Room Leader

Willow Cottage Nursery Schools; Oxford; On-site; GBP 25,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Willow Cottage Nursery Schools in Oxford is seeking passionate Room Leaders or Deputy Room Leaders to join their nurturing team. Successful candidates will set high standards for care and inspire their teams while mentoring junior educators. Responsibilities include leading reflective practices and maintaining professional relationships with parents. If you are ready to grow your career in a supportive outdoor environment, Willow Cottage encourages you to apply and share in their commitment to quality education.

Qualifications

• Experience as a Room Leader or Deputy Room Leader.
• Ability to set high expectations for care and education.
• Expertise in child development and mentoring.

Responsibilities

• Deliver professional care and education.
• Motivate and direct your team.
• Lead reflective practices and ensure compliance.

Skills

Child development knowledge

Team motivation

High care standards

Job description

Imagine starting your workday surrounded by nature and a team that feels like family. At Willow Cottage Nurseries, our passionate Room Leaders and Deputy Room Leaders thrive in the outdoors and believe in the magic of early childhood. We pride ourselves on creating a nurturing environment—not just for our children, but for our staff too. If you are a visionary professional looking for a beautiful place to grow your career, we would love to meet you.

With a thriving team of educators across our three unique sites, new opportunities to join the Willow Cottage family arise regularly. If you are an experienced practitioner ready to step into a Team Leader role and mentor the next generation of educators, we would love to hear from you.

We are currently actively recruiting for the following positions –

Your Role & Impact

As a Room Leader or Deputy Room Leader you will be involved in:

• Setting the Standard: Delivering a professional level of care and education, maintaining high expectations for yourself, your colleagues, and every child in your care.
• Inspiring Your Team: Motivating and directing your team to create an inviting, challenging, and high-quality learning environment.
• Mentoring & Role Modelling: Sharing expert knowledge of child development to act as a professional role model for junior staff and students.
• Driving Development: Leading reflective practice, observations, and planning to ensure the unique needs of every child are met effectively.
• Ensuring Compliance: Upholding and overseeing all statutory requirements, including Safeguarding, SEND support, and accurate record‑keeping.
• Building Partnerships: Fostering strong, professional relationships with parents and carers to ensure a collaborative approach to their child’s journey.

Willow Cottage Nurseries are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff and volunteers to share this commitment.

All applicants need to go through our thorough Safer Recruitment process.

We are committed to being an equal opportunities employer.