Nursery Manager - Ark Start St Clement

Ark; London; On-site; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in early years education is seeking a Nursery Manager for its Ark Start nursery in London. The ideal candidate will be passionate about child development and possess the leadership skills required to manage a nurturing environment, ensuring safety and educational compliance. This full-time permanent position offers competitive salary and benefits, reflecting the commitment to staff wellbeing and career progression.

Benefits

25 days holiday per year

11% pension contributions

Career progression opportunities

Support for staff wellbeing

Qualifications

• Passion for working with young children.
• Knowledge of EYFS framework.
• Experience in managing nursery environments.

Responsibilities

• Create a nurturing and safe nursery environment.
• Implement educational programmes and ensure compliance.
• Lead staff training and development.

Skills

Child development knowledge

Leadership

Communication

Organizational skills

Teamwork

Education

Early Childhood Education certification

Job description

About The Role

Nursery Manager – Ark Start St Clement

Reporting to: Area Manager

Location:Ark Start St Clement (95 Princedale Road, London W11 4NS)

Contract:Permanent

Working Pattern: Full-time

Salary:Competitive

About the role:

Ark Start nurseries are staffed by professional early-years practitioners who provide a carefully balanced mix of play-based and adult-led learning in nurseries. A nursery manager should be someone with a genuine passion for working with young children and with the knowledge, skill, creativity, and commitment to lead provision at our nursery.

Key Responsibilities:

General

• To create a nurturing, fun, safe and caring nursery environment that meets the needs of every child
• To implement Ark Start model including curriculum, forest school and family programme
• To ensure compliance to all Ark Start and statutory policies
• To have a deep knowledge and understanding of the EYFS statutory framework and child development
• To lead on nursery improvement and engage with regular coaching and monitoring of the provision and ensure the nursery is constantly improving
• Actively promote the safety and welfare of our children and young people
• To participate fully in training and network activities
• To build close relationships with the host school, local authority and other local organisations
• Liaise with colleagues and external contacts at all levels of seniority with confidence, tact and diplomacy
• Ensure the management information system is up to date
• Ensure high quality parent communications in line with the Ark Start model
• Ensure the ‘look and feel’ of the nursery is in line with Ark Start expectations and values
• Any other reasonable task as directed by your line manager
• SEND and safeguarding
• To be the Designated SENDCo; to regularly assess impact of provision put in place for initial concern and SEND children as well as work closely with families and play partners to ensure individual children’s needs are being fully met.
• To be DSL and ensure all safeguarding policies and risk assessments are up to date, kept under review and that all staff are following them
• To write and keep up to date all Risk Assessments and ensure all staff are aware of and following these

Line management

• To line manage and effectively deploy staff to ensure exceptional provision
• To use data to inform teaching and learning, identify areas for intervention and provide feedback to children, staff and families in order to ensure accelerated progress
• Deploy and manage staff to ensure exceptional provision for children
• Lead training, coach and supervise staff team to ensure ongoing improvement
• Work collaboratively with colleagues as a committed team member, building successful, high performing teams

Provision

• To lead planning and ensure it meets the needs of all children in line with the Ark Start model
• To ensure full occupancy and operate nursery at break even
• Oversee assessment of all children and lead moderation internally and attend external moderation to ensure accurate data
• Manage behaviour effectively to create a safe, respectful and nurturing environment
• Work with colleagues, children, and families to develop a strong nursery community including delivery of family workshops and programmes to support children’s progress

Benefits

• A Real Living Wage Employer: We are a Real Living Wage employer with a minimum salary of £13.15 per hour for all roles in London. We also pay 11% pension contributions
• Ongoing Learning: We are committed to providing the best development for all our staff and we work hard to ensure there are clear career progression routes
• Annual leave: We are proud of our staff and want everyone to feel valued for playing their part. That’s why staff receive 25 days holiday each year, excluding bank holidays
• Wellbeing: Staff wellbeing is incredibly important to us. We know that while incredibly rewarding, working in a nursery can be challenging. We therefore work hard to ensure all staff have the support and infrastructure they need to take care of their wellbeing
• Part of a Network: Ark Start is part of Ark, a charity that aims to transform children’s lives through education. Ark operates a network of 39 schools across London, Birmingham, Portsmouth, and Hastings as well as a number of charitable ventures. Being part of a network means our staff get access to the opportunities, infrastructure, and support of a large organisation.

About Us

Our dedicated team work together to ensure that every child has a joyful, engaging, and secure nursery experience and leaves us ready to start school happily and confidently. We are driven by our values in everything we do: Aim High, Be Brave, Be Kind and Keep Learning.

Ark Start is at an exciting time in its evolution. We opened two nurseries in South London last year and aim to expand our reach over the coming years. As we expand,we are looking for Early Childhood Educator to join our founding team. We are looking for someone with a genuine passion for young children and with the skill, creativity, commitment, and energy to deliver excellent provision at Ark Start.

Diversity and inclusion:

We aim to build a diverse and inclusive organisation where everyone – staff and students – can do their best work and achieve their full potential. We want to reflect and represent diverse perspectives across our organisation because we know that doing so will make us stronger and more effective. To know more about Ark’s diversity and inclusion commitments, please click on thislink.

Safeguarding statement:

Ark is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people in its academies. In order to meet this responsibility, its academies follow a rigorous selection process to discourage and screen out unsuitable applicants.

Ark requires all employees to undertake an enhanced DBS check. You are required, before appointment, to disclose any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975. Non-disclosure may lead to termination of employment. However, disclosure of a criminal background will not necessarily debar you from employment - this will depend upon the nature of the offence(s) and when they occurred. To read more about Ark’s safer recruitment process, please click thislink.

Please note we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this role may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response. We strongly encourage to submit your application at your earliest convenience.

If you would like to hear more about this role or about Ark Start, please contact [e-mail].