Nursery Manager

Reporting to: Headteacher, Ark Start

Location: SW1, SW9 and various locations in West London

Contract: Permanent

Working Pattern: 37.5 hours per week

Closing date: 26/04/2024 at 10am

Interviews: Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised

Salary: £32,000 to £43,000 depending on experience. First time managers encouraged to apply

About the role:

As we expand, we are looking for a Nursery Manager to join the founding team at Ark Start Nurseries. In this role you will provide the highest standards of physical, emotional, social, and intellectual care for all children in your care, you’ll ensure all children are safeguarded and their welfare and safety are promoted, and you’ll work to provide an enabling environment in which all children can play, learn and develop.

Our central team are responsible for the majority of administrative functions so we are looking for people with a genuine passion for young children and the skill, creativity, commitment, energy, and enthusiasm required for leading the nursery from the front.

Key Responsibilities: 

• To be responsible for the successful running of the nursery in every room including observations, assessments and relationships with parents
• To ensure the daily operational running of the nursery is smooth and well organised
• To work alongside the room leaders to ensure staff are deployed effectively and meeting the needs of all children
• To ensure the implementation of the Ark Start curriculum
• To ensure staff engage in high quality interactions and model high quality interactions across nursery
• To create an enabling environment where all children make good progress
• To ensure that the nursery is safe and secure, risk assessments are in place and followed by all staff and that all staff are following the Ark Start safeguarding policy and procedures
• To keep child records up to date and reporting to parents and senior staff
• To work alongside senior staff to implement improvement plans to support the nursery to continuously improve
• To promote and model high standards of the nursery at all times to parents, staff, and visitors in line with the Ark Start code of conduct and handbook

Key Requirements:

• Minimum level 3; ideally level 5 or above
• Right to work in the UK
• An awareness of keeping children safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and knowing how and when to take appropriate action
• A team player that can work collaboratively as well as using own initiative
• Excellent knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory Framework  
• Experience of leading a team

View the full job description and person specification here

About Ark Start:

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 have two nurseries in South London and aim to expand our reach over the coming years. As we expand, we are looking for a Nursery Manager to join our founding team.

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. We close the nurseries for five days each year to focus on staff training and ensure there is protected time for training and supervision each week for every adult. 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

How to Apply:

Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. Applications to be submitted by Friday 26^th April 2024 at 10am but please note: we will be reviewing applications on an on-going basis and this advert may close earlier than advertised depending on the level of response.

Interviews will be arranged as suitable candidates are identified, so early application is strongly advised.

If you would like to hear more about this role or about Ark Start, please contact HR@arkstart.org.uk

This ATS application form should take no longer 20 minutes to complete. At any time, you can pause, save, and log back in. If you have any difficulty with your application, please contact recruitment@arkonline.org

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 this link. 

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 this link.