Nursery school head teacher

Description

Nursery school head teachers manage the day-to-day activities of a kindergarten or nursery school. They manage staff, make decisions concerning admissions and are responsible for meeting curriculum standards, which are age-appropriate for kindergarten students and facilitate social and behavioural development education. They also ensure the school meets the national education requirements set by law.

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to nursery school head teacher:

kindergarten director
nursery school principal
headteacher of nursery school
preschool headteacher
preschool head teacher
head teacher of nursery school
nursery headteacher
nursery school headmaster
nursery school director
head teacher of nursery
kindergarten headmaster
nursery school headteacher
kindergarten principal

Minimum qualifications

Master’s degree is generally required to work as nursery school head teacher. However, this requirement may differ in some countries.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Nursery school head teacher is a Skill level 4 occupation.

Nursery school head teacher career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to nursery school head teacher.

deputy head teacher
primary school head teacher
secondary school department head
special educational needs head teacher
secondary school head teacher

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of nursery school head teacher. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of nursery school head teacher with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of nursery school head teacher.

Curriculum standards: The governmental policies concerning educational curricula and the approved curricula from specific educational institutions.
Education law: The area of law and legislation that concerns education policies and the people working in the sector in an (inter)national context, such as teachers, students, and administrators.
Project management: Understand project management and the activities which comprise this area. Know the variables implied in project management such as time, resources, requirements, deadlines, and responding to unexpected events.
Pedagogy: The discipline that concerns the theory and practice of education including the various instructional methods for educating individuals or groups.
Curriculum objectives: The goals identified in curricula and defined learning outcomes.
Kindergarten school procedures: The inner workings of a kindergarten, such as the structure of the relevant education support and management, policies, and regulations.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of nursery school head teacher.

Cooperate with education professionals: Communicate with teachers or other professionals working in education in order to identify needs and areas of improvement in education systems, and to establish a collaborative relationship.
Assist in the organisation of school events: Provide assistance in the planning and organisation of school events, such as the school’s open house day, a sports game or a talent show.
Guarantee students’ safety: Ensure all students falling under an instructor or other person’s supervision are safe and accounted for. Follow safety precautions in the learning situation.
Supervise educational staff: Monitor and evaluate the actions of the educational staff such as teaching or research assistants and teachers and their methods. Mentor, train, and give advice to them if necessary.
Manage budgets: Plan, monitor and report on the budget.
Assess the development of youth: Evaluate the different aspects of development needs of children and young people.
Develop organisational policies: Develop and supervise the implementation of policies aimed at documenting and detailing the procedures for the operations of the organisation in the lights of its strategic planning.
Manage staff: Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.
Show an exemplary leading role in an organisation: Perform, act, and behave in a manner that inspires collaborators to follow the example given by their managers.
Monitor educational developments: Monitor the changes in educational policies, methodologies and research by reviewing relevant literature and liaising with education officials and institutions.
Implement care programmes for children: Perform activities with children according to their physical, emotional, intellectual and social needs by using appropriate tools and equipment that facilitate interaction and learning activities.
Write work-related reports: Compose work-related reports that support effective relationship management and a high standard of documentation and record keeping. Write and present results and conclusions in a clear and intelligible way so they are comprehensible to a non-expert audience.
Support children’s wellbeing: Provide an environment that supports and values children and helps them to manage their own feelings and relationships with others.
Make improvements to work activities: Make recommendations for improvements to work activities
Apply for government funding: Gather information on and apply for subsidies, grants, and other financing programmes provided by the government to small- and large-scale projects or organisations in various fields.
Present reports: Display results, statistics and conclusions to an audience in a transparent and straightforward way.
Analyse staff capacity: Evaluate and identify staffing gaps in quantity, skills, performance revenue and surpluses.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of nursery school head teacher. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Labour legislation: Legislation, on a national or international level, that governs labour conditions in various fields between labour parties such as the government, employees, employers, and trade unions.
Assessment processes: Various evaluation techniques, theories, and tools applicable in the assessment of students, participants in a programme, and employees. Different assessment strategies such as initial, formative, summative and self- assessment are used for varying purposes.
Funding methods: The financial possibilities for funding projects such as the traditional ones, namely loans, venture capital, public or private grants up to alternative methods such as crowdfunding.
Trade union regulations: The compilation of legal agreements and practices for operations of trade unions. Legal scope of trade unions in their quest of protecting the rights and minimum working standards of workers.
Contract law: The field of legal principles that govern written agreements between parties concerning the exchange of goods or services, including contractual obligations and termination.
Learning technologies: The technologies and channels, including digital, to enhance learning.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of nursery school head teacher. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

Escort students on a field trip: Accompany students on an educational trip outside the school environment and ensure their safety and cooperation.
Evaluate education programmes: Evaluate ongoing training programmes and advise on potential optimisation.
Assess employees’ capability levels: Evaluate the capabilities of employees by creating criteria and systematic testing methods for measuring expertise of individuals within an organisation.
Recruit employees: Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.
Provide feedback to teachers: Communicate with the teacher in order to provide them with detailed feedback on their teaching performance, class management and curriculum adherence.
Provide after school care: Lead, supervise or help with the assistance of indoor and outdoor recreational or educational activities after school or during school holidays.
Identify education needs: Identify the needs of students, organisations and companies in terms of provision of education in order to aid in the development of curricula and education policies.
Manage resources for educational purposes: Identify the necessary resources needed for learning purposes, such as materials in class or arranged transportation for a field trip. Apply for the corresponding budget and follow up on the orders.
Promote education programmes: Promote ongoing research into education and the development of new education programmes and policies in order to obtain support and funds, and to raise awareness.
Manage contracts: Negotiate the terms, conditions, costs and other specifications of a contract while making sure they comply with legal requirements and are legally enforceable. Oversee the execution of the contract, agree on and document any changes.
Maintain contract administration: Keep contracts up to date and organise them according to a classification system for future consultation.
Teach kindergarten class content: Instruct pre-primary students in basic learning principles, in preparation for future formal learning. Teach them the principles of certain basic subjects such as number, letter, and colour recognition, days of the week, and the categorisation of animals and vehicles.
Manage enrolment: Decide on the number of available places and select pupils or students on the basis of set criteria and according to national legislation.
Work with virtual learning environments: Incorporate the use of online learning environments and platforms into the process of instruction.
Advise on lesson plans: Analyse policy issues which impact on students’ experience of education. Advise on the ways in which lesson plans for specific lessons can be improved in order to reach education goals, engage the students and adhere to the curriculum.
Develop professional network: Reach out to and meet up with people in a professional context. Find common ground and use your contacts for mutual benefit. Keep track of the people in your personal professional network and stay up to date on their activities.
Create a financial report: Finalise project accounting. Prepare an actual budget, compare the discrepancy between the planned and actual budget, and draw final conclusions.
Advise on teaching methods: Advise education professionals on the proper adaptation of curricula in lesson plans, classroom management, professional conduct as a teacher, and other activities and methods related to teaching.
Maintain relations with children’s parents: Inform children`s parents of the activities planned, program`s expectations and children`s individual progress.
Lead inspections: Lead inspections and the protocol involved, such as introducing the inspection team, explaining the purpose of the inspection, performing the inspection, requesting documents, asking appropriate questions, and maintaining a high level of professionalism when investigating subjects.

ISCO group and title

1341 – Child care services managers

 

 


 

 

References
  1. Nursery school head teacher – ESCO
Last updated on August 8, 2022