Kindergarten Manager

Drumduan is a modern and progressive Steiner School located in the beautiful North-East of Scotland overlooking Findhorn Bay and the Moray Firth, with an emphasis on experiential education, nature connection, and the creativity that flows from children being given the space to develop in a low technology school environment. The school currently has students from Kindergarten to Class 12 in the Upper School with teaching and non-teaching staff.

Our school operates with a collective decision-making structure, the college of staff, at its centre. The Coordination Group aims to coordinate the running of the school to best support its pedagogical purpose and with heed to its financial sustainability.

In addition, there are School Development Groups (SDG) that are formed to hold fundraising initiatives together with the Parents, Teachers and Friends Association (PTFA). The Operations Team works closely with the SDG. 

INTRODUCTION

Drumduan School is looking for a skilled, enthusiastic, dedicated and experienced Kindergarten Manager as soon as possible. The successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring and leading the high-quality of our Early Years provision for children and families. Experience of leadership in an Early Years setting is essential, knowledge of the Steiner-Waldorf Steiner principles desirable.

MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES

The duties and responsibilities of the School Receptionist may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• To promote and develop all Early Years services at Drumduan School, ensuring a high quality of provision for children and families.
• Ensure that Drumduan Early Years services operate using an Anthroposophical Philosophy, following agreed Steiner – Waldorf principles.
• Keep up to date with local authority strategies and documents, as well as Waldorf UK developments.
• Ensure contractual requirements with Moral Council are met.
• Ensure through regular audit that all Care Inspectorate requirements are met, including the quality indicators in a quality framework for daycare of children.
• Ensure through regular audit that all Education Scotland requirements are met, including guidance in Realising the Ambition: Being Me and How Good is Our Early Learning Care (HGIOELC), Care Inspectorate Quality Framework.
• Ensure through regular audit that all Scottish Govt requirements are met, including Getting it Right for Every Child (GIRFEC), National Care Standards and Health and Social Care Standards.
• Ensure that Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) or General Teaching Council Scotland (GTC) requirements are met for all staffing.
• Facilitate ongoing Self Improvement Plan requirements, ensuring that all staff and families are involved with this process.
• Ensure all requirements as a Food Business are met, including auditing and updating the Food Safety Plan.

To manage and develop the Early Years Department which incorporates Parent and Child provision, Kindergarten provision and After-care provision.

• Deploy staff appropriately and ensure cover is available.
• Recruit staff using a safe recruitment process, recruiting staff with the necessary qualifications and attributes, carrying out staff induction, appraisals and regular supervision requirements as per Care Inspectorate requirements.
• Support staff with Continual Professional Development as per SSSC/GTC requirements.
• Support staff with their working relationships to ensure the smooth running of the department.
• Facilitate weekly department meetings and ensure minutes are kept.
• Write, implement and monitor Drumduan policies and procedures where necessary.
• Ensure that risk is assessed and is well monitored.

To carry out all duties regarding the enrollment of children into Early Years Provision.

• Promote services through social media and local authority.
• Assist the Admissions Team by meeting new families and holding tours of Kindergarten.
• Ensure that the family’s needs are well listened to and always met.
• Support families through the admission process, including the distribution of information and paperwork, all correspondence regarding the allocation of places, coordinating interview meetings
• Support the teachers with the initial assessments of children.
• Support the teachers with settling in sessions with the children and families.

To ensure that the needs of all children who attend Drumduan Early Years Services are well met.

• Overseeing the children’s health and wellbeing needs using the SHANNARI indicators.
• Follow and ensure the following of all safeguarding procedures.
• To oversee effective Personal Planning for all children.
• To lead and support Child Planning.

To carry out administrative duties.

• Ensure all records required by our obligations toward the needs and health and wellbeing of our children are up to date and meet Care Inspectorate requirements.
• Supply annual reports to Care Inspectorate.
• Supply reports to Moray Council as required.
• Supply reports to Trustees as required.
• Supply reports to Core Group as required.
• Enter information into NAMS (Nursery Administrative System) weekly.
• Check and correct finance information for Moray Council children’s attendance; meals; and milk and snacks accounts twice monthly.
• Renew annual contract with Moray Council annually.
• Enter and update child application details onto Drumduan Database.
• Enter and update child application details into NAMS.
• Ensure that services have adequate supplies which are coordinated with the budget.
• Ensure food orders are carried out correctly.

To act as representative for Drumduan Early Years Service.

• Act as main point of contact with Moray Council employees.
• Attend Moray Council meetings as required.
• Accommodate Moray Council Inspections / Audits (currently around 5 times per annum).
• Accommodate Care Inspection and Environmental Health Inspections.
• Attend and represent Early Years at Coordination Group as necessary.
• Listen and respond to any complaints or concerns that anyone may have.

Requirements:

• Experience working in an Early Years setting.
• Experience holding the responsibilities for the overall development, management and quality assurance of an Early Years’ Service Provision including the supervision of staff and the management of resources.
• Experience holding the responsibilities for budgets and oversee the ordering and purchasing of resources for the service and writing and reviewing of the work setting policies and procedures in line with current Policy and Practice.
• Experience in developing and maintaining working relationships with relevant Local Authority Departments, regulatory bodies, and other agencies.
• Applicants will be required to register with the SSSC (Scottish Social Services Council) or GTC (General Teaching Council Scotland) and must hold a practice qualification before gaining the Managers of a Day Care of Children Service qualification.
• Applicants must hold the minimum qualifications of: BA Childhood Practice or Postgraduate Diploma of Childhood Practice or Master of Education Childhood Practice or PDA Childhood Practice (at SCQF level 9) or be prepared to work towards achieving the minimum qualification***
• Understanding of and commitment to all Safeguarding policies and procedures.
• To always act in a professional and confidential manner.
• Knowledge and experience of Steiner Waldorf approach is desirable.
• Organised and able to work on their own, taking initiatives, as well as being part of a team.
• Able to communicate closely with the Kindergarten teachers and faculty in general.
• Attendance at weekly meetings with Kindergarten Teachers and Moray Council Early Years Team is essential.
• Willingness and ability to adapt is essential.
• Enthusiasm and sense of humour desirable.

***For more detailed information about the qualifications SSSC accepts for Manager in a Day Care of Children Services, please click on The Scottish Social Services Council - Scottish Social Services Council