Apprentice Early Years Practitioner

Would you like to complete training in a beautiful and innovative nursery with a well-qualified and curious staff team? We have an Apprenticeship vacancy at Wood St Nursery and are looking for an energetic, motivated Apprentice who would love to spend their time caring for children under 5 and helping them develop and learn.

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

In this role, you will learn:

• How to meet children’s social, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs by providing stimulating and age-appropriate play and learning opportunities in the setting
• How to supervise the children where appropriate and to protect them from dangerous or harmful situations, with the support and guidance of senior staff
• How to contribute to a high level of care that will enhance the children’s general health and wellbeing
• How to carry out observations of children, discuss the progress of children with the key person and contribute any ideas to informal and formal planning sessions
• How to be aware of any special needs a child may have and to familiarise yourself with relevant play and learning plans

Your day-to-day job will be:

• To play with and talk to the children
• To build warm and supportive relationships with the children
• To help with care of the children, including changing nappies, helping a child to clean themselves and change their clothes
• To ensure mealtimes are pleasant with conversation and social sharing, and to encourage children to eat a healthy diet
• To support children to be independent as much as possible
• To help with keeping the nursery clean and tidy at all times
• To help other team members throughout the nursery
• To record accidents under the supervision of a paediatric first aider
• To clear up the nursery at the end of the day
• To move and lift furniture and resources to set up and pack away the nursery environment daily/weekly as required
• To follow the nursery safeguarding procedure to ensure all children are kept safe, well and secure
• To attend occasional out of working hours activities, e.g. staff meetings or training
• To be flexible and prepared to help when and where needed in the nursery, including domestic jobs such as cleaning and preparation of snacks
• To read, understand and follow all nursery policies
• Understand and comply with safeguarding policies
• With support, learn about and follow the Early Years Foundation Stage

Where you'll work

Wood St Nursery
St Gabriel S Church
Havant Road
E17 3JF

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Training provider

PRE-SCHOOL LEARNING ALLIANCE

Training course

Early years practitioner (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• Support babies and young children through a range of transitions and significant events. e.g moving onto school, moving house or the birth of a sibling.
• Recognise when a child is in danger, at risk of serious harm or abuse and explain the procedures to be followed to protect them. Types of abuse including: domestic, neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
• Identify risks and hazards in the provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
• Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
• Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’s requirements.
• Encourage children to be aware of personal safety and the safety of others and develop personal hygiene practices (including oral hygiene).
• Promote health and wellbeing in the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious meals, snacks and drinks appropriate for their age and be physically active through planned and spontaneous activity throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors.
• Carry out respectful care routines appropriate to the development, stage, dignity and needs of the child, including eating (feeding and weaning or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
• Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Extend children’s development and learning through verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Encourage babies and young children to use a range of communication methods.
• Use a range of appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
• Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes to support children’s holistic development through a range of play, creativity, social development and learning.
• Implement and review activities to support children’s play, creativity, social development and learning and clear up after activities.
• Observe children, assess, plan and record the outcomes, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’s requirements.
• Use learning activities to support early language development.
• Support children’s early interest and development in mark making, writing, reading and being read to.
• Support children’s interest and development in mathematical learning including numbers, number patterns, counting, sorting and matching.
• Support the graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing of each baby’s and young child's individual plan for their care and participation.
• Work in ways that value and respect the developmental needs and stages of babies and children.
• Use feedback and mentoring or supervision to identify and support areas for development, goals and career opportunities.
• Work co-operatively with colleagues, other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of babies and young children and enable them to progress.
• Work alongside parents or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
• Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
• Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.