Managing Stress and Workload as a Nursery Room Leader
If this is your first time reading our content, welcome! I’m Beth, the Content Marketing Executive at Connect Childcare. Before moving into this role, I spent years working in early years education, including as a deputy room leader. It’s a career filled with joy and purpose—seeing children grow and develop in your care is truly special. But, as anyone in the sector knows, it can also be incredibly demanding. Balancing the needs of children, supporting your team, and keeping on top of endless paperwork can sometimes feel like a juggling act.
Recently, I had the opportunity to explore these challenges during a webinar we hosted with Jamie Victoria, the Childcare Guru. The session, Bringing Back Your Nursery Team’s Sparkle (And Yours Too), was based on findings from our survey on early years staff wellbeing.
One question from the webinar really stood out to me: How can nursery room leaders manage high numbers of children in a room to reduce stress on early years practitioners? It’s such an important topic, and I’m excited to share some of the strategies and insights that worked for me and my team.
What is a room leader?
Before we begin, let’s take a moment to understand the role of a room leader. A room leader is responsible for their assigned room, delivering high-quality teaching and care for children in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). They lead a team of staff, ensuring everything from daily routines to regulatory requirements runs smoothly.
But being a room leader isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about building relationships with children, parents, carers, and staff. Positive communication and strong partnerships are the foundation of a happy, well-functioning nursery room.
Facing the challenge of high numbers
In my experience, managing a room with a high number of children can be particularly demanding. At one nursery, the room I worked in could have up to 50 children per day – and believe me, I understand how daunting that sounds. The noise alone can be overwhelming, and keeping everything running smoothly requires careful planning and teamwork.
Here are some strategies that helped us manage the chaos, support staff wellbeing, and keep children engaged:
1. Establish daily routines for staff and children
Consistency is key. Clear, structured routines help create a calm environment where everyone knows what to expect. For us, this meant:
- Mealtimes and rolling snack schedules were predictable and smooth.
- Regular headcounts, outdoor checks, and tidy-up times kept everyone safe and organised.
- Dedicated story times provided a moment of calm for children and staff alike.
2. In-the-moment planning
Rigid plans can be stressful, especially in a dynamic environment like a nursery. Instead, we embraced in-the-moment planning, adapting activities to match children’s interests. This ensured the children were engaged and that each activity had a purpose promoting fun learning.
3. Embrace the outdoors – whatever the weather!
We had an open-door policy for outdoor play, rain or shine. Spending time outside helped reduce noise levels in the room and provided a change of scenery for both children and staff. We also held regular Forest School sessions, alternating groups in the morning and afternoon to give each child an enriching outdoor experience.
Catch up on this blog, where we explore the importance of outdoor play in early years, especially as the autumn weather settles in. Read practical tips and insights on how to keep children excited about playing outside, and how to inspire your team to embrace outdoor activities—even on the coldest days.
4. Plan interest-based trips
Whenever possible, we took small groups of children on local outings that aligned with their interests – whether it was a trip to the library, the park, the post office, or the greengrocer. These excursions broke up the day and added an extra layer of excitement to the children’s learning experience.
5. Engage staff on the children’s level
A happy team is an engaged team. Both myself and the room leader worked closely with staff to ensure they were actively involved in activities, playing and learning alongside the children. This not only created a more enjoyable atmosphere but also made the day fly by for everyone involved.
6. Streamline paperwork with nursery software
Switching from paper-based learning journals to nursery software was one of the best decisions our setting made. By embracing technology, specifically the full Connect Childcare system, we transformed how we managed day-to-day tasks. Using the practitioner web app, iConnect, we could log observations, snapshots, nappy changes, meal updates, sleep checks, and more in real-time. This eliminated the need for daily “file time,” where a staff member would step out of the room to complete paperwork. Instead, our entire team could stay present with the children, capturing observations and moments as they happened.
The benefits didn’t stop there. Parent partnerships improved significantly. With real-time updates on their child’s day, handovers became more personal and stress-free. Parents already knew about meals, activities, nappy changes, and even medical or accident reports, which could be quickly logged and signed digitally. This system not only reduced the pressure on staff to recall every detail but also ensured important events were never missed. Communication became clearer, information more reliable, and parents left feeling more connected and reassured about their child’s care.
Finding the sparkle again
Being a room leader can be tough, but it’s also one of the most rewarding roles in early years education. If you’re feeling the weight of the job, remember that you’re not alone – and there are practical steps you can take to lighten the load for yourself and your team.
If you’d like to hear more tips and strategies for improving staff wellbeing and boosting morale, I highly recommend watching the recording of our webinar with Jamie Victoria. It’s full of insights that can help bring the sparkle back to your nursery team – and to you!
Rewatch the webinar here.
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About the Author
Content Marketing Executive at Connect Childcare