Job Description

Working alongside the Nursery Management team in a shared leadership role, the post holder is responsible for providing professional leadership and management of the Day Nursery, ensuring that all children in our care receive outstanding care and education, improving outcomes for all children and providing inspirational leadership to team members.

The duties of the post include:

GENERAL

• Support the Nursery Manager (Business Operations) to implement robust operating systems and procedures and ensure they are kept up to date.

• Have a strategic overview of the quality of early years provision, developing and sustaining an outstanding child-centred environment with high standards of physical, emotional, social and intellectual education and care for all children in the nursery environment and achieving at least 'Good' at inspection.

• Become the Designated Safeguarding lead Officer (DSLO) in the nursery, responsible for all safeguarding issues that may arise and the policies and procedures surrounding this. The role involves responsibility for liaising with local statutory children's services agencies and local safeguarding partners. Keeping abreast of any changes to statutory guidance and ensure relevant information is cascaded to staff. Responsibility to offer annual in-house refresher safeguarding training to staff between their Level 2 local authority training. The safety, security and wellbeing of children registered in the nursery is of paramount concern and must be dealt with professionally, in a timely manner and on a need-to-know basis. You will have the support of the Business Operations Manager who is level 3 trained and will deputise in your absence.

• Keep abreast of legislation, guidelines and policies, ensure the requirements of the Children Act and the Early Years Foundation Stage are met at all times, achieving at least 'Good' at inspection.
• Respect the confidentiality of sensitive family information (subject to child protection policies and procedures) and ensure the staff adhere to this.
• Build and maintain strong partnerships with parents.
• Establish and maintain effective communications links with the appropriate agencies, working with other professionals as required to improve learning outcomes for children, provide support for parents and to continually improve the setting.
• Assist the Nursery Manager (Business Operations) with enquiries from prospective customers, confidently and effectively selling the nursery service during accompanied visits as required, to maximise occupancy.
• Assist the Nursery Manager (Business Operations) to deal with complaints positively, proactively and effectively in accordance with procedures and adjust service provision where warranted.

STAFF MANAGEMENT

• Lead, manage and motivate the Wivenhoe Park Day Nursery team, ensuring all relevantUniversity and UECS policies are adhered to and appropriate records are maintained, including recruitment, induction, training, performance reviews, absence management and performance management.
• Supervise, support and lead the professional development of nursery staff in regards to the standards of quality and practices required by EYFS and Ofsted and to strive to become a flagship of good practice for the sector.
• Be responsible for staffing rotas and maintaining ratio in rooms at all times with the correct number of qualified practitioners in line with the EYFS.
• Ensure appointed staff have the relevant qualifications, possess the right skills and meet DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) requirements.
• In partnership with the Nursery Manager (Business Operations), contribute to the agenda for staff meetings and the organisation of the annual staff conference.
• Lead staff training sessions to disseminate best practice throughout the setting and role model good practices.

FINANCIAL

• Ensure that the nursery is well equipped in all areas and that the nursery stock is used efficiently by maintaining accurate records and methods of control.
• Monitor expenditure against forecast, investigate discrepancies and provide information to the Nursery Manager (Business Operations).
• Assist the Nursery Manager (Business Operations) with the preparation of the annual budget by accurately determining resources required for the following financial year.

LEARNING AND DEVELOPMENT

• Ensure the provision of high standards of physical and emotional care, providing a child centred environment where children are cared for in a safe, caring and stimulating way that ensures their individual needs are met within a groups setting.
• Support all team members in understanding and following the legal requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Model and disseminate outstanding practice which focuses on planning around the needs andinterests of the individual child, regardless of any disabilities, family backgrounds or medicalhistory.
• Monitor funded children to ensure they have on entry data, a two year check, better start data and noticeable development throughout their time at the setting.
• Monitor the children eligible for the early years' pupil premium and ensure they have thorough on entry data, noticeable achievement in their development and effective support from the allocation of the pupil premium funds.
• Evaluate the quality of childcare and education throughout the setting as required by Ofsted, identifying and addressing areas needing development to ensure that all children attending the setting are kept safe, and receive rich and stimulating play and learning experiences appropriate to their age and stage of development.
• Role model the high scope approach to behaviour management.
• Complete room and learning journey audits once a term, supported by the Management team and provide the room senior with a written plan of action following the audit outcome.
• Create development plans for the setting, working within our nursery curriculum, highlighting areas of focus for the forthcoming 12 months.
• Work with the Forest School Practitioner to actively develop the outdoor classroom and facilitate opportunities to develop the practice of other staff in the outdoor classroom approach.
• Liaise with schools regarding transition.

OTHER

• Review and update Risk Assessments, Methods of Work and COSHH sheets on a regular basis in order that they accurately reflect work tasks and practises. Undertake IOSH training and deputise in the absence of the Operations Manager as the nursery Health and Safety Liaison Officer (HSLO).
• Act as a nursery Fire Warden in drills or emergency (along with the Business Manager) and understand your responsibilities in this role (training provided).
• Assist the Nursery Manager (Business Operations) with accident and incident investigationsas required and ensure that recommended solutions are implemented.

APPLY ONLINE

www.vacancies.essex.ac.uk