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Apprentice Nursery Practitioner

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This apprenticeship offers a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills while delivering high-quality care, learning, and development for every child at The Elms Day Nursery.
Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.
What you'll do at work
- You will provide high quality, positive care for children through social, emotional, educational and practical interaction, nurturing and guidance.
- You will follow the policies and procedures and comply with the Children Act (2006), Health and Safety legislation and within the requirements of Ofsted and the Early Years Foundation Stage, including ensuring confidentiality is maintained.
- You will ensure the children are kept safe, are well, and that Child Protection Procedures are followed.
- You will implement the key worker system to address the individual needs of each child, their family and carers.
- You will have an awareness of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice
- Undertake observation and assessment of children’s learning and development, helping ensure records are kept up-to-date, of a high standard and shared effectively.
- Partner with parents/carers to keep them informed of their child’s day and progress.
- Organise, maintain and ensure a clean, tidy, hygienic, safe, child-friendly environment.
- Plan, prepare and supervise activities such as arts and craft, cooking, reading, music, outdoor and physical activities both indoors and out.
- Clean and maintain toys and equipment in a safe manner.
- Feed babies and young children ensuring their nutritional needs are met, complying with Food Safety Regulations.
- Change nappies and support children with potty training and toileting.
- Help children to learn social, emotional, numeracy, language and practical skills.
- Work with staff within the nursery to provide a high quality nursery service.
- Work with outside professional bodies and agencies as appropriate.
- Implement the daily routine of the nursery.
- Participate in meetings.
- Follow the nursery’s practices, processes and procedures. E.g. positive behaviour management techniques.
- Learn about developments in childcare and undertake training as required.
- Ensure the health and safety of colleagues and children, complying with all Health and Safety requirements.
- Treats everyone with dignity and respect in line with current equality legislation.
- Undertake other duties as required.
Where you'll work
Edgbaston
Birmingham
West Midlands
B15 2TT
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD
Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure.
- Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries, and emergencies).
- Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
- Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
- Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
- Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
- Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
- Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
- Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
- Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
- Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
- Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
- Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
- Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
- Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
- Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the individual child’s voice.
- Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
- Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
- Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
- Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting's curriculum and pedagogy.
- Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Grad scheme, placement, apprenticeship? Not sure what you want yet — that's fine. Your agent talks it through with you and turns "I have no idea" into a shortlist.
Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
See breakdownIt searches the market for you
Every day your agent scans the market matching roles against what actually matters to you, not just keywords on a CV.
Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Training schedule
At the nursery with a mixture of online and in person learning.
Desirable qualifications
- GCSE in:
- English (grade 9 to 4 (A* to C))
- Maths (grade 9 to 4 (A* to C))
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
- Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
- Providing references prior to interview
People are at the heart of what we are and do.
The University of Birmingham is proud to have been a part of the City of Birmingham and the wider region for over 100 years, and we are equally proud to be recognised as a leading global university. We want to attract talented people from across the city and beyond, support them to succeed, and celebrate their success.


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Your very own career expert that helps elevate your application to the next level.
We are committed to helping the people who work here to develop through our sector-leading Birmingham Professional programme which provides all professional services staff with development opportunities and the encouragement to reach their full potential. With almost 5,000 professional services jobs in a wide-range of functions in Edgbaston and in our campus in Dubai, there are plenty of opportunities for you to be able to develop your career at the University.
We believe there is no such thing as a typical member of staff and that diversity is a source of strength that underpins the exchange of ideas, innovation, and debate. We warmly welcome people from all backgrounds and are committed to fostering an inclusive environment where diversity is at the heart of who and what we are, and how we work.
Supporting our people to achieve a healthy work/life balance is important both to our employees and to the success of the University and, depending on the role, we offer a variety of flexible working arrangements. We therefore welcome discussions on all forms of flexible working. In addition, you will receive a generous package of benefits including 40 days paid holiday a year, one paid day a year for volunteering, occupational sick pay, and a pension scheme. We also have three high quality subsidised day nurseries.
The University is situated in leafy Edgbaston and there are excellent transport links to our beautiful campus, including main bus routes and a train station on site. On campus we have a state-of-the-art sports centre with pool, shops, places to eat and drink, our own art gallery, museum and botanical gardens.
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/jobs/apprenticeships (opens in new tab)
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/jobs/staff-benefits
Disability Confident
A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions. You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
On completion of this apprenticeship, you may be able to progress into a Nursery Practitioner role.
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE OPPORTUNITY PROVIDER LTD
apprenticeships@contacts.bham.ac.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000042420.
Closes in 18 days (Sunday 2 August 2026)
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