Nursery Manager Apprentice (St Phillips)
ROLE PLAY ADVENTURES LTD
Bristol (BS2 0LP)
Closes in 22 days (Monday 20 April 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 27 March 2026
Contents
Summary
Start your early years career with Little Adventures Nurseries. Support a caring team, help deliver play-based learning, and assist children’s development while working towards a recognised qualification. Gain hands-on experience, build confidence, and grow your career.
- Wage
-
£38,958 a year
- Training course
- Early years lead practitioner (level 5)
- Hours
-
Monday- Friday
7:30am- 6pm
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Saturday 25 April 2026
- 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
Main Areas of Responsibility
Strategic Leadership & Improvement
- Articulate and deliver a compelling vision for exceptional Early Years education and care
- Lead strategic planning, setting clear priorities that raise quality, outcomes and professional standards across the nursery
- Use data, reflective practice and self evaluation to create targeted, high impact action plans that drive sustained improvement
- Cultivate a culture of curiosity, professional inquiry, research-informed practice and ambition for every child
Educational Excellence & Pedagogical Leadership
- Provide expert pedagogical leadership rooted in EYFS principles, current research and excellent practice
- Champion a curriculum that is intentional, inclusive, inspiring and responsive to children’s interests and needs
- Embed high expectations for teaching, learning and assessment, ensuring children make strong progress and their individual learning journeys are visible and celebrated
- Drive excellence in SEND, inclusion and equity, ensuring every child’s voice is heard and valued
Safeguarding & Compliance
- Serve as the Nominated Manager and DSL, ensuring safeguarding is a deeply embedded culture, not just a process
- Model exemplary vigilance, professional curiosity and safeguarding leadership
- Ensure robust health & safety, risk management and safer recruitment systems are consistently applied.
Financial & Operational Leadership
- Lead the nursery with a CEO mindset, ensuring operational excellence, efficient systems and financial sustainability
- Monitor occupancy, staffing, budgets and expenditure with precision and foresight
- Ensure the nursery environment remains inspiring, well-maintained and conducive to high-quality learning
People Leadership & Culture
- Lead with authenticity, emotional intelligence and values-driven behaviour, championing the ARCH values
- Build a high-performing, motivated and resilient team rooted in trust, professional respect and shared purpose
- Model visionary leadership by coaching, mentoring and empowering staff to reach their potential
- Foster a culture of wellbeing, inclusion and psychological safety where colleagues feel supported and valued
Parents, Partnerships & Community Influence
- Act as an ambassador for St Philips, building strong, professional relationships with parents and the wider community
- Lead parent partnerships with empathy, integrity and transparency
- Strengthen partnerships with external agencies, local authorities and professional networks to enhance outcomes for children
Where you'll work
Shaftesbury Chapel
Union Road
Bristol
BS2 0LP
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
THE CHILD CARE COMPANY (OLD WINDSOR) 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
- Training will take place primarily in the workplace at Little Adventures Nurseries, with off-the-job learning delivered online and the Development Coach visiting the nursery setting
- Training will be completed throughout the apprenticeship, with regular sessions (typically weekly) alongside daily on-the-job learning
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4 - 9)
- Maths (grade 4 - 9)
Other in:
Early Years Educator (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
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Presentation skills
- Number skills
- Analytical skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
Other requirements
- Passing a Disclosure and Barrins Service (DBS) check
- Passing Referencing Checks
About this employer
Little Adventures Nursery began with a simple yet powerful vision: to create a nurturing space where children could flourish, explore, and grow. From the very start, our mission has been to provide exceptional early years education, blending the highest standards of care with an environment that feels like a second home. Every aspect of our nursery has been thoughtfully designed to spark curiosity, encourage independence, and inspire a lifelong love of learning, ensuring that every child’s journey is as unique and special as they are.
https://littleadventuresnursery.com/nursery/st-philips-bristol/ (opens in new tab)
Company benefits
- Sickness Pay up to 4 weeks
- Childcare Nursery Discounts
- 33 days holiday
- Birthday Day Off
- Loyalty Reward of 1 holiday per year worked
- Free uniform
- Manager bonus
After this apprenticeship
After progressing to Nursery Manager, there are several further career pathways in early years:
- Area/Regional Manager overseeing multiple nursery settings
- Operations or Head Office roles (e.g. Quality, Training, Safeguarding)
- Early Years Consultant or Trainer
- Opening or managing your own nursery business
- Progressing into teaching or specialist roles with further qualifications
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
THE CHILD CARE COMPANY (OLD WINDSOR) LIMITED
Ali Franklin
ali.franklin@thechildcarecompany.com
01753 978514
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000023742.
Apply now
Closes in 22 days (Monday 20 April 2026 at 11:59pm)