Nursery Manager

Safeguarding leadership

• Ensure effective designated safeguarding lead (DSL) arrangements and cover. Undertake the DSL role only where formally designated and appropriately trained.
• Ensure staff recognise, record and report concerns; understand whistleblowing; and follow local referral and allegation-management procedures. Liaise with Enfield children's services and the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) as appropriate.
• Coordinate required notifications with the registered provider. Act on allegations of harm or abuse by people living, working or caring for children at the premises, whether the alleged incident occurred there or elsewhere. Do not apply a serious-harm-only threshold.
• Check that staff know how to escalate a concern when the usual contact is unavailable, implicated or has not acted. Confirm that referrals and notifications have been completed within the required timescales.
• Ensure safeguarding training meets current EYFS requirements, including Annex C and renewal at least every two years. Provide ongoing updates and check staff understanding in practice.
• Follow up unexplained or concerning child absences, maintain current emergency contacts and act through the nursery's safeguarding procedures.

Recruitment, suitability and nursery policy

• Work with the Director on safer recruitment, direct references, suitability and required DBS checks, including current requirements for supervised volunteers. Confirm required clearance before new employees start.
• Ensure staff understand disclosures about changes affecting suitability. Record checks, risk decisions and follow-up accurately and securely.
• Keep policies current and check consistent application, including conduct, allegations, whistleblowing, complaints, phones, cameras and confidential records.
• Maintain professional boundaries and model integrity, kindness and accountability. Identify and address unsafe practice immediately rather than leaving it for a later review.

Curriculum and children's development

• Explain the curriculum's purpose, support its delivery and evaluate the difference it makes from children's individual starting points, interests and developmental needs.
• Coach high-quality interactions, purposeful play and teaching across the EYFS areas, with particular attention to communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development.
• Use knowledge of children and proportionate assessment to identify next steps, recognise gaps and evaluate support. Oversee progress checks at age two without creating unnecessary paperwork.
• Help staff establish predictable routines, support emotional regulation and respond to behaviour sensitively and consistently.
• Review any screen use against nursery policy and current DfE guidance. Ensure it has a clear, age-appropriate purpose and supports children's learning and wellbeing.

Inclusion and partnership with families

• Promote secure attachments through effective key-person arrangements, responsive care, sensitive settling-in and well-planned transitions between rooms, settings and school.
• Work with the SENCo to identify barriers early, agree support with families and evaluate its impact. Seek specialist advice and make appropriate referrals.
• Adapt teaching and environments for children with SEND, children learning English as an additional language, disadvantaged children and those with social care involvement, responding to each child's circumstances.
• Build respectful relationships with families, value home languages and cultures, listen to concerns and resolve complaints through the agreed procedure.
• Work with health, education and social care professionals. With the Director and SENCo, identify additional funding needs and evaluate the support provided; funding administration remains with the Director.

Staff leadership and development

• Lead by example in rooms. Provide induction, coaching, supervision, appraisals and constructive feedback; address performance and conduct concerns promptly and fairly with the Director.
• Maintain a training and qualification matrix. Verify ratio eligibility against current DfE qualification requirements, including applicable English and paediatric first-aid conditions.
• Support staff wellbeing, manageable workload, teamwork and professional accountability. Use team meetings and reflection to improve practice.
• Develop room leaders and future leaders. Maintain clear handovers, named deputy arrangements and suitable management cover.

Safe daily operation

• Organise staffing, qualifications, first-aid cover and deployment throughout the day, including breaks, outings and staff absence. Respond promptly to unsafe staffing or supervision.
• Check safer sleep, weaning and eating practice directly. Ensure safe arrangements for allergies, medicines, personal care, hygiene, food preparation and supervision.
• Promote healthy eating, physical activity and oral health. Ensure staff understand individual children's care plans and communicate changes effectively.
• Monitor premises, equipment, security, fire safety and risk assessments, including the requirement that banned dog breeds are not kept or present on the premises.
• Maintain accurate attendance, accident, incident and operational records. Escalate serious concerns immediately and ensure required notifications are made.

Quality assurance and inspection

• Lead self-evaluation and a practical Nursery Improvement Plan with clear priorities, responsibilities and review dates. Use observation, family feedback and patterns in incidents, attendance and children's experiences to check impact.
• Evaluate safeguarding, inclusion, education, achievement, routines, welfare and leadership against current Ofsted expectations. Confidently lead inspection preparation, discussions and follow-up improvements, using everyday evidence and involving the DSL, SENCo and other relevant leaders.
• Give the Director an accurate picture of strengths, risks and support needed. Keep useful records without generating unnecessary inspection paperwork.

Essential qualifications and experience

• An approved early years qualification at level 3 or above, verified against current DfE requirements.
• The applicable suitable level 2 mathematics qualification on appointment or within the permitted two-year period, subject to specified EYFS exceptions.
• Relevant early years or other suitable experience, with substantial, demonstrable nursery management or leadership responsibility and evidence of improving practice.
• Previous direct involvement in an Ofsted inspection of an early years setting, with the ability to explain your contribution and confidently lead inspection preparation, discussions and follow-up improvements.
• Strong working knowledge of the current EYFS, safeguarding, inclusion and nursery operations, with the ability to apply requirements consistently in practice.
• Relevant paediatric first-aid competence and a current certificate, or the ability to obtain or renew it within applicable EYFS requirements. Deployment remains subject to required cover and ratio eligibility.

Essential skills and professional competencies

• Sound safeguarding judgement, prompt escalation and accurate recording; confidence addressing unsafe or inconsistent practice.
• Confident leadership: coach practitioners, lead supervision, organise safe deployment and handle performance concerns fairly.
• Clear, professional communication with children, families, staff, the Director and inspectors; constructive complaint handling and respect for confidentiality.
• Sound, timely decisions within authority; practical curriculum leadership, inclusive judgement and evaluation of improvements for children.

Desirable experience and skills

• DSL or deputy DSL training and experience, or SENCo and multi-agency working experience relevant to the nursery.
• Experience across different early years age groups, developing room leaders and using secure nursery communication or record systems.

How experience and qualifications are assessed

The EYFS says managers should have at least two years' early years or other suitable experience; this is guidance, not a universal statutory minimum. For this post, direct inspection involvement is essential and may have been gained as a manager, deputy or other senior practitioner.