What Nursery Leaders Told Us: The Real Challenges Behind the Role

The reality behind the role is changing

To understand what effective leadership support looks like in Early Years today, we spoke directly with nursery owners and managers across the sector.

Not about frameworks or theory, but about the day-to-day reality of running a nursery.

What came back was consistent.

The role of the nursery manager has evolved significantly, but the way leaders are developed has not always kept pace.

A role that is broader, more complex, and more demanding

Today’s nursery managers are responsible for far more than practice.

They are leading teams, managing ratios, handling parent expectations, maintaining compliance, overseeing safeguarding, and making operational decisions, often all within the same day.

At the same time, sector data continues to highlight wider pressures:

• Around 30% of the Early Years workforce leaves within the first few years, impacting continuity and progression
• Recruitment and retention challenges remain a key concern for providers
• Managers are increasingly required to balance quality, compliance, and commercial sustainability

This combination is making the leadership role both broader and more complex.

Confidence is not the issue, speed of development is

A key insight from our conversations was this:

Most managers are capable, but many are not fully confident when they first step into the role.

Around two thirds of the managers we spoke to said they did not feel confident in their first year.

This is not surprising. Many step into leadership because they are strong practitioners, but the role quickly shifts to:

• Leading and managing people
• Making decisions under pressure
• Taking responsibility for outcomes across the setting

These are skills that develop through experience, but experience takes time.

For employers, that time comes at a cost.

The impact on nurseries

When leadership confidence is still developing, the impact is felt across the whole nursery.

Owners told us they often remain closely involved in day-to-day decisions longer than expected. Senior staff carry additional responsibility. Teams can become reliant on a small number of experienced individuals.

In practical terms, this can lead to:

• Slower or more cautious decision-making
• Increased pressure on senior leaders and owners
• Reduced consistency across teams
• Challenges in scaling or growing the setting

In a sector already under pressure, this creates an additional layer of risk.

The overlooked gap: operational and commercial leadership

Another consistent theme was the business side of the role.

Many managers told us they had limited exposure to areas such as:

• Budgeting and financial awareness
• Occupancy and capacity planning
• Managing resources effectively
• Understanding the operational drivers of the nursery

Yet these are critical to the long-term sustainability of any setting.

While formal qualifications provide important knowledge, they do not always fully prepare individuals for applying this in live nursery environments.

What employers told us they need

When we asked what would make the biggest difference, the answers were clear.

Employers and managers are not asking for more training — they are asking for more relevant, practical development that reflects the reality of the role.

They want leaders who can:

• Apply knowledge confidently in real situations
• Manage people effectively from early on
• Make sound operational decisions
• Take ownership of their role sooner

In short, they want confidence and capability to develop faster.

How Lead & Inspire responds to this challenge

The Lead & Inspire Early Years Leadership Accelerator Programme was developed directly in response to these insights.

This is not a replacement for formal qualifications. It is a targeted, practical programme designed to accelerate leadership capability in real nursery settings.

Delivered over 10 months rather than traditional 18–24 month pathways, it focuses on building confidence where it matters most, in day-to-day leadership.

The programme supports managers to:

• Lead and develop their teams with confidence
• Handle difficult conversations and performance issues effectively
• Make informed operational and commercial decisions
• Understand how the nursery runs as a business, not just a setting
• Build confidence through real-world application, not just theory

Crucially, support continues beyond the programme through a network of Early Years leaders, helping participants sustain and embed their learning over time.

A more effective approach to leadership development

For employers, the benefit is clear.

Rather than relying solely on experience over time, leadership capability is developed in a more structured, supported, and accelerated way.

This leads to:

• More confident managers, sooner
• Reduced pressure on owners and senior leaders
• Stronger, more consistent team performance
• Improved stability within the nursery

In a sector where leadership is critical to quality, retention, and outcomes, this shift matters.

Find out more

Build confident nursery leaders faster. Strengthen your team and reduce pressure where it matters most.
Enquire today to find out more about the Lead & Inspire Early Years Leadership Accelerator Programme.