Head Of School

What skills and experience we're looking for

The successful applicant will:

• Be an excellent teacher, with strengths in working with children across the full early years age range, and who is able to lead and inspire our children and staff
• Be an ambitious leader, who will continue to develop our school on the next stage of its journey
• Bring experience of and passion about working in a diverse community
• Have a strong, clear vision of the importance of high-quality nursery education
• Be dedicated to the progress and well-being of all children

We can offer the appointee:

• The exciting opportunity to lead a vibrant, friendly and effective school committed to growing and to making a lasting difference to children and families
• A well‑resourced and stimulating learning environment
• A dedicated and hard-working staff team
• Coaching and mentoring from an experienced executive headteacher and support from a wider team of highly-experienced senior leaders
• A beautiful working environment, in an easily accessible location with excellent transport links
• Opportunities for professional development and career progression Working closely with the federation executive headteacher and governors, you will be responsible for the strategic direction and day-to-day running of the nursery school.

You will have proven experience of senior leadership or headship and be looking for the next step in your career.

What the school offers its staff

Do you want to lead a vibrant, forward thinking and diverse nursery school that places children, learning and the community at the heart of everything it does?

The governors of Grandpont Nursery School are looking for an ambitious, creative and dedicated professional to join us as head of school. This role includes some teaching responsibilities. Grandpont Nursery School and Day Nursery School nestled next to the Grandpont nature reserve, is a highly successful and vibrant early years setting, and is located in beautiful purpose built modern accommodation and has an extensive outside area. This is a unique and exciting opportunity for an aspiring leader to take their first step into headship within a supportive and collaborative environment.

This is a unique opportunity to be part of a nursery school that provides a high-quality start in life, taking children from the age of 10 months up to 5 years old, through a curriculum grounded in the school values of Nurture, Respect and Love. Our vision for our Nursery School is: Through careful consideration and gentle interactions, we work to ensure that through love, respect and responsive caregiving, our children and our families feel nurtured and together we all thrive. Through an environment rich in nurturing interactions, carefully planned experiences and resources, we offer our children and families the opportunity to reach their potential. We use the ethos of nurturing care to ensure that we support our whole community to be and feel the best that they can be.

Our nursery school is a vital part of the community. We have a rich variety of different cultures in our school. We are proud to offer a safe, welcoming space for families, where children thrive and parents feel supported. In addition to our educational provision, we host a community food hub and a popular stay and play group, helping to meet the wider needs of local families. The successful candidate will benefit from the support and mentoring of an experienced executive headteacher, making this an ideal opportunity for someone stepping into headship for the first time or wishing to develop their headship career. The purpose-built Nursery school is spacious with windows at a level perfect for the children to enjoy the outside on the inside. There is space for children to investigate, explore, and create alongside spaces to be quiet, reflect and regulate. All classrooms and the day nursery have direct access to specially designed outdoor learning environments that provide opportunity for discovery and enriching experiences in the natural world around us. We prioritize outdoor learning and have a dedicated forest school on site.

Commitment to safeguarding

Our organisation is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows the keeping children safe in education guidance. Offers of employment may be subject to the following checks (where relevant): childcare disqualification Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) medical online and social media prohibition from teaching right to work satisfactory references suitability to work with children You must tell us about any unspent conviction, cautions, reprimands or warnings under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exceptions) Order 1975.