Deputy Nursery Manager

Job title: Deputy Nursery Manager
Salary: up to £31,000 per annum
Location: Gateshead
Contract/Hours: Permanent/Full Time – 40 hours per week

Benefits:  

• Time off to recharge – 25 days per annum plus bank holidays
• Treat yourself: Staff discounts portal and blue light card with 15,000 + retailers.
• Salary Finance – access to financial advice and the ability to manage savings or loans directly from your salary.
• Childcare Discount – A whopping 60% off childcare within our nurseries and out of school clubs
• Up to 3 Days Dependency Leave – to care for dependents in an emergency.
• Paid maternity, adoption, and paternity leave.
• Gain professional qualifications and excellent training/development opportunities. 
• Secure your future: Pension with up to 7% employer contribution with included life assurance cover. 

A bit about the role

As our Deputy Manager, you'll play a key role in shaping the daily experiences of children, families and colleagues. This is a hands-on leadership position where you'll spend most of your time supporting children’s learning, development and wellbeing, while also working closely with the Nursery Manager to help lead the service.

You'll inspire and support the nursery team, champion high-quality early years practice, and help ensure the nursery operates smoothly, safely and successfully each day. From coaching colleagues and building strong relationships with families to supporting safeguarding, compliance and day-to-day operations, you'll have the opportunity to make a real impact.

We're looking for someone who is passionate about early years education, confident in leading by example, and able to balance practical childcare responsibilities with leadership and organisational duties. If you're ready to take the next step in your career and help create an environment where children can thrive, we'd love to hear from you.

What You’ll Do Could Make a Difference

• Support the day-to-day running of the nursery, ensuring compliance with Ofsted, EYFS and regulatory requirements while helping to create a safe, nurturing environment for every child.
• Lead high-quality early years practice, providing engaging play and learning experiences that support children's development and school readiness.
• Help safeguard children by acting as a Designated Safeguarding Lead in the Nursery Manager's absence and responding appropriately to any concerns.
• Supervise, coach and support nursery staff, helping to create a positive team culture focused on delivering outstanding care and education.
• Build strong relationships with families, acting as a key person and ensuring every child receives individualised support to thrive.

Let's Talk About You

• Hold a Level 3 Early Years qualification and have experience working with children aged 0-5 in an early years’ setting.
• Have a good understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), safeguarding procedures and child development.
• Enjoy leading and supporting others, with experience supervising staff or helping to guide a team in a childcare environment.
• Are confident building positive relationships with parents, carers and external professionals to support the best outcomes for children.
• Are organised, solution-focused and comfortable using digital systems to maintain accurate records, observations and learning plans.

About Spring

Spring offers award-winning childcare services, as part of the national charity Action for Children. It's our mission to be the best provider of outstanding quality early education to children throughout the UK, that is accessible to all. We are focused on enabling young people to learn, have fun and make friends in our bright, engaging settings. That starts with creating a happy environment for our team. Join us and you can look forward to:

• A kind, caring culture with an emphasis on wellbeing, both physical and mental.
• Flexible working – wherever possible we offer flexibility on hours and/or hybrid working.
• Lots of opportunities for training, learning, development, including gaining qualifications.
• Excellent benefits that compare favourably to other employers in our sector.

About the Service 

Spring The Levels is a warm and welcoming nursery based within The Levels Children’s Centre in Langport, caring for children aged 3 months to 5 years. Our passionate and highly skilled team provides a nurturing environment where children can learn, develop and thrive. As part of the wider Spring Nurseries network, you'll benefit from shared expertise, collaboration and support to help you grow and succeed in your career.

How to apply

If you require any support to apply, please contact:

RecruitmentService@actionforchildren.org.uk quoting the above Reference 13985.

We'll be happy to give you any support you require.

Our Commitment to Equity, Inclusion and Anti-Racism

At Spring Nurseries, we are committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels respected, valued, and able to thrive. We know that racism and discrimination create barriers, and we are taking active steps to challenge these inequalities in our organisation and in the communities we serve.

We strongly welcome applications from people who are Black, Asian, or from other racialised and ethnically marginalised communities, as well as disabled people, who are currently under-represented in our workforce. We are committed to removing barriers in our recruitment processes and ensuring fair access to opportunities.

We also encourage applications from men, who are under-represented in our Children’s Services roles. We recognise that people hold multiple identities, and we value the richness this brings to our team.

Whether this is a career change for you or the next step in your journey, we'd love to hear from you.

We work together to reach our mission to give children a healthy start in life.

Good luck! We can't wait to hear from you.

Want to know more about Spring and Oscars?

Check out our socials on, Linkedin, Facebook or Youtube.

See below for further information about working with us:

Employee Reward Booklet

Spring Early Years Career Pathway

Job Description