About us

Dandelion Education Ltd is a place where children grow and flourish, through exploring their natural environment under the skilled guidance and support of a team led by founders Hayley Room and Emma Harwood.

The seed of the idea came to Emma and Hayley as they sat drinking tea under a flowering magnolia tree, dreaming of a perfect learning environment for children.

This seed became Dandelion Education Ltd.

Dandelion Education: Dare to Dream

As qualified teachers, with over 50 collective years of teaching experience, we know that children thrive in stimulating environments where they are free to play, explore, imagine and learn. We are passionate about our ethos, believing that all children deserve fun and meaningful learning experiences; days that are filled with care, laughter and discovery, where they are free to develop their own interests, learning at a pace that suits them. We believe that if children ‘feel’ well, they will think well and thus learn well.

​This is the experience we wanted for our own children, so we created Dandelion Education.

- Founders and Managing Directors, Emma Harwood and Hayley Room

Join the Team

"Dandelions is an extraordinary nursery and working here is a living a dream. It will challenge you though, it will challenge you physically, mentally and emotionally. But you will always be supported throughout your time at Dandelions by a nurturing team to encourage your development in every way. It could be the most rewarding, life changing and significant thing you ever do."  (Tarl, Eaton Manager).

Dandelion highly values its staff and makes a commitment to every employee.

We work hard to: 

• Place a high priority on training all staff to the highest standards
• Provide a bespoke Dandelion training programme
• Promote a learning culture throughout Dandelion
• Offer paid apprentice training from level 2 to level 5
• Paid pediatric first aid, safeguarding and food hygiene training
• Hold a minimum of 3 PAID inset days each year for every ‘on the ground’ employee
• Provide a range of opportunities for furthering professional development
• Promote from within, ‘Grow our own’
• Offer pay scales that are competitive, transparent and reviewed annually
• Wellbeing supervisions  – because you matter to us; if you feel ‘well’ it’s contagious!
• Induction check ins for newbies
• New starter buddies
• Celebrate your life events, such as birthdays, by providing birthday bags! 
• Dandelion t-shirts, sweatshirts and bum bags!  
• Childcare discount for staff at management level
• Two days paid compassionate leave 
• Statutory maternity / paternity leave
• Two week Christmas closure for all staff - more time for you and your family to eat sprouts!
• 5.6 weeks paid holiday
• Bank holiday closures 
• Summer and Christmas staff socials
• Flu vaccinations 
• Recommend a friend scheme – we trust you; if your friend is successfully employed by us for 6 months, you’ll both receive a voucher for breakfast together
• Breakfasts for the early starters

See our website for further details about joining the Dandelion Education team.