Forest School Nursery Manager

Stave Hill Ecology Park, London SE16 6AX

Contract:

Permanent, part-time

(3 days per week, with opportunity to increase to 4 days from 2027)

Private healthcare, company pension, discounted childcare, cycle-to-work scheme and ongoing CPD.

Location:

Stave Hill Ecology Park, London SE16 6AX

Contract:

Permanent, part-time

(3 days per week, with opportunity to increase to 4 days from 2027)

Salary:

£38,000 - £40,000 FTE (pro rata) depending on experience

Benefits:

Private healthcare, company pension, discounted childcare, cycle-to-work scheme and ongoing CPD.

Lead one of London's most unique nurseries

At The Hive, children spend their days outdoors.

Our Forest School nursery is based at Stave Hill Ecology Park, where children have the freedom to explore the woodland, meadow and open spaces, develop confidence and independence, and build a strong connection with the natural world.

We’re looking for an experienced Forest School Nursery Manager to lead our small nursery team. We’re looking for someone who values child-led learning, strong relationships and giving children the time and space to follow their interests.

It’s a hands‑on role with plenty of variety, and a real opportunity to help shape how the nursery develops over the coming years.

About The Hive

The Hive is a Certified B Corporation and one of London's leading Forest School organisations.

Since 2014, we've welcomed thousands of children through our Forest School holiday camps, workshops and outdoor learning programmes. Since 2018, we've also trained hundreds of Forest School Leaders through our nationally recognised, Ofqual-regulated Forest School qualifications.

Since January 2025, our nursery has offered a fully outdoor Forest School experience for children aged 2–5, building on everything we’ve learned over the years.

What you’ll enjoy working here

Unlike many nursery management roles, this position allows you to focus on what matters most: children, learning and your team.

You’ll benefit from:

• Leading a small nursery with a maximum of 24 children.
• Working almost entirely outdoors in a beautiful ecological park.
• The freedom to shape an inspiring, season‑led curriculum.
• A collaborative, supportive team of Forest School Leaders sharing your passion for Forest School.
• A Head Office team that manages recruitment, admissions, invoicing and much of the administration, leaving you more time to lead your team and spend time with children.
• The opportunity to influence the future growth and direction of our nursery.
• Good work‑life balance with a 3-day working week and 47 weeks of operation each year.
• Ongoing professional development.

About the role

Working alongside your two Deputy Managers and three practitioners, and with the support of our wider Hive team, you'll lead the day‑to‑day running of the nursery while helping shape its future. This is a hands‑on leadership role. You'll spend your time supporting children, mentoring your team and creating exceptional Forest School learning experiences.

Your responsibilities

You’ll:

• Lead the nursery in line with The Hive's values and the Forest School ethos.
• Inspire, support and develop an experienced and enthusiastic team.
• Create a rich, nature‑led curriculum based on children's interests and the EYFS.
• Build warm, trusting relationships with families.
• Maintain outstanding standards of safeguarding, health and safety and wellbeing.
• Ensure the nursery consistently delivers high‑quality care and education.
• Lead Ofsted inspections alongside the nursery director
• Help shape the future growth of The Hive's nursery provision.

About you

You’ll be someone who:

• Has an Early Years Level 3 qualification or Qualified Teacher Status.
• Has a Level 3 Forest School Leader qualification.
• Has experience leading an Early Years team.
• Has a strong understanding of the EYFS and safeguarding.
• Believes children learn best through play, exploration and meaningful experiences in nature.
• Enjoys supporting and developing colleagues.
• Builds positive relationships with children, families and colleagues.
• Is calm, organised and able to make sound decisions in a busy outdoor environment.
• Brings creativity, warmth and curiosity to your work every day.

Our values

Everything we do is guided by six values:

• Curiosity
• Connection
• Inclusivity
• Respect
• Resilience
• Sustainability

These values shape every aspect of our work, from how we support children and families to how we care for our team, our communities and the natural world. They are also reflected in our commitment as a Certified B Corporation , meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency.

Safeguarding

The Hive is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. All appointments are subject to enhanced DBS checks, references, identity and qualification checks, and safer recruitment procedures.

From our team

For me, I would say our nursery has a very special location, tucked away in the woods at Stave Hill, and that we are totally immersed in nature and can experience the flow of the seasons in a way that very few UK nurseries can match. It is almost like a different reality and I often lose track of time, which is a really positive thing to be able to say in our frantic world. I think our disconnection from technology is also pretty unique and counts for a lot when screen‑time is so pervasive in many other areas of life. I am happy that we can offer the children who attend the experience of ‘old‑fashioned’ childhood outdoor play that is becoming increasingly rare in urban areas.

I think our nursery is a beacon for like‑minded people, both parents and staff, which may explain why we enjoy strong team relationships and a supportive parent community. Everyone is very invested in what we’re doing here.

I like coming to work as we have a strong team, and I feel well‑supported by my colleagues and by The Hive. I get a great sense of achievement from doing a job that I feel is very valuable and I take pride in the way my resilience, resourcefulness and Forest school skills have risen to the challenge of working in a year‑round outdoor nursery.

A lot of the challenges that I faced as a classroom teacher fade away at the Hive Forest School Nursery. And at last, I have an opportunity to put into practice all the theories of learning and play that inspired me to become a teacher in the first place.

We’d love to hear from you

If you're excited by the idea of leading a small outdoor nursery where you'll have the freedom to inspire children, develop a fantastic team and help shape the future of Forest School education, we'd love to hear from you.

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