Nursery Manager

PURPOSE OF THE POST

The role of the Manager is to:

? Provide management of the setting and its activities and to deliver the highest standards of care, safeguarding and education.

? Drive continual improvement in the quality of the nursery and its activities, ensuring positive outcomes for children as well as meeting the needs of parents in a sustainable way.

? Provide a working environment within which workers, volunteers, members and users can thrive.

? Create an internal learning environment that will enhance the skills of employees and their own continuing professional development.

? Ensure Sunrise Community Nurseries (and its activities) and the Board of Trustees are compliant with all legal requirements.

? Ensure that employees and company resources are deployed in the most cost-effective way

? Build on and further develop the nursery’s charitable activities, to increase the value to the community and ensure the financial sustainability of the nursery.

? Understand and ensure the requirements of the EYFS and Ofsted are met and have experience working in a busy setting in a leadership position.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

Childcare and Education

? Monitor the overall development of children attending the setting through the EyLog system.

? Promote high standards of quality within the setting in respect of the environment, resources and experiences offered to children.

? Ensure that all children attending the setting receive rich and stimulating experiences appropriate to their age and stage of development.

? Ensure that practice and provision in the setting meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage

Foundation Stage

? Ensure that children are kept safe, and that staff understand and, when necessary, follow Safeguarding Procedures.

? Promote and facilitate partnerships with parents/ carers and other family members.

? Support the Deputy Manager with development of good practice with regards to special needs and inclusion.

? Support all staff in delivering the Foundation Stage; ensure that provision in the setting meets the requirements of the local authority in relation to setting education grant funding for three and four-year-olds.

? Establish, develop, and maintain highly professional working relationships with relevant Local Authority Departments, regulatory bodies and other agencies.

? Create and maintain a culture of self-evaluation and reflective practise throughout the setting.

? Be able to assist in childcare rooms as and when needed.

? Working in partnership with your team, deliver the care standards and educational programme on an on-going basis, considering any equality and diversity requirements.

? Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum provided and identify areas for development.

? Ensure that children’s key workers keep individual records of their key children’s educational developmental progress, based on day to day observations.

? Ensure that the setting consistently meets the requirements set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage to a high standard.

? Ensure that the setting reflects diversity, Inclusion, equality and multicultural activities through adequate provision.

? Ensure that the setting is fully resourced with essential items to allow for full implementation of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Health & Safety legislation.

? Monitor and assess the quality of provision, ensuring that policies and procedures, best practice and standards are maintained.

? Ensure that there is adequate equipment and resources for staff to carry out their duties and oversee the purchase and instalment of new equipment and resources as required..

Parent partnership

? Work with the staff team to ensure that parents receive regular updates on their children’s progress

? Maintain personal contact with parents through meetings, parents’ evenings, open days and informal conversations.

? Work with the Office Manager and staff team to ensure that all parents are fully informed about the setting and that new parents are welcomed appropriately giving due regard to their concerns and questions.

? Communicate effectively with parents through a regular (at least monthly) newsletter informing them of setting activities and developments.

? Ensure that parents are given a survey to provide an opportunity for them to give anonymous feedback on the quality of the service the nursery is providing, on an annual basis

? Work with the staff team to develop ideas for how they can support parents to support their children’s learning and development at home

Business Development and Fundraising

? Develop a programme of fundraising and develop ideas and projects to increase relationships with our local communities (including schools and other settings).

? Work with the Office Manager and Board of Trustees to ensure that the website is kept up to date and showcases effectively what Sunrise has to offer

? Establish good professional relationships with colleagues working in other nurseries, identifying potential opportunities for cooperation and mutual support

Staff management, leadership, training and development

? Work with the Office Manager and Deputy Manager to recruit, induct, support and train all staff to ensure delivery of high-quality childcare practice to develop a well-qualified and experienced team able to meet and exceed all relevant standards.

? Develop open and positive working relationships with staff.

? Line manage the Office Manager and Deputy Manager effectively and provide leadership to the whole staff team

? Establish and maintain effective working relationships in the staff team, through regular staff meetings, team meetings, training sessions and open honest communication.

? In collaboration with the Office Manager and relevant line managers, identify and deal with poor performance with agreed action plans with individual, clear targets and goals, realistic timescales and opportunities for constructive feedback and monitoring, ensuring that all documentation is accurate and signed.

? In consultation with the Office Manager, relevant line manager (and keeping Trustees informed) deal with grievance and disciplinary matters in accordance with company procedures.

? Ensure that staff maintain children’s records to a high standard with due regard to confidentiality.

? Ensuring that all staff are receiving regular supervision from their line manager

? Work with staff in line management positions to identify individual and setting development needs, ensuring these needs are met through appropriate training.

? Design and deliver training to the staff team as needed

? Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of training through staff members’ evaluation and feedback, and implement improvements as needed

? Ensure that areas for development on Individual Development Plans are always worked towards.

Working with the Board of Trustees

? Attend Trustee monthly meetings, management team meetings, staff meetings, and individual meetings with the Board of Trustees as required.

? Work with the Office Manager to prepare monthly reports to the board and ensure that actions from Board meetings are carried out

Health & Safety

Work with the Office Manager, Deputy and staff team to manage the day to day operation in order to ensure the health & safety of children, their parents and carers, the staff team and any visitors to the setting. This will include ensuring that the setting adheres to all health and safety policies and procedures, legislative and regulatory requirements.

This role will be the designated Health and Safety Officer for the setting. They will attend training and relay appropriate policies and practices to staff. They will:

? Ensure that all staff are aware of their own responsibilities and have clear knowledge of procedures to be followed in case of emergency e.g. fire, and accident, completing and submitting relevant paperwork.

? Ensure that all security systems are fully operational, and access is denied to unauthorised personnel.

? Oversee all medication administration within the setting following medication policy.

? Ensure the line management of the Office Manager and Deputy Manager, who will ensure that all risk assessments are up to date, and fire drills are carried out on a regular basis and recorded accurately and promptly.

? Ensure that the setting operates high standards of cleanliness and hygiene.

? Ensure all equipment is regularly maintained and faults dealt with.

? Ensure that any staff locking up the setting ensure that the setting is safely secured and alarmed.

? Bring any problems to the attention of the Board of Trustees.

Finance

This role will work with the Office Manager and Board of Trustees to ensure the financial sustainability of the setting. This will include:

? Keeping an overview of the settings finances and regularly reviewing finances with the Office Manager and forecasting future occupancy levels and staffing

? Attending finance meetings with Trustees on behalf of the Office Manager if they are unable to attend

? Supporting the Office Manager to ensure that agreed budgets are not exceeded and prior authorisation is sought for any expenditure outside agreed budgets.

? Supporting the Office Manager to ensure effective forward planning to maintain and grow occupancy levels and manage waiting lists effectively.

? Supporting the Office Manager to make appropriate decisions about staffing to meet requirements for ratios while maintaining the financial sustainability of the nursery

? Working together with the Office Manager and wider staff team to ensure the financial sustainability of the setting, which will include marketing, parent show arounds, promoting events, open days and managing staff deployment effectively.

Operational

The Manager will:

? Be the point of contact for Ofsted inspections and internal mock inspections.

? Ensure that the setting conforms to and exceeds the requirements of Ofsted.

? Prepare the setting for Ofsted inspections and action any recommendations made by the inspector ensuring a minimum good grade is awarded.

? Facilitate inspections by regulatory bodies and implement any recommendations.

? Be responsible for the day-to-day running of the setting, ensuring compliance with regulations, EYFS and legislative requirements.

? Ensure accurate reporting in respect of occupancy, quality and standards.

? Be the Designated Safeguarding Lead for the setting and ensure that all practitioners and support staff have a sound awareness of the Safeguarding Policy (both Company and Local Authority procedures).

? Ensure that all staff understand their role in safeguarding all children.

? Ensure that a safeguarding audit is conducted every 3 months, safeguarding records are up to date and maintained digitally.

? Implement and maintain the company’s Equality policy ensuring that children, parents and the staff team are valued, and practice is positive and non-discriminatory.

? Ensure that all staff work within the margins of confidentially respecting information pertaining to children, parents and staff.

? Be accountable for staffing within the setting, working with the Office Manager to ensure that appropriate ratios of qualified to unqualified staff and children to staff are maintained.

? Work with the Deputy Manager (the nursery’s lead practitioner for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities) to ensure that the nursery implements the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and liaises with Lewisham Council’s Early Years Special Needs Advisor in all matters relating to children with special educational needs.

? Develop links and a close working relationship with Lewisham Council’s Early Years Team to ensure that the setting receives all information and support available.

? Ensure the appropriate digitalisation of systems and processes, including finances (recorded on EyMan), HR records (held on the Citrus system), and communications with parents (via EyLog)

? Work with the staff team to ensure that all computer systems and records are kept up to date and accurate and comply with the Data Protection Act and GDPR implications.

? Keep up to date on the use of IT software and developments to ensure Sunrise Community setting can make informed decisions about future purchases

? Give feedback to the Board of Trustees about the setting including any complaints received or any situation that may be detrimental to the nursery

? Be a key holder for the setting.

Human Resources

The Manager will be responsible for ensuring that all required HR activities are being carried out within the setting. To achieve this, they will line manage the Office Manager and provide regular supervisions. They will ensure that the Office Manager is:

? Carrying out all HR activities (e.g. issuing contracts, ensuring references have been collected, ensuring DBS checks are up to date and kept on staff files)

? Coordinating staff shifts and annual leave

? Managing staff annual leave requests to ensure staffing requirements are met.

? Keeping human resource policies and procedures up to date, following the advice of the nursery’s HR advisors Citrus HR

? Making sure that the setting complies with employment law, the Disability Discrimination Act and other legislation relevant to the employment of staff.

? Ensuring recruitment vacancies are advertised and filled in line with the company recruitment policy.

? Ensuring that the setting is compliant with all safer recruitment regulations

? Ensuring all new staff and volunteers are inducted, including safeguarding and H&S.