Nursery Manager – Colchester (CO1)
Location: Colchester, Essex (CO1)
Position Type: Full-Time, Permanent
Hours: 40 hours per week
Reporting To: Senior Manager & Directors
Salary: Negotiable
About the Setting
This high-quality private day nursery in Colchester is registered for up to 68 children and is dedicated to providing an inclusive, safe, and stimulating environment where every child is supported to learn, play, and develop. While based primarily at the Colchester setting, flexibility to work across company sites to support day-to-day operations is required.
Role Overview
The successful candidate will lead and manage a welcoming, inclusive, and high-quality early years setting. The Nursery Manager is responsible for ensuring children are safe, cared for, and supported in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), safeguarding requirements, Ofsted expectations, and internal policies.
This key leadership role requires an inspirational manager who can motivate a dedicated team, build trusted relationships with families, and drive commercial success and operational performance while upholding the nursery’s core values.
Key Responsibilities
Leadership & Quality Assurance
- Provide visible, supportive leadership, fostering a culture where children’s safety, welfare, learning, and development are the top priority.
- Drive continuous improvement through regular observations, self-evaluations, staff appraisals, supervisions, planning, and reflective practice.
- Ensure an ambitious, inclusive curriculum responsive to children’s individual needs, interests, cultures, and experiences.
- Monitor teaching and care quality, offering constructive feedback, coaching, and regular supervision to the team.
- Lead the setting confidently through Ofsted inspections and implement any subsequent action plans effectively.
Safeguarding, Welfare & Compliance
- Uphold a robust safeguarding culture, ensuring concerns are recognised, recorded, reported, and escalated promptly.
- Act as (or work closely with) the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL), liaising effectively with families, local authorities, and external agencies.
- Oversee full compliance with safer recruitment, staff suitability checks (including enhanced DBS checks, update service monitoring, qualifications, and references), and legal requirements.
- Maintain strict adherence to health and safety, emergency protocols, allergy and medication management, food hygiene, and fire safety.
- Ensure safe staffing deployment and adult-to-child ratios at all times.
Curriculum & Educational Development
- Lead the design and implementation of a well-sequenced, ambitious EYFS curriculum that prepares children for future learning.
- Support practitioners in structuring meaningful daily routines, interactions, and play experiences that boost progress.
- Oversee proportionate and useful assessment methods, ensuring prompt intervention and support for children requiring additional help.
- Collaborate with the SENCo and external specialists to adapt the curriculum for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) or English as an Additional Language (EAL).
- Promote strong language development and enrich both indoor and outdoor learning environments.
People Management & Team Development
- Recruit, induct, deploy, and retain a talented and qualified early years team.
- Conduct regular performance reviews, team meetings, and supervision sessions with clear professional development plans.
- Empower and coach the Deputy Manager, delegating meaningful operational responsibilities to support their leadership progression and ensure seamless cover in the Manager’s absence.
- Identify training needs and ensure all statutory training (e.g., Safeguarding, Paediatric First Aid) is completed.
- Foster an inclusive, positive work environment that supports staff wellbeing and addresses performance or conduct matters professionally and fairly.
Family & Community Partnerships
- Develop warm, professional partnerships with parents and carers through clear, consistent communication.
- Engage proactively with local authority early years teams, inclusion services, funding advisers, and community development groups.
- Address family feedback and complaints promptly and professionally to maintain a positive setting reputation.
Operations & Business Performance
- Oversee daily nursery operations, rotas, occupancy, admissions, and child transitions for up to 68 places.
- Manage resources and budgets responsibly, striving to achieve occupancy and revenue targets without compromising care or safety.
- Guide prospective families through the complete admissions journey (from initial enquiry and tours to registration and settling-in).
- Oversee the Early Years Provider Portal, ensuring accurate termly funding claims, eligibility validation, headcount submissions, and attendance tracking.
- Deliver accurate operational reports and regular business updates to the Senior Manager and Directors.
Key Requirements
- Proven experience in a Nursery Manager or strong Deputy Manager position within an early years setting.
- Deep knowledge of the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), Ofsted inspection frameworks, and safeguarding legislation.
- Excellent leadership, team building, and communication skills.
- Experience managing nursery occupancy, budgets, and local authority funding portals.
- Flexibility to travel between local company sites when needed
How to Apply
Ready to take control of your work schedule while earning top rates in your field? Apply today with your updated CV to secure your preferred shift locations