Nursery Practitioner - Early Years Apprentice

WHEATLEY HILL COMMUNITY NURSERY LIMITED

Durham (DH6 3RT)

Closes in 13 days (Friday 19 September 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 5 September 2025

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Summary

Wheatley Hill Community Nursery will ensure that children & their families will be offered a safe & stimulating environment where children can have fun, be happy & flourish. The practitioner apprentice will assist the room leader & qualified staff with the day-to-day running of the nursery provision, providing a high-quality service for all users.

• Wage:

  £14,722.50 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 educator (level 3)
• Hours: Monday - Friday - 37.5 hours per week. Times to be confirmed.

  37 hours 30 minutes a week

• Start date:

  Monday 29 September 2025

• Duration:

  1 year 6 months

• 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

Main responsibilities:

• To support the Room Leader & Room Staff to ensure a high standard of physical, emotional, social and intellectual care and development for children accessing the service.
• To support the Room Leader & Room Staff to ensure the Health and Safety policies and procedures are followed by all staff and users.
• To be responsible for any tasks delegated by the room lead or senior room staff.
• To implement the daily routines, ensuring all requirements of the Statutory Framework are being met.

Duties and responsibilities:

• By assisting the Room Lead & Support Room Staff by ensuring the provision of a safe, secure, and stimulating environment, which promotes the development of all areas of development for children, accessing the provision.
• By assisting the Room Leader & Supporting Room Staff in carrying out meaningful learning activities and opportunities in a high standard child-friendly room, following planning and medium-term documentation.
• By assisting the Room Leader & Supporting Room Staff in developing and maintaining relationships with children, parents, carers, and staff.
• Providing healthy and nutritious meals and snacks, encouraging healthy choices and supporting good oral hygiene.

This job description outlines the main activities of the post-holder. It is not meant to be, nor is it an exhaustive or exclusive list of specific duties and activities. The post holder will be expected to undertake any duties which could reasonably be construed as being within the remit of the post and which arise out of changes in legislation, regulations, orders, rules and working practices, methods and procedures and review as directed from time to time.

Where you'll work

Wheatley Hill Family Centre
Jack Lawson Terrace
Wheatley Hill
Durham
DH6 3RT

Training

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

Training provider

EAST DURHAM COLLEGE

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.

Training schedule

The successful candidate will train in the workplace 5 days a week with college attendance once a month. You will also have a workplace visit from a college tutor once a month too.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade 4 or C and above)
• Maths (grade 4 or C and above)

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

Skills

• Communication skills
• Customer care skills
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative
• Non judgemental
• Patience

About this employer

Wheatley Hill Community Nursery is a non-profit organisation providing day-care for children in the village and surrounding areas. Imaginations are captured in each uniquely designed room with various areas such as creative, role play, water play and messy play, A spacious outdoor area and delicious healthy snacks and meals prepared on site.

https://www.wheatleyhillcommunitynursery.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

For the right candidate, upon successful completion of the apprenticeship, there will be an opportunity for permanent employment and going on to complete further qualifications.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

EAST DURHAM COLLEGE

Emma Norbury

emma.norbury@eastdurham.ac.uk

01915185587

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000339033.

Apply now

Closes in 13 days (Friday 19 September 2025 at 11:59pm)

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