Job Description

Forest School Nursery Manager - Maternity cover for one year from January 2026-December 2026. We are a fully outdoor forest school nursery. The

successful

candidate can choose to work 3 days or 4 days a week.

What is the purpose of the job?

Come and join our beautiful fully outdoor forest school nursery, where we are providing 2-5 year olds with an exemplary early years learning experience, to help them become the children most likely to succeed in today's world.

The role of the Nursery Manager is to provide professional leadership and management of the nursery, to effectively manage the day-to day running of the nursery and to deliver the highest standards of care and education.

You will hold a full and relevant qualification in Early Years at Level 3 or above, understand and ensure the requirements of the EYFS and Ofsted are met and have experience working in a forest school nursery setting in a management position. Forest school qualification preferred but not essential.

What do you have to achieve?
High standards of care and education

Compliance with all regulatory requirements

Staff who feel supported in their roles

Targets for revenue and costs

Benefits of working for School Outdoors Dulwich

Highly competitive salary

Generous holiday scheme

Discounted childcare for parents

Ongoing professional development and training

Pension scheme

Recommend a friend scheme

Employee of the month scheme

28 days annual leave, inclusive of public holidays 1 additional day of annual leave after each full year of employment A day off on your birthday - everyone should spend their birthday eating cake, not at work Competitive salaries Funded Level 3 Forest School Qualification Career progression opportunities Professional development and in house training with leading names in the Early Childhood industry Social events throughout the year A fit, healthy, active job

Key Responsibilities

Childcare and Education

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

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

Ensure that practice and provision in the nursery meets the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Forest School Standards.

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 development of good practice with regards to special needs and inclusion.

Support staff in delivering the Foundation Stage; ensure that provision in the nursery meets the requirements of the local EYDCP in relation to nursery 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 nursery.

Health and Safety

Manage the day-to-day operation in order to ensure the health and safety of the children, their parents and carers, the team and any visitors to the nursery.

Adhere to all health and safety policies and procedures.

Be fully aware of all emergency and security procedures.

Be responsible for ensuring the nursery remains compliant in respect of suitably trained staff with relevant first aid qualifications.

Be responsible for ensuring that all staff receive Health and Safety training.

Ensuring a robust procedure is in place for the management of children's allergy and dietary requirements.

Remaining aware and observant of all health and safety issues in the nursery and where possible reducing the risk of an accident occurring through preventative actions

Promoting health and safety through periodical employee briefs on the importance of health and safety, or training staff where necessary

Maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness / tidiness within the nursery

Carrying out health and safety checks as outlined within company Policies and Procedures

Adhering to health and safety procedures including the carrying out of risk assessments

Being aware of the outcome of risk assessments and fully implementing the specified controls

Keeping and monitoring accident and incident records and ensuring all the relevant reports are submitted to the regulative bodies

Ensuring the company medicine procedures are adhered to

Finance

Manage staff costs with regard to budget projections.

Maintain accurate records and accounts for the nursery and produce management information as required.

Control costs in line with agreed budgets.

Understand and utilise management systems and information to maximise commercial benefits.

Operational

Facilitate inspections by regulatory bodies and implement any recommendations.

Agree and deliver occupancy targets.

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

Staff

Recruit, induct, support, train and appraise all staff to ensure delivery of high quality childcare practice.

Develop a well-qualified and experienced team able to meet and exceed all relevant standards.

Identify training needs; develop training plans and evaluate training undertaken by staff.

Work in conjunction with Human Resources in disciplinary and grievance investigations and hearings.

Develop open and positive working relationships with staff.

Offering strong leadership to all members of staff by:

Following company and safer recruitment procedures to ensure effective and fair recruitment and, where applicable, promotion of employees Ensuring all employees, together with students, volunteers and regular visitors to the nursery, have all relevant pre-employment checks Ensuring staff registered with professional body and maintaining accurate personnel records for all employees Carrying out effective employee inductions and holding one to one and appraisal meetings Identifying and addressing staff training needs Effective performance management of employees; if necessary invoking the company disciplinary process Carrying out disciplinary procedures and undertaking investigations where necessary Maintaining appropriate levels of qualified / unqualified employees within the nursery Deploying staff effectively to maintain the correct staff ratios Providing leadership and day to day management for the nursery staff Cascading effectively to all employees' changes to documents / procedures as directed by the company Providing a positive role model to the staff team Following company procedures for the positive management of children's behaviour Leading, managing, and developing the nursery team ensuring that each staff member makes a positive contribution to the success of the nursery Chairing and attending, organising, and facilitating regular staff meetings Facilitating and attending regular internal and external training Ensuring appropriate and Induction, and new contracts if necessary, are given when staff are requested to fulfil other positions

Marketing & Customer Care

Proactively represent the Company and advance its interests in the local community.

Promote the nursery to current parents and potential customers.

Ensure that all staff develop and maintain friendly and professional relationships with parents and carers.

Be responsible for ensuring that all complaints and concerns are actively resolved in a timely manner and that these are reported to the Head Teacher.

General

Responsible for all administrative duties associated with the nursery, such as maintaining children's records, ordering equipment, maintaining inventories and keeping personnel records. Adhere to all Company policies and procedures. Ensure that the Company's polices on diversity and equal opportunities are adhered to. Undertake any other duties as reasonably requested by line management. Responsibility for the success of the nursery, including administration and day to day operations of the nursery Key holder responsibility and security Ensuring the nursery meets the required health and safety standards, ratios and conditions of registration Adhering to Company Policies and Procedures and complying with the Children Acts of 1989 and 2004 Possessing a thorough knowledge of day care standards and effectively implementing these requirements Implementing the company Safeguarding / Child Protection Policy and Procedures Maintaining liaison with all relevant authorities to meet their reporting criteria and reporting to Ofsted in respect of all instances of challenges to children's health and safety Maximising occupancy levels through proactive marketing and excellent presentation of the nursery Implementing and monitoring the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum and statutory framework in England alongside the Forest School approach of the nursery, to ensure each child develops within a stimulating and educational environment Ensuring the nursery offers an environment which reflects the cultural diversity of all children Monitoring the completion of children's records of developmental and educational progress Creating and maintaining a successful partnership with the local authority Working in partnership with local colleges that offer apprenticeships and student teachers Adhering to the company reporting procedures Organising and attending a minimum of two parents / carers' evenings per year Organising and attending events that publicise the nursery; these may include fundraising charity events and open days Developing and maintaining links within the local community to create a positive nursery profile Offering a healthy and balanced menu Creating and maintaining successful and professional partnerships with parents/carers Ensuring that all internal systems are kept up to date with the appropriate information in a timely fashion Any other duties appropriate to the post as directed by senior management

The duties and responsibilities in this job description are not exhaustive or restrictive, changes and other duties relevant to this post may be added. This job description may be reviewed in the future.

Job Types: Full-time, Part-time

Pay: 28,500.00-38,000.00 per year

Expected hours: 27 - 36 per week

Benefits:

Additional leave Casual dress Childcare Company events Company pension Cycle to work scheme Discounted or free food Employee discount Health & wellbeing programme Referral programme Sick pay
Work Location: In person