Early Years Educator Apprentice

UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

London (WC1H 0PQ)

Closes in 21 days (Friday 18 July 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 27 June 2025

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Summary

The UCL Day Nursery provides high quality childcare and nursery education. As an apprentice at UCL, you will undertake duties as are required to successfully complete the apprenticeship programme. Apprentices will be required to complete all training needed to be a successful Early Years Educator.

Wage

Competitive

Competitive wage offered

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

This job role will be paid at our AP1 Grade

Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Hours
Monday to Friday, shifts to be confirmed.

37 hours a week

Start date

Friday 1 August 2025

Duration

1 year 7 months

Positions available

2

Work

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

What you'll do at work

  • Plan and organise daily learning experiences with the team to promote the development of each individual child taking into consideration their varying interests and needs
  • Through planning and providing learning experiences, taking into account the Principles of Every Child Matters document and the Early Years Foundation Stage framework
  • Create learning opportunities and experiences that reflect the ethnicity of our families and to foster a positive self-image for all children
  • Plan and carry out outings for the children, undertaking risk assessments in conjunction with the outing planner
  • Create and maintain relevant accurate records including developmental records, room registers, accident forms and recording, medicine forms, illness register
  • Assist in providing a safe, stimulating, and nurturing environment for children
  • Support the planning and delivery of age-appropriate activities that promote learning and development
  • Work with children individually and in small groups to encourage social, emotional, and cognitive development
  • Help maintain cleanliness and hygiene standards, ensuring children’s safety at all times
  • Observe and record children’s progress, contributing to their individual learning journals
  • Support children’s personal care routines, including feeding, dressing, and toileting
  • Build positive relationships with children, parents, and staff members and communicating developmental and sensitive information
  • Assist in setting up and tidying up learning spaces and outdoor play areas
  • Follow all safeguarding, health, and safety guidelines in line with nursery policies
  • Attend training sessions and complete coursework to achieve your Early Years qualification
  • Attend and contribute to team meetings, training days, learning together sessions and room meetings

Where you'll work

51 Gordon Square
London
WC1H 0PQ

Training

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

College or training organisation

HAWK MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED

Your 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.
  • 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.

Your training plan

The apprentice will train with our trusted training provider through a blended approach of online learning and in-person visits. Training will take place both at the nursery and remotely, with regular monthly visits from a dedicated tutor who will support the apprentice’s progress. Off the job learning time will be allocated each week during working hours for study, coursework, and reflective learning, ensuring a balance between hands-on experience and theoretical development.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 9-4)
  • Mathematics (grade 9-4)

Other in:

Childcare (grade Level 2)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Team working

Other requirements

DBS required.

About this company

UCL comprises over 200 buildings over distributed sites valued at over £2 Billion, more than four million square feet of academic space, and approaching 4,500 student bedrooms. The scale, variety and complexity of the estate is unparalleled within the sector. UCL Campus Experience and Infrastructure is responsible for managing the delivery of a Campus Experience Strategy, working with the Estates Development team to support an investment programme in excess of £1bn over the next ten years. UCL currently has over 50,000 undergraduate and post graduate students and 15,000 members of staff, making it the largest University in the United Kingdom in terms of students. We are currently rated the 8th best University globally UCL is committed to providing the best possible Campus Experience, ensuring that its experience and infrastructure is sector leading and over time provides another reason to join or work with/for UCL, alongside its academic excellence. This role will contribute to the Campus Experience strategy, by delivering sector leading nursery services to the students and staff of UCL. The UCL Day Nursery can accommodate up to a combined number of 81 children between the ages of three months and five years. It is situated on two sites and three areas, the first is located in the basement of 49-51 Gordon Square (site 1 area 1) for 42 children over two years. The second being in the basement of 55-59 Gordon Square (site 2 area 2), for 27 children under the age of two and a half years. (Site 2 area 3) for 12 children. Children of staff take 75% of current provision from UCL compared to 25% of children of students. The Nursery operates as a “not for profit body” for the benefit of staff and students. Gross circa income above £1.5 million. There are 32 full-time FTE positions appointed to the Nursery.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/day-nursery/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

There may be an opportunity to apply for a full time role in the nursey should there be one available near the end of the apprenticeship, the role will only become permanent on successfully completing the apprenticeship.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

HAWK MANAGEMENT (UK) LIMITED

Demi Merchant

demi2@hawktraining.com

07739519715

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000328502.

Apply now

Closes in 21 days (Friday 18 July 2025 at 11:59pm)

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