Childminding Apprentice
Bluebell Nest
ASHFORD (TN23 6JR)
Closes in 27 days (Friday 14 November 2025 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 15 October 2025
Contents
Summary
At Bluebell Nest, we offer a warm, home-from-home setting where little lives grow in joy. We’re now looking for a caring, motivated Childminding Apprentice to join our small team and train towards a Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification.
- Wage
-
£11,778 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Early years educator (level 3)
- Hours
-
Part-time. 3 days per week to be agreed prior starting.
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 1 December 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
- Support with daily routines (mealtimes, nappy changing, hygiene, rest)
- Help plan and deliver engaging, age-appropriate activities
- Assist with tidying, cleaning, and preparing the environment
- Build warm, respectful relationships with children and families
- Observe and reflect on children’s development under guidance
- Follow safeguarding, health & safety, and setting policies
- Attend training and complete apprenticeship coursework
- A genuine love for working with young children
- Friendly and respectful communication style
- Willingness to learn and take direction
- Reliable, punctual, and professional
- Committed to completing the full apprenticeship
Where you'll work
39 AUSTIN ROAD
ASHFORD
TN23 6JR
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
EKC GROUP
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
You will train in the workplace with hands-on experience in the role with your employer as well as online workshops delivered by the college every 6 weeks.
The trainer will visit you in the workplace every 4–6 weeks.
More training information
Training to be delivered by EKC training.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Creative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
Other requirements
Passing a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check.
About this employer
Bluebell Nest Tiney Home Nursery in Ashford – a cosy, home-from-home space where little lives grow in joy, with curiosity-led play, daily outdoor adventures, and a warm, nurturing environment, your little one will explore, learn, and thrive every day.
After this apprenticeship
A career in Early Years.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
EKC GROUP
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000346435.
Apply now
Closes in 27 days (Friday 14 November 2025 at 11:59pm)
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