Job Description

We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced, full-time toddler/preschool room leader to join our wonderful, renowned day nursery and forest school. The position is based within our main room that caters towards children aged 2-5 years of age.

We open all day Mon - Thurs and close at 1pm on a Friday. All our staff get a half day Friday!

We are a small, genuine family run nursery and forest school located in an idyllic village called Bulwick, just a short drive from Corby, Stamford and Oundle.

Our setting is unique in its practices and focuses on the natural environment, children's self-esteem and confidence as a starting point for early years education.

We are passionate about every aspect of Early Years Education and offer in house and external training up to MA Levels to reflect this.

We follow a planning in the moment approach and really value outdoor learning, engaging in forest school activities throughout the week, particularly for children aged 2-5 years of age. We like taking our children out of the 'classroom' and strongly believe practical hands-on learning is the best approach.

We value a work life balance for all our staff, so we offer a long Christmas Break, and a week shut down in Spring.

As a genuine family run nursery, we have a lovely small community feel throughout our unique provision and foster staff wellbeing as a priority, overseen by our Wellbeing Officer.

Here's what our team have to say about working at The Wondergarden:

Tina

(apprentice practitioner): "The Wondergarden is a happy place to work where everyone gets on! There's lots of resources for children and all activity ideas are welcomed!

Corinne

(forest school leader) "Seeing the children so happy every day is the best part of my job and I feel very lucky to be able to offer our children and families such an enriching learning experience"

Ellie

(baby room leader) "I absolutely love working here! Every day is different, and it's so rewarding to build bonds with the children and their families. The setting is small (a total of 30 children across the nursery each day) and family run which allows for strong bonds and trust between families and staff. Staff meetings are of use and informative, the takeaways are a plus too!"

Have a look at our instagram to get a sense of what life is like at The Wondergarden! https://www.instagram.com/the.wondergarden/

Responsibilities and Duties

The right candidate will be enthusiastic about early years education and enjoy looking at new approaches and observational methods for those aged 2-5 years of age.
We're looking for someone to join our family who can work effectively with others, including the baby room leader, management and the wider team to create magic and wonder for all of our children!

You will also undergo safeguarding and paediatric first aid (if required) training as well as regular personal and professional development training to suit your interests. We urge all staff to develop and build their knowledge in areas of interest to share these skills with parents in our brand new 'nest', a dedicated family room designed to build parent partnerships.

You will need to be confident to communicate to parents on a daily basis and feed back in detail about their children's day, learning and progress, as well as confident in leading a small team of practitioners to facilitate the smooth running of the room.

Qualifications and Skills

We would invite candidates who are qualified to a level 3 or above (with nursery experience) to apply for this role.
Any candidates who would like to further their qualifications up to degree level and beyond are welcome to apply.
Anyone with a Forest School qualification will also be paid a supplement for this post.

Benefits

Free meals from our in-house chef
Pension Scheme
Regular Pay Reviews
Ability to earn extra days holidays
Training opportunities

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Schedule:

Monday to Friday
Work Location: One location
Expected start date: 12/05/2025

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: 12.50-14.00 per hour

Benefits:

Additional leave Casual dress Childcare Company events Company pension Discounted or free food Employee discount Employee mentoring programme Free parking
Schedule:

Flexitime Monday to Friday
Work Location: In person

Reference ID: Room Leader
Expected start date: 01/08/2025