Early Years Apprentice - Merrydale nursery
KINGSCLERE NURSERIES LTD COMPLETE CHILDCARE
London Road (RG40 1PD)
Closes on Sunday 11 January 2026
Posted on 11 November 2025
Contents
Summary
Are you looking to develop your career within childcare? Come and join our fun and dynamic team! Grow your early years career with this fantastic opportunity in a growing, ambitious company, providing care, education and compliance for children to the highest standard. Competitive salary, uniform and lunch provided, plus other excellent benefits.
- Wage
-
£16,640 a year
- Training course
- Early years practitioner (level 2)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday
(Shifts agreed at offer stage)
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Sunday 18 January 2026
- Duration
-
1 year
- Positions available
-
3
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
Merrydale Day Nursery is conveniently located at Amen Corner, Wokingham, are delighted to have an opportunity for an Apprentice to join their team. As an Early Years Apprentice you will be trained on the job to give you a true representation of what it is like to work in a day nursery. You will be allocated a buddy who you will work alongside, and you will work towards undertaking the role of a key person. Within the role of Apprentice, you will attend training days with our training provider and the other days will be based at your allocated nursery.
During your apprenticeship you will be required to:
- To assist team members in providing the highest standard of compliance, care and education for children, and effectively manage daily operations of the nursery, including positive partnerships with staff and parents
- To contribute ideas to planning ensuring children receive high quality of learning and development
- To liaise with nursery staff regarding children’s specific needs and requirements
- To maintain a safe, clean, and healthy environment
- To adhere to all Nursery policies and procedures
- To always meet health and safety and environmental health requirements
- You will work closely with your buddy to support the development of good practice with regards to inclusion. You will also observe, assess and plan interesting, stimulating, and challenging activities which links to the individual learning, development needs and abilities of the children in your care
Where you'll work
London Road
RG40 1PD
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
REALISE LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT LIMITED
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 and significant events. 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 provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
- Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
- Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’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 the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious 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 or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
- Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes 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 appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
- Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes 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, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’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 graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing 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 and mentoring 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 or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
- Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
- Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.
- Support babies and young children through a range of transitions and significant events. 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 provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
- Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
- Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’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 the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious 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 or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
- Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes 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 appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
- Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes 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, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’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 graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing 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 and mentoring 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 or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
- Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
- Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.
Training schedule
Your full role and responsibilities will be set out by your employer.
They will provide you with all of the on-the-job training you need to up-skill in your role, and your 20% off-the-job learning will be incorporated as part of your working day.
You will be working towards the Level 2 Early Years Practitioner apprenticeship standard, which includes:
- Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
- Functional skills in maths and English if required
This will be delivered by your dedicated training provider, Realise.
Requirements
Desirable qualifications
GCSE or equivalent in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Administrative skills
- Analytical Skills
- Attention to detail
- Communication Skills
- Creative
- Customer care skills
- Initiative
- IT skills
- Logical
- Maths and English
- Non judgemental
- Number skills
- Organisation skills
- Patience
- Physical fitness
- Presentation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
Other requirements
Please note: We undertake safeguarding checks on all our workers in accordance with the DfE statutory guidance 'Keeping Children Safe in Education'. As part of these checks, we require a current Enhanced DBS Disclosure for everyone working our nurseries. If you do not have a valid subscription to the DBS Update Service, we will require you to complete a new DBS application as part of the registration process
About this employer
Merrydale Day Nursery is conveniently located at Amen Corner, Wokingham, close to the A329, and has served hundreds of busy commuting families over the years. With its own car park, friendly experienced team, and large garden it has always been a popular choice with parents.
Company benefits
Rewards and Benefits: Staff welfare ethos Stamp cards Bike to work scheme Childcare discount Development opportunities
After this apprenticeship
- You could progress to being a qualified Practitioner and beyond- choosing a career with opportunities to train while you’re working ensures career progression
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
REALISE LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT LIMITED
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000000196.
Apply now
Closes on Sunday 11 January 2026
Sign in with your GOV.UK One Login to apply.
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.