Nursery Manager

Location: Chester | Job Type: Full Time Permanent | Salary: £33,000 - £38,000

About the role

Ainsworth Recruitment is partnering with a leading national nursery group with 114 Ofsted "good" or "outstanding" nurseries across the UK and Ireland. This nursery has received an overall experience rating of "Excellent" from reviewers on daynurseries.co.uk and is the only nursery in Leeds to have achieved the quality mark accreditation consistently since 2011. The ethos is warm and loving, with a highly qualified staff team supporting children to develop into confident, independent learners.

This Leeds nursery was a Top 5 National finalist in 2020 for Individual Nursery of the Year and Pre-School of the Year, and has achieved the OFSTED Outstanding rating in inspections in 2016 and 2020. We are seeking passionate individuals dedicated to putting children at the heart of everything, committed to supporting teams in delivering exceptional care and education while upholding the highest standards of safety, wellbeing, and development.

Responsibilities

• Lead, inspire, and manage the nursery team, ensuring induction, training, and professional development needs are met.
• Oversee systems for accurate reporting, monitoring, and compliance.
• Manage occupancy levels and adhere to financial budgets and targets.
• Ensure the Connect Childcare database is accurate and up-to-date.
• Develop and deliver a curriculum that meets the needs of the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage).
• Supervise staffing ratios and staff deployment to ensure a high standard of care.
• Take full responsibility for safeguarding and child protection within the nursery.
• Collaborate with external professionals and work closely with the Nursery SENDCo on all SEND-related matters.
• Oversee the recruitment process, ensuring safer recruitment practices are adhered to.
• Manage weekly rotas and registers for staff and children’s attendance.
• Provide policies, procedures, and necessary support to ensure compliance with regulations.
• Ensure the physical health and wellbeing of all children in the nursery.

Requirements

• Must be at least Level 3 qualified in a UK recognised early years qualification.
• Excellent understanding of EYFS.
• Extensive knowledge of safeguarding.
• Senior leadership experience within a nursery setting.
• It is a legal requirement to hold a GCSE or equivalent qualification in Maths, or be willing to achieve within 2 years of starting the position.

Benefits

• Competitive salary and career development opportunities.
• Flexibility to support staff with working hours.
• Structured training & development plan for every employee via people plans.
• Company events to foster a great team environment.
• On-site parking for convenience.
• Paycare Healthcare provider: claim money back towards essential healthcare after probation.
• Company pension to help plan for the future.
• Employee childcare discounts.
• Referral programme to reward bringing great talent to the team.