Experienced Manager | 12-Month Maternity Cover

Nursery Manager

Experienced Manager | 12-Month Maternity Cover | March 2027

Employer

The Nest Day Nursery Ltd

Location

18 Queens Road, Hersham, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey KT12 5LR

Salary

£35 to 37,000 per annum

Contract

Fixed-term, 12-month maternity leave cover

Start date

March 2027, preferably Monday 1 March, allowing a planned handover with the outgoing Manager

Working hours

42 hours per week, including three hours working from home on Tuesdays

Reports to

Nursery Owner

Our nursery

The Nest is a small, independent nursery for children aged 12 months to five years. We value warm, individual care, inclusive early education and practical teamwork. Meals are freshly prepared in house; we provide enriching activities and do not rely on agency staff.

Purpose of the role

Provide confident, visible leadership throughout the Manager's maternity leave, including responsibility for safeguarding, EYFS quality, nursery operations and oversight of effective SEND arrangements, working with the setting's designated SENCO.

This is a hands-on post with regular direct work alongside practitioners and children. The Floor Manager usually works within staff-to-child ratios for much of the day, so the Nursery Manager is expected to contribute to ratio as normal practice.

Core responsibilities

Leadership, staffing and daily practice

• Lead by example on the nursery floor, working directly with children and supporting safe staffing ratios, routines, opening and closing.
• Direct staff deployment, rotas, attendance, supervisions, performance support and professional development, working closely with the Floor Manager.
• Maintain clear standards and sound day-to-day decisions; escalate material staffing, safeguarding, operational or financial issues to the Owner promptly.

Safeguarding, inclusion and early years quality

• Lead safeguarding practice and associated recording, escalation and referrals; keep the nursery inspection-ready and compliant with the current EYFS framework.
• Maintain oversight of curriculum quality, observations, assessments, planning and Tapestry use while supporting staff in everyday practice.
• Oversee effective SEND provision and support the setting's designated SENCO, who may be an existing suitably experienced practitioner. Ensure early identification, the graduated approach, appropriate records and constructive partnership with families and Surrey services. The Nursery Manager may take on the named SENCO role by agreement, but this is not a condition of appointment.
• Agree a clear handover with the outgoing Manager covering SEND arrangements, named SENCO responsibilities, training, records and support for the wider staff team.
• Maintain strong partnerships with parents, handling concerns, enquiries and settling-in with care and professionalism.

Management administration and improvement

• Oversee staff records, policies, risk assessments, incident and safeguarding documentation, funding administration, quality improvement and other essential management tasks.
• Use Tuesday 9:00 am to 12:00 pm as protected non-contact administrative time at home for email correspondence, rotas, planning, SEND oversight, Tapestry and compliance. Routine nursery operational calls should not interrupt this block; the Owner may contact the Manager when needed.
• Keep confidential children's and staff information secure when working remotely and provide clear updates to the Owner.

Normal working pattern

Day

Working hours

Monday

7:45 am to 6:30 pm at The Nest; one-hour unpaid lunch

Tuesday

9:00 am to 12:00 pm;  administration working from home

Wednesday

7:45 am to 6:30 pm at The Nest; one-hour unpaid lunch

Thursday

7:45 am to 6:30 pm at The Nest; one-hour unpaid lunch

Friday

7:45 am to 6:30 pm at The Nest; one-hour unpaid lunch; responsible for closing

Person specification

Essential

• Approved, full and relevant Level 3 early years qualification or higher, and eligibility to meet current EYFS nursery manager qualification and mathematics requirements.
• Substantial nursery leadership experience, with proven responsibility for safely running a setting and leading staff; previous Nursery Manager experience is strongly preferred.
• Confident command of safeguarding, statutory ratios, EYFS requirements, early years learning, Ofsted expectations and professional judgement.
• Sound knowledge of inclusive early years practice, SEND responsibilities and the graduated approach, with the ability to oversee and support the nursery's named SENCO.

Highly desirable

• Previous successful employment as a Nursery Manager, with direct accountability for nursery quality, staffing and operational compliance.
• Previous experience as an Early Years SENCO; completed or ongoing accredited Level 3 SENCO training; and familiarity with Surrey's graduated response, referral routes and SENCO networks.
• Current DSL training, paediatric first aid, and experience with Surrey funding, Tapestry and maintaining a setting's inspection readiness.

What we offer

• A planned six-week handover with the outgoing Manager during March and early April 2027.
• A small independent setting, an established core team and an ethos of no agency staff reliance.
• Three hours of protected Tuesday home-working for management administration.
• Direct access to an engaged Nursery Owner, with practical decisions made without multiple corporate management layers.
• A nurturing environment for children with fresh meals prepared on site and a varied activity programme.

How to apply

We are seeking an experienced Nursery Manager to join The Nest in March 2027 on a 12-month fixed-term contract covering maternity leave.

Please email your CV and a short covering letter to:

Your application should outline your nursery management experience, approach to safeguarding, experience supporting children with SEND and any relevant SENCO training or responsibilities (where applicable).

Advertising will begin in November 2026, with interviews expected during December 2026 and January 2027. Applications may be reviewed as they arrive.

Safer recruitment

The Nest is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Appointment is subject to appropriate references, identity and right-to-work checks, qualification and experience verification, enhanced DBS and barred-list checks where applicable, and other safer recruitment requirements.

An offer of employment will be subject to a written contract.