Nursery Manager

Nursery Manager

Small People Nursery
Cropwell Bishop, Nottingham, NG12 3BN, UK

Permanent - Full Time | 40 Hours Per Week
£42,500 depending on experience + Quarterly Bonus Scheme worth £3,000 per year*

Are you an experienced Nursery Manager looking for a nurturing environment where you will feel trusted, supported, and genuinely valued as a leader?

At Small People Nursery, we are on the lookout for a confident and experienced Nursery Manager to lead our well-established nursery. Your mission? To continue building a positive, high-quality environment for children, families, and teams.

This role is perfect for a strong Early Years leader who thrives on developing teams, driving standards, and creating a nursery culture where both children and staff flourish. Join us in a stable nursery with supportive senior leadership, a solid team foundation, and the freedom to lead with confidence.

Our nursery embraces a unique, outdoor-based early years setting that follows a robust Forest School approach. Here, children are encouraged to explore, play, and learn in a natural environment, spending most of their time outdoors, no matter the weather!

If you take pride in running a happy, organized nursery and leading a team that genuinely enjoys being part of something special, we would love to hear from you!

What We Offer:

• Quarterly bonus scheme worth up to £3,000 per year*
• 75% childcare discount
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays and your birthday off
• Genuine progression opportunities within a growing group
• Supportive and approachable senior leadership team
• Employee wellbeing & assistance programme
• Refer a friend bonus up to £750
• Well-resourced nursery with a positive team culture

*Terms and conditions apply.

The Role:

As Nursery Manager, you will lead the day-to-day operations of the nursery while maintaining high standards across the setting. Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading, motivating, and developing your nursery team
• Ensuring EYFS and safeguarding compliance
• Building strong parent partnerships
• Driving occupancy and overall nursery performance
• Leading Ofsted preparation and inspections
• Supporting staff development and wellbeing
• Creating a positive, professional team culture

This is a hands-on leadership role where your experience, leadership style, and decision-making will make a genuine impact every day.

What We’re Looking For:

Essential:

• Full and relevant Level 3 Childcare qualification
• Previous Nursery Management experience
• Strong knowledge of EYFS and safeguarding
• Experience leading teams within Early Years
• Passion for delivering high-quality childcare and education

Desirable:

• Level 5 qualification in Childcare, Leadership, or Management
• Experience achieving Good or Outstanding Ofsted outcomes

Apply today! If you’re looking for a Nursery Manager role where you can lead confidently, feel supported, and genuinely enjoy coming to work, we would love to speak with you.

We are committed to safeguarding and protecting the welfare of children and expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. A Disclosure and Barring Service Certificate will be required for all posts. This post will be subject to enhanced checks as part of our Safeguarding Duty.

Small People Nursery is part of the Family First Group, where we take great care to treat everyone as a person, with equal rights and responsibilities. We are committed to providing equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice for all children and families according to their individual needs. Discrimination on any grounds has no place within the Family First Group.