Senior Nursery Nurse?

[beth1]

I hope I am writing in the correct area. I have been very busy last week and noticed a few senior nursery nurse vancanies going. I have sort of applied for a couple of them one of which I am awaiting a telephone call back of an agency who I am registered with.

 

Please can you help me to understand what the role entails?

 

I know what a deputy and manager role entails (I have a CDROM contianing information) but there seem to be nothing regarding this role on the internet.

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

Beth

[Guest]

Hi Beth. I am a senior NN at the moment and basically my role is not much different from the other staff members. Differences include that when the manager and deputy are not there, one of us (we have 2 seniors) has to lock up, maintain ratios eg if it has gone past our finish time and everyone else has bolted for the door!

 

I am expected to have good planning ideas (thank goodness for the FSF!) and to contribute these at meetings. I am expected to interact with the parents when the other staff members feel uncomfortable, and I also get all the new ideas my boss gets from college to try out with the children (which is actually quite good fun!).

 

Other duties include mentoring trainees and offering feedback to tutors and assessors, which I also enjoy doing.

 

Can't think of anything more atm, mind you I am in the middle of my second to last essay of the year and my brain is hurting now, but if I think of anymore, I'll definately let you know.

 

Good luck with the hunt!

[Guest]

This is from Devon's Staffing Matters Guide;

SAMPLE_JOB_DESCRIPTIONseniornursery_nurse.doc

[beth1]

Thank you for your replies. I think with my level of experience and qualifications I should now be looking at this level of responibiltiy. No wonder my uni manger friends had sugeseted that I start to look for senior level jobs. Now I just need to find one that will support my uni days, year 2 is bound to be fun with 2 lectures over Thursday and Friday but still not sure of the hours as of yet, something tells me that I could be 2 half days off each week.

 

 

Clare you will be fine, once you have your last essay done, you will be feeling very good about finishing year 1. I only finished last Thursday and had a weekend to reflect upon my experinces. And I can tell you its amazing what we have discovered about ourselves and how we will develop better practice in the future concering the lives of young children we care for.

 

 

 

Beth

[rosepetal]

Hi Beth1,

I am a Senior Nursery officer in a private day nursery, i am also a room manager, i have the usual duties of a nursery practitioner, but as a room manager and the Senior Nursery officer i have additional duties, i am a key holder, i have to ensure all staff are adhering to the nurseries procedures and policies, i have also written up and added to new policies, i am also the Health and Safety Co-ordinator, i sometimes head meetings if to do with H & S. I am still being trained in all aspects of the nursery as part of my job role is to be able to run the nursery in the absence of the manager or deputy or to support the deputy if the manager was away. In a past job as a senior member of staff i was also on the interviewing board and sorted out staff hours and led appraisals.

Check the job description of which ever nursery you will be applying for as i have learnt that each nurserys job as a Senior Nursery officer is very different. I am getting itchy feet within my role as i am just not challenged enough. I am considering moving on, but not sure where or in what role.

 

 

Rosepetal

[beth1]

Thanks for the insite Rosepetal. The role sounds very familiar to when I worked as an out of school club leader. When I worked in the nursery I was classed as senior nursery nurse, until I moved down stairs full time.

 

My duties were; key holder, ensuring staff adhered to policies to the whole nursery, changing things in the out of school club when necessary, I changed the route to school. I had to plan and observe for the children's learning in the club using long, medum and short term planning. I also took fees and did the fee bills. I also covered for the nursery nurses downstairs on occassion, this carried on when I moved downstairs ummm maybe the management saw the pental(sp) in me.

 

Reading this back I have learn most of being a senior nursery nurse. Now I just need to find a position, read this and explain in the interviews what I have done.

 

 

Beth

[beth1]

Just recived an application form for the other senior nursery nurse position, phew I have everything bar one(desiable) on the job specification. Loads of forms to fill out before the end of next week. I think I may take a photocopy to work tommorow for the long lunch break (ok 1 hour).

 

Just a couple of quick questions:

 

What does a proven track record mean? Does it you have worked in childcare, or just in one setting for 1-2 years? I am confused.

 

Does anyone know what the voulantary pay scale is?

 

 

Thanks in advance.

 

 

 

Beth

[rosepetal]

Hi Beth1,

Good luck with the pending interview. Not sure about voluntary pay scales, i thought if you were voluntary anywhere you didn't get paid, it was done voluntary, i may be wrong.

 

As for having a proven track record, that means they want evidence of where you have worked and evidence of what your role was, so for example, if they are advertising for a Senior Nursery officer and part of their job description was, SNO (senior nursery officer) is to be in charge of fees or to be a key holder, proven track record required, they will want evidence that you did do that else where if you say you did do it as part of your duties in an other job. They may just want a proven track record of working in a child care provision, again this is just evidence that you have worked with children if you say you have. Hope that all makes sense.

 

 

Rosepetal

[beth1]

Right so when I worked as the before and after school club leader bear in mind I only did the job for 4 months before moving into the nursery itself. I was a key holder, taken fees, supervised another staff member, planning for out of school club (nursery planning was all done for us).

 

Ok this is the type of things (in my own words) they want on the job speccification:

 

Essential:

NVQ L3 (yes plus completed first year of foundation degree course = 2/3 level 4)

Knowladge of observations, child development, nursery care education i.e. B23 and FSC, planning and implementing activities for 0-5 years, paternship with parents. (4 years plus new knowladge with FDearly years year 1 course)

Awareness of equal opps and use of resources proven track record, work as part of a team. (4 years)

1-2 years working in simliar setting plus usual attitude abillites i.e. caring, warm, coperation with team members etc. (4 years)

 

Desirable:

SENCO (haven't got, would love the certificate)

working within Birth to 3 matters (worked a mixture in last 4 years plus certificates 2006)

first aid (did course, no certificate so I cannot show evidence!)

food hygiene (2006)

awarness of safegarding children, health and saftey and food needs. (4 years)

working with parents parternship (4 years)

supervisiory experience and motivating staff (4 months plus little bits in same day nursery and others to).

 

Now all I need to do is write this up as evidence. Ekkk that will be fun.

 

 

Beth

[beth1]

Well I have filled out the form, fingers crossed I will get an interview. It will be a long time to wait it closes on Friday and interviews are the following week.

 

 

Beth

[Guest]

I've got my fingers crossed for you Beth!