Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship

You will be employed at Little Petals Day Nursery and will attend monthly online training sessions provided by Chiltern Training Ltd.

Wage Competitive
Competitive wage offered
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Salary up to £29,741.40, depending on experience and relevant qualifications.

Training course
Early years lead practitioner (level 5)

Hours
You will work Monday - Friday, there is an option to work full time or part time. Shifts to be confirmed.
40 hours a week

Start date
Saturday 10 October 2026

Duration
1 year 6 months

Positions available
1

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

What you'll do at work

• Lead and model high-quality early years practice across the nursery
• Plan, implement, and evaluate learning experiences in line with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework
• Support children's learning, development, and wellbeing through child-centred approaches
• Observe, assess, and track children's progress, ensuring accurate records are maintained
• Identify and support children with additional needs, working with families and external professionals where required
• Act as a safeguarding lead or support safeguarding procedures to ensure children's safety and welfare
• Mentor, coach, and supervise early years practitioners and apprentices
• Lead staff meetings, training sessions, and professional development activities
• Monitor the quality of teaching and learning across the setting and implement improvements
• Build positive partnerships with parents and carers, sharing information about children's development
• Promote inclusive practice and ensure equal opportunities for all children
• Manage resources, learning environments, and activities to support effective learning
• Ensure compliance with nursery policies, legal requirements, and regulatory standards
• Contribute to nursery self-evaluation, action planning, and preparation for inspections by organizations such as Ofsted
• Lead initiatives that enhance children's outcomes, staff performance, and overall nursery quality

Where you'll work

23C WOOD LANE
SONNING COMMON
READING
RG4 9SJ

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

Training provider
CHILTERN TRAINING LIMITED

Training course
Early years lead practitioner (level 5)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents

• 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.