Apprentice Early Years Practitioner

HUMMINGBIRD PRESCHOOL LIMITED

Wymondham (NR18 9SJ)

Closes on Monday 1 June 2026

Posted on 10 April 2026

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Summary

Work 30 hours per week (36 on college weeks) while completing your Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification. You'll take on the rewarding role of an Early Years Practitioner, balance coursework with support, and be a valued Key Person throughout your apprenticeship.

Wage

£13,728 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, Thursday and Friday 07:30 - 17:30 plus one day at college every other week.

33 hours a week

Start date

Tuesday 1 September 2026

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 the aims and mission of the preschool
  • Set a good example in terms of dress, punctuality and attendance
  • Attend team and staff meetings
  • Be proactive in matters relating to safeguarding, health and safety
  • Assist in the educational and social development of pupils
  • Provide support for individual and groups of students to enable them to fully participate in activities
  • Work with other professionals and parents, as necessary
  • Maintain student records
  • Support students with emotional or behavioural problems and help develop their social skills
  • Prepare necessary resources for students and help maintain an orderly environment
  • Prepare and present displays of students’ work

Where you'll work

Great Expectations
London Road, Suton
Wymondham
NR18 9SJ

Training

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

Training provider

CITY COLLEGE NORWICH

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 training will take place one day, every other week at City College Norwich, Ipswich Road Campus

More training information

  • City College Norwich, Ipswich Road, NR2 2LJ
  • Website - www.ccn.ac.uk

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 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
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Confident
  • Willingness to learn
  • Reliable

About this employer

Hummingbird Preschool was founded in 2016 by Ruth and Paul, two teachers with a passion for learning, and is expertly led by Zoe, a passionate and dynamic Early Years Leader.

We all want to encourage children to be curious and confident about the world they live in. We carefully plan activities to enable children to explore and discover.

We promote outdoor learning, messy and creative play and sharing language as a way to develop communication, self-confidence and independence. We do this with a highly qualified and experienced staff who support children through their earliest years and on to Primary School.

We take our inspiration from Wangari Maathai’s “Story of the Hummingbird.” We try to be like the hummingbird and “do the very best we can.”

We offer care for children from 7 months to 5 years old.

https://hummingbirdpreschool.co.uk/about-us/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

  • Free parking
  • Pension
  • Paid breaks during the day

After this apprenticeship

  • There will be the opportunity to progress at Hummingbird Preschool as and when positions become available

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

CITY COLLEGE NORWICH

CCN Apprenticeships

apprenticeships@ccn.ac.uk

01603 773365

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000025674.

Apply now

Closes on Monday 1 June 2026