Deputy Manager

Suffolk County Council · Bury St Edmunds · £29,556 (stated in the posting)

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• Little Larks Day Nursery

• Address: Nowton, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP29 5ND

• Salary: from £29,556 per annum pro rata, depending on experience

• Hours: Minimum of 24 hours per week, additional hours may be available*

• Contract: Permanent, required as soon as possible

• Reference: 0993

* Our nursery is open Monday - Friday, 7.30am–6 pm. Working days and hours will be agreed with the successful candidate.

Little Larks Day Nursery are seeking an experienced, confident and motivated Deputy Nursery Manager to support our Nursery Manager in leading our established team and maintaining excellent standards of care and education for children aged 3 months to 5 years.

You will help manage day-to-day nursery operations and take responsibility for the nursery in the Manager’s absence. Working patterns will be discussed to meet the needs of the nursery.

Your responsibilities will be to:

• support the Nursery Manager with daily leadership, organisation and effective staff deployment
• lead, coach and motivate practitioners, supporting supervision and professional development
• take responsibility for nursery operations in the Manager’s absence
• maintain high standards of safeguarding, EYFS practice, health and safety and regulatory compliance
• monitor the quality of care and learning, and build positive relationships with children, families and colleagues
• support continuous improvement and consistent implementation of nursery policies.

What you will need:

• A full and relevant Level 3 Early Years qualification or above (essential).
• Substantial early years’ experience, ideally in a Third in Charge or Deputy Manager role.
• Strong EYFS and safeguarding knowledge, confident decision-making and excellent leadership, communication and organisational skills.

We are looking for someone approachable, reliable and able to lead by example while maintaining clear professional expectations.

About us

Little Larks is an independently owned private day nursery and pre-school, set in a beautiful countryside location near Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds. We provide high-quality care and early years education for children aged 3 months to 5 years. We’re proud of our friendly, experienced team, with over a third of our practitioners having been with us for more than five years.

What we will offer you:

• Competitive hourly rate.
• Permanent part-time role, minimum 24 hours per week, with scope for additional hours.
• An additional day of annual leave after two years’ service.
• Nursery closure over Christmas and New Year (using annual leave entitlement).
• 10% staff childcare discount and workplace pension.
• Ongoing training and professional development.
• Free uniform, enhanced DBS check and on-site parking.
• Staff referral programme and staff Christmas party.

For more information

For more information about the position, please contact the nursery by calling 01284 761676 or by emailing littlelarksdaynursery@gmail.com.

How to apply

Please apply by sending your CV and a short covering statement by email to littlelarksdaynursery@gmail.com

Closing date: 1pm, 21 November 2026.

Promoted as SPJ (Standard Plus Job) on Suffolk Jobs Direct.

Little Larks Day Nursery is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. Appointment is subject to safer recruitment checks, including satisfactory references and an enhanced DBS check.

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