Monkey Puzzle Chesham are looking for a strong Nursery Third in Charge to join our nursery team and help to provide outstanding education and early years childcare for our children.
Why Us?
As part of Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries, you will be joining our caring, welcoming and supportive team. Our vision is to inspire change through excellence in childcare, creating a positive impact for generations to come.
For over 20 years, Monkey Puzzle has been providing children the highest quality of care with unlimited opportunities to grow, learn, develop and flourish in our safe and secure environments.
What’s more we have been rated 4.3 stars out of 5 stars on Glassdoor Reviews by our current staff! Please feel free to have a read of what they love about working for Monkey Puzzle Chesham.
Key Responsibilites
To support the Nursery Management Team in providing professional leadership and management of the nursery to ensure that all children have access to a high quality and fun curriculum that meets their individual learning needs. To demonstrate leadership by delivering a high-quality curriculum and range of learning opportunities. To work with the management team to raise the standards of provision across the setting by leading and supporting the practitioners to further enhance their knowledge and understanding of children’s learning and development
- Adhere to all company policies and procedures
- Ensure that all company policy and procedures are adhered to by all staff
- Promote a high standard of quality within the nursery, including practice, environment and resources to meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage
- To support staff in all aspects of the EYFS delivery including the evaluation of room planning and development of practice.
- Ensure appropriate planning and assessment is in place and is accurately maintained by all staff, ensuring consistency across all rooms
- To role model excellent practice and carry out peer observations and from this follow up the observations by providing the practitioners with constructive feedback.
- To observe, support, motivate and direct practitioners to implement, maintain and develop effective practice and ensure high quality provision for all by reflecting on their own skills and practices.
- To lead and support colleagues to work in partnership with parents and to value and utilise parents’ contribution to support children’s well-being, learning and development.
- To lead and support colleagues to monitor and record children’s progress and use the information as a basis for planning and improving practice and provision both indoors and out.
- Develop and improve the quality and effectiveness of the setting
- To engage practitioners in their own professional development by providing advice, training and mentoring practitioners to improve the quality of practice.
- To be responsible for own professional development and be pro-active in attending relevant training opportunities.
- To be a key person to a group of children and lead transitions between rooms
- To work in accordance to equal opportunities; developing an inclusive service provision and practice, to meet the needs of all children and their families.
- To lead colleagues to monitor, assess and support children that have additional needs as required
- To encourage and maintain positive working relationships with relevant external professionals and to work in partnership with other agencies.
- To represent the setting professionally at all times, maintaining the settings integrity and being open to giving and receiving constructive feedback.
- Support the development of good practice in relation to special educational needs and inclusion
- Ensure the effective implementation of the company’s keyperson system throughout the nursery
- Ensure that all children are kept safe and that staff are confident to follow safeguarding procedures
- Proactively promote and represent the nursery to current and potential parents/customers including in the wider community
- Adhere to all health and safety policies and procedures and support the Nursery Management team in ensuring all staff receive health and safety training
- Be fully aware of all emergency and security procedures
- Support the Nursery Management Team in ensuring the nursery remains compliant in respect of correct staff deployment at all times.
- Support the Nursery Management Team with overall duties
- Undertake any other duties as reasonably requested by line manager
- Assume additional management responsibilities as and when required
The duties and responsibilities included in this job specification are not exhaustive or restrictive and can be reviewed at any time in the future, changes and other duties deemed relevant to this post may be added.
Benefits
- Probation pass reward with a £200 gift card
- Birthday off
- 20 days annual leave + bank/public holidays
- Annual Salary Review
- Annual Performance Bonus
- Additional days holiday days for every 2 years service
- 2 annual inset training days
- Free Breakfast on the early open shift
- Employee of the Month Reward
- 50% Childcare Discount
- Continued opportunities for professional growth
- Access to our engaging online training platform
- Company Events/Team Bonding Socials
- Staff Appreciation Rewards
- Employee referral scheme
Essentials
- Ability to write reports and keep clear and accurate records
- Excellent planning, organisation and ability to prioritise workload
- Leadership experience
- Excellent communicator
- Able to motivate, manage and work productively within a team
- Ability to comprehend, impart and adhere to a strict set of policies and procedures
- Working with and supporting parents
- Sound knowledge of the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum
- Able to ensure the safety and welfare of children through a confident knowledge of Safeguarding processes and procedures
- Able to conduct child observations and assessments with a strong understanding of child development
- Excellent knowledge of the current Early Years Inspection Framework
- Health and Safety awareness
- At least 1 years’ experience working as in a lead role or similar
- Experience of working and communicating with parents and carers
Great to haves
- Food and Hygiene Level 2
- Prevent Duty
- FGM
- Paediatric First Aid
- SENDCO
- Behaviour Management
- General computer literacy with IT skills
- Ability to work well under pressure
- Able to reflect and learn from personal actions and experience
- Evidence of ongoing personal development
- Effective time management
- Ability to prioritise workload
- Working with outside agencies
- Knowledge of digital learning platforms; i.e, FAMLY, Learning Book, Tapestry etc
- Knowledge of the Special Educational Needs Code of Practice and the required support systems put in place
- Experience of, and commitment to, outdoor learning i.e. Forest School.
- Experience with using a range of technologies to teach and assess children, i.e. Interactive White Board, iPad
- Previous Room Leader and/or Third in Charge experience within an Early Years setting
