Nursery Manager

ARK START

Nursery Manager

Reports to: Headteacher, Ark Start

Location: Ark Start Oval, East Croydon

Contract: FTC (maternity cover)

Pattern: Full Time (but part time hours will be considered)

Closing date: 26/06/2022 at 10am

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

Salary: £30,000 to £40,000 (depending on experience)

About the role:

We are looking for a Nursey Manager to join the founding team at Ark Start. In this role we are looking for someone who can create a nurturing, fun, safe and caring nursery environment that meets the needs of every child.

Ark Start nurseries are staffed by professional early-years practitioners who provide a carefully balanced mix of play-based and adult-led learning in nurseries. We are looking for someone with a genuine passion for working with young children and with the knowledge, skill, creativity, and commitment to lead provision at our nursery in East Croydon, Ark Start Oval while our manager is on maternity leave.

Key Responsibilities:

• To ensure compliance to all Ark Start and statutory policies
• To have a deep knowledge and understanding of the EYFS statutory framework and child development
• To be the Designated SENDCo; to regularly assess impact of provision put in place for initial concern and SEND children as well as work closely with families and play partners to ensure individual children’s needs are being fully met
• To be DSL and ensure all safeguarding policies and risk assessments are up to date, kept under review and that all staff are following them
• To line manage and effectively deploy staff to ensure exceptional provision
• To lead planning and ensure it meets the needs of all children in line with the Ark Start model

Key Requirements:

• Qualified at level 3 or above; Level 6 desirable
• Experience and knowledge of early child development
• Sound knowledge of the legislation and guidelines of the EYFS and an excellent understanding of pedagogy, curriculum, and assessment
• A robust awareness of keeping children safe, noticing safeguarding and welfare concerns, and you understand how and when to take appropriate action
• Excellent interpersonal, planning, and organisational skills
• Resilient, motivated, and committed to achieving excellence

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 opened two nurseries in South London last year and aim to expand our reach over the coming years. As we expand, we are looking for Early Educators to join our founding team. We are looking for someone with a genuine passion for young children and with the skill, creativity, commitment and energy to deliver excellent provision at Ark Start Oval.

Benefits:

• A Real Living Wage Employer: We are a Real Living Wage employer with a minimum salary of £11.95 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

For a confidential discussion please contact

How to Apply:

Apply with a CV and cover letter on our online recruitment portal. Applications to be submitted by Monday 26 th June 2023 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.

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 meeting the deadline for application, please contact

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

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 .