Deputy Manager
Main duties and responsibilities:
1. To be a good role model to staff, ensuring that best practice is promoted at all times. Support and supervise room staff with their daily duties, including planning age-appropriate activities reflective of children’s interests, updating learning records, providing support for intimate care, following policies and procedures, and ensuring effective Health and Safety procedures, including the implementation of cleaning schedules.
2. Ensure learning experiences of the highest quality through well-planned play that is enjoyable and challenging, providing opportunities for children to engage in adult-planned and child-initiated activities. Maintain legal ratios in your room at all times while supporting other rooms in the nursery as necessary.
3. Use your initiative to take control of situations regarding staff or children in the manager's absence. Ensure close supervision of children during meal times and adhere to their allergy and dietary requirements.
4. Adhere to task deadlines and support room staff in meeting deadlines, including paperwork, mandatory training, and children’s development folders. Attend appropriate and regular training courses, especially regarding the EYFS, which may be held outside normal working hours. Be responsible for organizing your room, ensuring effective implementation of policies and procedures at all times, including the EYFS.
5. Ensure a stimulating, attractive, and welcoming environment reflective of all areas of learning and development, displaying children’s work to motivate and encourage their efforts. Support children’s transitions, complete necessary paperwork, and arrange settling-in sessions. Attend staff meetings and training sessions as required, including mandatory events such as Parent’s Evenings.
6. Develop, promote, and facilitate partnerships with parents/carers and family members, actively advertising and supporting nursery events, and liaising via one-to-one meetings or telephone calls when necessary. Share and receive information about children’s achievements and targets with parents.
7. Stay up to date with current developments in childcare and education policies, including safeguarding. Lead planning for the EYFS curriculum and maintain accurate records on both room-based files and the electronic system (EYlog). Observe and record children’s achievements through written reports, photographs, videos, or audio, following the advice of Ofsted and Local Authority Early Years Advisors.
8. Identify when knowledge, skills, understanding, and attitudes have been achieved by individual children and plan next steps in their learning. Ensure effective implementation of key-persons, ensuring they understand their role in building relationships with a small group of children and their families.
9. Provide high standards of quality within the nursery, including the environment, resources, and experiences offered to children. Reflect on practice and routines, tailoring them to meet each child's individual needs. Support the development of good practices regarding special needs and inclusion, collaborating with other professionals and agencies as needed.
10. Closely monitor the development tracker for each child, highlighting any gaps or significant delays to the management team. Ensure that children are kept safe, and staff understand and follow safeguarding procedures, complying with Food Safety regulations at all times.
11. Share responsibility for cleanliness throughout the nursery, including bedding, nappy changing areas, and food preparation areas. Regularly check, clean, and/or sterilize room toys and resources following Health and Safety policies, and assist with the care, maintenance, and security of all toys and equipment within the nursery.
12. Assist in maintaining nursery buildings, resources, and equipment to a high standard, reporting maintenance or cleaning issues promptly.
13. Effectively perform intimate care routines essential for meeting children’s basic needs, including nappy changing, supporting toileting, changing clothes, and providing first aid treatment and specialist medical support as required. Ensure the general cleanliness of the children at all times.
14. Be fully aware of all emergency and security procedures, including fire precautions and dropping off/collecting children.
15. Support the Manager and staff during inspections by regulatory bodies and assist in implementing any recommendations. Adhere to all company policies and procedures, including the company’s Code of Conduct. Undertake any other duties as reasonably requested by the Management team.
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