Room Leader
Permanent room leader jobs
Running a room: the children in it, the staff in it, the ratio, the planning and the parents. The first genuinely managerial job in a nursery.
£29,000 to £33,500 outside London
Guide band for 2026. See how we work these out.
Room leader is the first job where the room's outcome is yours. More people search for what this role pays than for the role itself, which tells you exactly what practitioners weighing the step up are worried about.
What the role involves
- Leading a team of practitioners and assistants within one room
- Holding the ratio, including planning cover for lunches and absence
- Owning the room's planning, displays and learning environment
- Supervisions and day-to-day performance conversations with your team
- Being the parent's first escalation when a key person cannot resolve something
- Reporting to the deputy or manager on progress, concerns and safeguarding
What you will need
- Level 3 as a minimum, with real experience in the age group
- Evidence of leading people, even informally
- Someone who can hold a difficult conversation with a colleague and keep the room calm
- Understanding of how ratios really work on the morning someone calls in sick
Also advertised as: Nursery Room Leader, Team Leader. Settings use these titles more or less interchangeably, so search for all of them.
Where
Where we recruit this role
We place room leader roles across the UK. These are the areas we cover most closely.
Questions
About this role
What does a room leader earn?
Our 2026 guide puts this role at £29,000 to £33,500 outside London. Bands assume a 40-hour week and are built from the National Living Wage floor and the published sector median. The full method is on our salary guide.
Is this a permanent role?
Every role we place is permanent. Tiny Tots Recruitment does not run a temp desk and does not offer agency shifts.
What else is this job called?
You will also see it advertised as Nursery Room Leader, Team Leader. The qualification and the ratio requirements are the same whichever title a setting uses.
Related
Other roles we recruit
Baby Room Leader
Leading the under-twos. The tightest ratio in the building, the most anxious parents, and the hardest room in the country to staff.
£29,000 to £34,000 outside London
About this roleDeputy Nursery Manager
Second in command, and usually the person who runs the floor while the manager runs the business.
£30,000 to £37,000 outside London
About this roleSenior Practitioner
The step between practitioner and room leader. More responsibility for practice, including other people's, without full room accountability.
£28,500 to £32,000 outside London
About this roleLooking for a room leader role?
Register once and we will come to you when something fits. You will know the setting, the room and the pay before you decide whether to meet them, and your CV goes nowhere without your say-so.