Early Years Lead Practitioner Level 5 Apprenticeship

HILL NURSERY LIMITED

HUDDERSFIELD (HD1 5BS)

Closes on Tuesday 30 September 2025

Posted on 22 August 2025


Summary

Do you inspire to progress within your Early Years Career? We are looking for an ambitious and knowledgeable early years educator who is wanting to develop and progress into a management role. This is a full-time position to work as a senior practitioner with progression into a deputy management role.

Wage

Competitive

Competitive wage offered

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

The wage is negotiable depending on experience

Training course
Early years lead practitioner (level 5)
Hours
Monday to Friday shifts between 7am and 6pm - - Term Time only

40 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 2 October 2025

Duration

2 years

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

  • Lead a team to create awe and inspiration for the children you care for through planning and creating exciting activities and teaching them new skills
  • Gain new knowledge, skills and behaviours throughout your apprenticeship to become a qualified lead practitioner
  • Support the team and children's daily needs from helping them at mealtimes, supporting their sleep needs and their well-being too
  • Lead training within the setting to ensure your team help children learn through a range of play types both indoors and outdoors, as well as enhancing cultural experiences
  • Leading by example to ensure a positive working environment

Where you'll work

CLARE HILL CENTRE
CLARE HILL
HUDDERSFIELD
HD1 5BS

Training

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

Training provider

JUNIPER 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 .
  • 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 .

Training schedule

Working towards a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship standard, including any necessary Functional Skills.
All training will take place at within the nursery, and you will also attend virtual masterclasses.  


Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)

Other in:

Early Years (grade Pass)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

Other requirements

Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. References.

About this employer

At Little Stars we nurture and ​develop children by providing ​experiences and opportunities to ​harness talents and abilities. Based at the Clare Hill Centre - off ​Cambridge Road, just a short ​distance from town centre.

https://mylittlestars.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

This apprenticeship will lead to a Deputy Management position for the right candidate.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

JUNIPER TRAINING LIMITED

Nikol Rainbank

nikol.rainbank@junipertraining.co.uk

07719018894

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000338546.

Apply now

Closes on Tuesday 30 September 2025

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