership team
  
• Employee wellbeing &assistance programme
  
• Refer a friend bonus up to £750
  
• Well-resourced nursery with apositive team culture
  

*Termsand conditions apply.

Therole:

As NurseryManager, you will lead the day-to-day running of the nursery while maintaininghigh standards across the setting. You will be responsible for:

• Leading, motivating, anddeveloping your nursery team
• Ensuring EYFS and safeguardingcompliance
• Building strong parentpartnerships
• Driving occupancy and overallnursery performance
• Leading Ofsted preparation andinspections
• Creating a positive,professional team culture

This is ahands-on leadership role where your experience, leadership style, anddecision-making will make a genuine impact every day.

What we’relooking for:

• Full and relevant Level 3Childcare qualification
• Previous Nursery Managementexperience
• Strong knowledge of EYFS andsafeguarding
• Experience leading teams withinEarly Years
• Passion for deliveringhigh-quality childcare and education
• Level 5 qualification inChildcare, Leadership, or Management
• Experience achieving Good orOutstanding Ofsted outcomes

We arecommitted to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect allstaff and volunteers to share this commitment. A Disclosure and Barring ServiceCertificate will be required for all posts. This post will be subject toenhanced checks as part of our Safeguarding Duty. Handkerchief Day Nursery is part of the Family First Group where we take greatcare to treat everyone as a person, with equal rights and responsibilities toany other individual, whether they are an adult or a child. We are committed toproviding equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for allchildren and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination onthe grounds of gender, age, race, religion or belief, marriage or civilpartnership, disability, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy ormaternity, ethnicor national origin, or political belief has no placewithin the Family First Group.

Requirements

As Nursery Manager, you will need:

• • Understandand ensure that the requirements of the statutoryframework for the EYFS are met throughout thenursery.
  • Ensurethat company policies and procedures are embedded,applied, and adhered to by all.
  • Facilitateinspections by regulatory bodies and implement anyrecommendations.
  • Embedeffective key person approach to enable children to formsecure attachments and identify training or developmentneeds for staff.
  • Ensurethat all children receive stimulating and purposefulexperiences, environments and resources which areappropriate to their age and stage of development.
  • Promotea culture of self-evaluation and reflective practicethroughout the nursery.
  • Manageany complaints or concerns raised in a thorough and timelymanner and inform senior management.
  • Maintainaccurate records and accounts relating to children andstaff on EyMan system and on file.

As Nursery Manager, you will need:

• Essential:Full and relevant Level 3 Childcarequalification
• Essential:Over 1 year experience in Early Years
• Essential:Strongknowledge of the statutory framework for the EYFS and regulatory requirements
• Essential:Over 1 year of management experience
• Desirable:Level 5 qualification in Childcare and/or Management andLeadership
• Desirable:Experience of successfully passing an Ofsted inspection at aGood or Outstanding level
• Rightto work in the UK-Valid Passport or Settled or Pre-Settledunder the EU settlement Scheme.