Level 2 Early Years Practitioner Apprenticeship

Summary

Start your early years career with this fantastic opportunity to become a Level 2 Early Years Practitioner apprentice with Little Scholars working in a day nursery environment caring for children. You will be supporting children's learning and development through play and activities. Great role with lots of opportunities for development.

Wage

£11,778 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course

Early years practitioner (level 2)

Hours

Monday - Friday 8.45am - 3.15pm. Additional hours may be available at times by mutual agreement.

30 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

1 year

Positions available

1

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

The successful applicant will be working in the different areas of the nursery to gain skills and experience with the different age groups. In each group, the applicant will be involved in all aspects of the care and education of the children.

This will involve:

Planning and carrying out activities appropriate to the children development and age
Following the planned routine of the nursery
Observing children and identifying next steps
Assessing children’s learning and development
Gaining an understanding of the EYFS and development matters documents and implementing these in the setting
Liaising with the practitioners in each room and the management team to share information about the children and to receive support and guidance when needed
Keeping the environment clean and safe and helping to carry out and implement risk assessments when needed
Liaising with parents about their child’s day, passing on messages when required
Assisting the children with their personal care i.e. nappy changing, assisting with toileting, cleaning children after meals, nose wiping etc.
Reading, understanding and following the policies of the nursery
Having a good understanding of safeguarding children in the setting
Undertake training courses(online) to further knowledge of children and their development
The successful applicant will be trained and supported at all stages

Where you'll work

10 AUSTEN AVENUE
LITTLEOVER
DERBY
DE23 3EY

Training

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

College or training organisation

JUNIPER TRAINING LIMITED

Your 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.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 work setting and during off site visits.relating to both children and staff
Demonstrate skills and understanding for the prevention and control of infection, including hand washing, food preparation and hygiene, dealing with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
Use equipment, furniture and materials safely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and setting’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 settings by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy and balanced 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/complimentary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty/toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
Communicate with all children in ways that will be understood, including 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 communication methods to exchange information with children and adults.
Work with colleagues to identify and plan enabling environments, activities (both indoors and outdoors), play opportunities and educational programmes (both adult led and child initiated) 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, sharing results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory framework and setting’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 assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing (the graduated approach) 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, mentoring and/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 and/or carers and recognise their role in the baby’s/child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
Encourage parents and/or carers to take an active role in the baby’s/child’s care, play, learning and development.
Demonstrate how to share information with parents/carers about the importance of healthy balanced diets, looking after teeth and being physically active.
Support babies and young children through a range of transitions.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 work setting and during off site visits.relating to both children and staff
Demonstrate skills and understanding for the prevention and control of infection, including hand washing, food preparation and hygiene, dealing with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
Use equipment, furniture and materials safely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and setting’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 settings by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy and balanced 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/complimentary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty/toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
Communicate with all children in ways that will be understood, including 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 communication methods to exchange information with children and adults.
Work with colleagues to identify and plan enabling environments, activities (both indoors and outdoors), play opportunities and educational programmes (both adult led and child initiated) 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, sharing results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory framework and setting’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 assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing (the graduated approach) 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, mentoring and/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 and/or carers and recognise their role in the baby’s/child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
Encourage parents and/or carers to take an active role in the baby’s/child’s care, play, learning and development.
Demonstrate how to share information with parents/carers about the importance of healthy balanced diets, looking after teeth and being physically active.

Your training plan

Level 2 Early Years Practitioner Apprenticeship
Functional Skills in English and maths if required
End Point Assessment
Work based learning

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

GCSE English and Maths (grade 2/3 or D-E or Level 1 FS)

Desirable qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

GCSE English and Maths (grade A*-C/9-4 or Level 2 FS)

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
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Administrative skills
Number skills
Team working
Creative
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience
Physical fitness
Punctual and reliable

Other requirements

This is a job that requires stamina as working with little ones can be demanding. Working with small children can also get messy so the successful applicant needs to be fully committed to getting involved in the activities and care of the children which can potentially lead to getting messy .

About this company

We are one of Littleover’s leading childcare providers, caring for children from the age of six months to five years. At Little Scholars Nursery, we understand that your child’s safety and development are of paramount importance, not only to you but us also. Our aim is to provide your child with all the necessary skills required to help him/her strive in both personal and academic situations. The Nursery aims to provide a happy, caring and secure environment. We believe that a child’s first experience of school should be both stimulating and exciting. Our curriculum is based on the Early Years Foundation Stage which develops an engaging, challenging and stimulating learning experience for our young learners. The founders of Little Scholars Nursery endeavoured to set up a nursery with a unique learning programme and a pre-school that understands the importance of providing the highest quality childcare and education. The long established nursery has been under the same management for over 18 years with repetitive success across the years.

https://little-scholars.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

Once the qualification has been achieved, we would look to make it a permanent position, if possible, dependent on numbers in the nursery at the time of completion.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is: