Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship

Take the next step in your Early Years career with a Level 5 Lead Practitioner apprenticeship. Develop advanced leadership skills, support high-quality practice, and drive outcomes for children and your team. Advance your career in Early Years leadership.

Wage £26,436 a year

The pay will be discussed at your interview and the experience you will bring to the setting.

Training course Early years lead practitioner (level 5)

Hours Monday - Friday 7.30am - 6pm (on rota). 40 hours a week

Start date Tuesday 7 July 2026

Duration 1 year 9 months

Positions available 2

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

Responsibilities

Purpose of Post: To provide a high standard of physical and emotional, social, and intellectual care for children placed in the nursery To give support to other personnel within the nursery To implement the daily routine in the base room

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Operate a programme of activities suitable to the age range of children in your care in conjunction with other staff, considering individual needs, stages of development, religious and cultural differences.
• To keep observations and records on your key children as necessary under the EYFS.
• Work with parents of children with additional needs and other agencies to give full integration into the nursery.
• Support all staff and engage in a good team.
• Liaise with and support parents and other family members.
• To be involved in activities outside of working hours, e.g., training, staff meetings, Christmas party etc.
• To be flexible within working practices of the nursery. Be prepared to help where needed including to undertake certain domestic duties within the nursery, e.g., preparation of snacks, meals, cleaning of equipment etc.
• Work alongside the manager and staff team to ensure that the mission statement, aims and objectives of the nursery are fulfilled.
• Recording accidents on the appropriate forms.
• Be constantly aware of the needs of all the children.
• Ensure the secure collection of children
• To respect confidentiality of information received.
• To develop your role within the team especially as a Key Person.

Specific Child Care Tasks:

• To ensure that mealtimes are a time of pleasant social sharing.
• Washing and changing children as required.
• Providing comfort and warmth to an ill child.
• To be aware of the reputation of the nursery and to always uphold standard.

What you'll learn

• Advocate for children through their child centred approach, listening to the voice of the child; ensuring children’s rights, views and wishes are heard, respected and acted upon at all times. Offer appropriate support and influence decisions in the best interests of the child.
• Develop, model and implement strategies to support the emotional, social, psychological, physical and cultural needs of all children within the educational setting.
• Support and promote children’s diverse speech, language and communication development and determining and adapting appropriate responses and interventions to support verbal, nonverbal interactions and engagement with written communication.
• Support children to engage in a range of learning contexts such as individual, small groups and larger groups as appropriate for their play and support confidence within social experiences.
• Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children's learning and thinking, including sustained shared thinking.
• Promote, model and support children and families to develop a healthy approach to making choices relating to personal care including eating, sleeping and physical activity.
• Analyse and articulate how all children’s individual learning can be affected by their current developmental capabilities, characteristics and individual circumstances taking into account all factors contributing to typical and atypical development.
• Ensure plans fully reflect the individual development needs and circumstances of children and actively participate in the provision of consistent care, responding quickly to the needs of the individual child.
• Plan, carry out and guide appropriate personal care routines for individual children.
• Competently action and carry out safeguarding procedures, using their professional curiosity, knowledge, insight and understanding.
• Explore and understand, challenge and question; knowing when to act to safeguard and protect children.
• Encourage all children’s participation, ensuring a sensitive, respectful and effective balance within the adult and child dynamic to facilitate play opportunities.
• Ensure staff are deployed effectively to suit and enhance the learning environment, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of all children.
• Cultivate professional partnerships with parents, carers, colleagues and other professionals, presenting their understanding of the child’s journey within multidisciplinary teams to holistically support the child’s individual needs.
• Demonstrate the importance of the home learning environment, developing an effective and collaborative partnership to enhance opportunities for the child.
• Provide a dynamic, evolving and enabling environment that reflects the current interests, motivations, and play of individual and groups of children.
• Use current and contemporary knowledge, research, theories and approaches to develop, enhance and articulate their own pedagogical approach and practice.
• Observe, assess, plan, facilitate and participate in play opportunities which include current curriculum requirements.
• Make use of formative and summative assessment, tracking children’s progress to plan for future learning possibilities including early interventions based on individual developmental needs.
• Take responsibility for supporting the key person in articulating children's progress and planning future learning possibilities including the safe use of digital technology to communicate effectively in both oral and written English.
• Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Be a leaderful practitioner to support, mentor, coach, train and guide colleagues in a range of educational settings, providing inspiration and motivation to engage others to develop their practice, supporting teams and guiding change.
• Identify, action and competently challenge issues and undertake difficult conversations where appropriate.
• Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally to enhance their practice.
• Ensure the security and confidentiality of data, records and information in line with current legislation.
• Identify and act upon own responsibilities in relation to health and safety, prevention and control of infection, carrying out risk assessments and risk management processes in line with policies and procedures.
• Apply the principles of sustainability and segregate used resources for reuse, recycling, and safe disposal .