Third in Charge

Job content

passionate Third in Charge to join our wonderful Bright Horizons Southborough Springfield Road Day Nursery and Preschool. Our nursery is situated in Tunbridge Wells, Kent.

Our 40-place nursery is proudly Ofsted rated ‘Outstanding’. Our newly refurbished facility features a fantastic outdoor garden, complete with a cycling track, tepee and all-weather areas!

As a Third in Charge working with us, you can expect a competitive salary, excellent training and development as well as a caring and passionate place to work.

Key Tasks And Responsibilities

• Lead mentor and inspire a team to deliver the highest care and educations standards and support and carryout 1-1 meetings and supervisions to support checking staff knowledge and understanding of Policies and Procedures and child development and EYFS and bright Beginning curriculum and regulatory standards.
• Ensuring internal policies and procedures and legislation from governing bodies are adhered to and team members can demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of Policies and Procedures through their individual impact statements 1-1 meetings and their practice.
• In line with Bright Horizons UK standards for pedagogy, lead and support the Bright Beginnings, Bright Horizons curriculum to ensure a child-centred approach to operating all aspects of the nursery, and ensure the observation and planning process meets the needs of all children in line with the Quality Assurance Framework.
• Demonstrate effective written and verbal communication with all stakeholders of the nursery and wider bright horizons community including parent’s professionals and colleagues.
• Support and manage Keeping Everyone Safe policies and procedures and continuously demonstrate, monitor and improve the practices and behaviours that underpin a high performing safety culture
• When required be the Designated Safeguarding Lead at the nursery and hold overall responsibility for the day to day management of safeguarding and child protection policies in the nursery as the DSL.
• To lead by example and drive the culture of Safeguarding Children and promoting professional staff behavior.
• In collaboration with NM and DM contribute to succession planning, identification and delivery of relevant training, and additional requirements for personal development plans including coaching and mentoring for all staff
• Working as part of a larger team to ensure all essential day to day tasks are completed in line with the nursery demands ie. Hygiene standards and room preparation.
• Promote the nursery to current parents and potential customers to support the retention and ongoing occupancy growth
• Ensuring commercial success of the nursery by maintaining expenditure inline FTEs and budget KPIs and ensuring purchasing is made inline with the procurement guidelines.
• Engage with the Local Authority and understand the referral processes when necessary to engage with professionals to make a child referral.
• Actively promote and support charities including the Bright Horizons Foundation for children
• Continuation of personal professional development to ensure during periods of full responsibility of the nursery knowledge and skills are up to date, full, and relevant to the role of the designated person in charge and responsible for leading the setting.
• To provide support for your colleagues within the nursery and across the broader business when required.
• Attendance at staff meetings and training sessions to ensure continuous professional development.
  

Responsible For

• Providing strong and clear line management for a Nursery team including mentoring of the wider leadership team including the room leaders and colleagues.
• Plan and demonstrate a clear understanding of efficient staff deployment and managing the rostering in line with regulatory standards.
• Ensure strong and effective performance management and monitoring processes, with the ability to demonstrate impact and show improvements in performance, leading to the highest quality provision as set out in the Quality Assurance Framework, improved inspection ratings, full regulatory compliance, high levels of customer and employee satisfaction and growth.
• Leading a Health and Safety Culture where you ensure all team members recognise the part they each play in ensuring robust procedures are followed for Policies and Procedures and the regulatory standards set by our regulator.
• Ensuring you provide an environment which a strong focus on our customer and practitioner engagement and provide guidance to practitioners.
• Undertake regular 121/supervision meetings with staff to plan and provide suitable professional development activities and opportunities for personal growth within a culture of self-driven development, to promote individual and team expertise in all aspects of nursery development and learning, to secure a highly effective, motivated and innovative team.
• Take responsibility for own personal and professional development, accessing high level improvement activities that inform general and nursery based on national and international perspectives of ‘best practice’.
• Fulfil their roles, responsibilities and legislation duty in relation to safeguarding children by ensure that they have read understood and implement the Safeguarding Policies and Procedures.
• Ensure that they have completed Child Protection training every two years as set out in the Child Protection Policy and that this training impacts on their ability to safeguard the children in their care
• Delivery of highest quality Early Childhood practice and experiences for all children in the setting, including those with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability, promoting emotional wellbeing by embedding the Bright Horizons early years curriculum.
• Completing accurate and effective assessments, which reflect the needs, interests and stages of development of the child by effective delivery of the key person approach.
• Undertake regular 121 meetings with families’ colleagues and professionals to ensure children within your key person group are meeting their milestones for personal development.
• Supervise and support in the preparation of meals and mealtimes in line with policies and procedures and ensure high supervision of children is maintained at all times.
• In the absence of the manager and deputy manager will have the overall responsibility for oversight of safeguarding, health and safety practices and child protection in the setting, and maintaining accurate and up to date systems and records at all times
  

Essential Experience

• Working in collaboration with colleagues and the NM & DM in achieving positive working relationships through effective communication leadership and guidance and the support of all members of the nursery team.
• A strong record of on-going training and/or professional qualifications since qualifying
• Proven experience of working in early years education settings with successful management leading to ‘Good or Outstanding ’ regulatory inspection outcomes
• Strong decision-maker, with the proven ability to work as part of a larger team to ensure essential day to day tasks are completed in line with nursery demands ie. Hygiene standards and room preparation.
• Experience of food preparation and the completion of relevant training linked to food management
• Experience of proving support and leadership to a staff team to enable staff in fulfil their roles, responsibilities and legislation duty in relation to safeguarding children.
  

Experience Desirable

• Leading teams through coaching and mentoring
• Experience of budget management, efficient staff deployment and rostering programmes and ICT knowledge
• Knowledge of Local Authority and Regulatory requirements and inspection processes across the UK
• Current 12hrs Paediatric First Aid Certificate
• Coaching and mentoring experience.
  

Qualifications

• Full and relevant level 3 qualification (essential)
• 12 hours paediatric first aid and first aid at work (essential)
• Level 2 Food Hygiene or equivalent training and compliance in food management
• Relevant safeguarding/child protection training undertaken and a willingness to update training regularly (essential)
• Evidence of continuous professional development
• Undergraduate or Foundation Degree in Early Childhood Studies or other relevant subject (Desirable)
• EYPP/EYTT or QTS post graduate status (Desirable)
• Full, clean driving licence and flexibility to travel as necessary
  

Personal Attributes

• Able to communicate clearly with adults and children using a variety of techniques (oral and in writing)
• Ability to lead and inspire nursery leaders and colleagues to achieve the highest standards or care and education.
• Highly motivated and driven, achieving positive impact and meeting deadlines
• Ability to build trust and develop cohesive teams – strong empathy to understand child and parents view, clear expectations and fair-minded
• Able to manage workload and manage time effectively to deliver the desired results
• Able and competent user of company ICT systems and have the willingness to learn and develop ICT skills