Early Years Apprentice – Room to Play Team
THE TOY LIBRARY LIMITED
Nottingham (NG6 8GG)
Closes in 28 days (Saturday 10 January 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 11 December 2025
Contents
Summary
We’re now looking for two Early Years Apprentices to join our warm, passionate, and professional team. This is a hands-on opportunity to gain real-life experience in early years care while completing your Level 3 qualification on the job.
- Wage
-
£14,526.20 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)
£7.55 p/h - £10 p/h (experience variable)
- Training course
- Early years educator (level 3)
- Hours
-
Monday- Friday
(Occasional Tuesday to Saturday) 37 hours per week
30 min lunch
Shifts to be confirmed
37 hours a week
- Start date
-
Sunday 11 January 2026
- Duration
-
1 year 9 months
- Positions available
-
2
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
Purpose of the Role
The aim of Room to Play is to improve the following outcomes for children:
- Speech and language development
- Social and emotional development
- Nutrition and healthy lifestyles
Main Responsibilities:
- Support the planning and delivery of fun, creative, and inclusive play sessions
- Help set up, tidy, and maintain safe play environments
- Interact warmly with children and families, encouraging positive relationships and learning through play
- Assist with daily routines, snack preparation, and record keeping
- Work alongside the management team to support the smooth running of Room to Play sessions
- Participate in team meetings, training, and reflection sessions as part of your ongoing development
- Work as part of a team and support colleagues
- Ensure the safeguarding of children at all times
About You
We’re looking for someone who:
- Has a genuine passion for working with children and families
- Is kind, patient, and full of energy
- Works well as part of a team and communicates clearly
- Is reliable, enthusiastic, and eager to learn
- Understands (or is keen to learn about) safeguarding, inclusion, and early child development
- Is non-judgmental and works inclusively with all members of the community
- Is willing and able to work flexible hours, including some weekends
- Has basic literacy and numeracy skills
- Has good communication and listening skills
- Understands the importance of confidentiality
- Has a positive attitude towards people of any gender, family status, sexual identity, ethnic origin, culture, religion, or disability
- Is willing to seek guidance and support from team leaders, managers, and other professionals
Where you'll work
Squires Avenue
Nottingham
NG6 8GG
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
NOTTINGHAM 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
- Course duration: 21 months
- Early Years Educator Level 3
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 9-4)
- Maths (grade 9-4)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
About this employer
At The Toy Library, we believe that every child benefits from belonging to a family and every family benefits
from belonging to a community. Our purpose is to work alongside and support children, families and
communities to develop, grow and thrive together through play. That might sound simple, but it can be
complex. It’s often challenging, and it is always exciting!
After this apprenticeship
- Potential opportunity for a permanent role within the company following successful completion of the apprenticeship
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
NOTTINGHAM COLLEGE
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000004257.
Apply now
Closes in 28 days (Saturday 10 January 2026 at 11:59pm)
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