Childcare Leader – School-based Nursery (Sep 2026)
Job ref CC3.9. Dorset Grade 7 £13.90 – £15.31. Pay award pending.
Hours per week: 33.75 (term-time only, including training days). Interviews will be held mid June.
Damers First School offers a unique opportunity for an experienced Childcare Leader to play a key role in shaping our brand-new, school-based nursery opening September 2026.
Damers School is a child-centred, caring school with high aspirations for all pupils. We are an Eco school with big ideas and pride ourselves in helping every child thrive with a broad and balanced curriculum that offers many opportunities for each child to achieve their potential.
We are delighted to now add provision for children aged 2 and up from September. Damers is located in the heart of Poundbury, an extremely supportive community in a fantastic Dorset location.
This new provision extends our current offer for children aged 4–9 and is rooted in the strong ethos that defines Damers. Everything we do is guided by the Damers Way of Being: Brave, Unique, Caring & Kind. We have a long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility and proudly hold Eco Green Flag status.
If you are passionate about early childhood education and excited by the idea of helping to design and grow a new nursery from the ground up, this role offers a rare and rewarding career opportunity.
Key Responsibilities
- Work with the EYFS lead and nursery teacher to maximise the development of each child.
- Create a warm, welcoming, and inclusive atmosphere for children, ensuring their emotional and physical well-being.
- Support the preparation and implementation of engaging educational activities that promote children’s development in line with early years curriculum standards.
- Observe and assess children’s progress, providing feedback to parents and guardians on their development.
- Foster positive relationships with children, encouraging their social skills and independence.
- Collaborate with colleagues to maintain a high standard of care and education within the nursery setting.
- Manage behaviour effectively, ensuring a positive learning environment for all children.
- Drive initiatives that promote parental involvement in their child’s learning journey.
- Promote and safeguard the welfare of all children.
Qualifications & Requirements
- Relevant level 3+ qualification in Early Childhood Education.
- Ability to act under own initiative and make decisions.
- Excellent communication skills in English, both verbal and written, to engage effectively with children, parents, and staff.
- Essential experience working with children in a nursery or educational setting.
- Strong organisational skills to manage daily activities efficiently while ensuring high standards of care.
- A genuine passion for working with young children and supporting their growth and development.
What We Offer
- A rare chance to be part of a brand-new, aspirational nursery project from the very beginning.
- The opportunity to work alongside a highly experienced and supportive team within the main school.
- Ongoing professional development and training opportunities.
- Outstanding support from a skilled and welcoming administrative team.
- A large, modern and purpose-designed learning environment in the heart of Poundbury.
Further Information
Damers First School values the diversity of our workforce and welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people; this is a commitment which we expect all staff and volunteers to share.
The successful candidate will be required to have a Disclosure and Barring Service check in line with the Governments safer recruitment guidelines.
The pro-rated salary shown is based on the number of hours and weeks worked and includes appropriate paid annual leave and bank holiday entitlements.
The salary quoted is the annual salary for the position at the time of advert. The salary will be paid in equal monthly instalments and will be adjusted at the start of employment and again if leaving part-way through the school year to ensure the correct salary is received for the work completed in an academic year.
This role is UK based and your Right to Work will need to be established as part of the appointment process.
This post is exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (ROA) 1974. The amendments to the ROA 1974 (Exceptions Order 1975, 2013 and 2020) provide that when applying for certain jobs and activities, certain spent convictions and cautions are ‘protected’, so they do not need to be disclosed to employers, and if they are disclosed, employers cannot take them into account. The MOJ’s guidance on the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and the Exceptions Order 1975, provides information about which convictions must be declared during job applications and related exceptions and further information about filtering offences can be found in the DBS filtering guide.
Keeping Children Safe in Education
Damers First School will conduct online searches of shortlisted candidates. This check will be part of a safeguarding check, and the search will purely be based on whether an individual is suitable to work with children. All aspects of social media and internet searches will be conducted. As care must be taken to avoid unconscious bias and any risk of discrimination, a person who will not on the appointment panel will conduct the searches and will only share information if and when findings are relevant and of concern.
Damers First School is part of the Wessex Multi Academy Trust, a group of 12 schools, including 7 first schools.
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