Level 5 Early Years Lead Apprenticeship

THE ARK CHILDREN CENTRE LIMITED

EVELYN STREET (SE8 5RB)

Closes on Wednesday 1 July 2026

Posted on 21 April 2026

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Contents

Summary

We have a fantastic opportunity for an aspiring apprentice to join our team. We are looking for enthusiastic individuals who are ambitious and want to gain an early year's qualification while getting experience. You'll create meaningful relationships with the children, your team and with parents.

Wage

£16,640 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)

Wage can increase

Training course
Early years lead practitioner (level 5)
Hours
Monday to Friday shifts between 7:30am to 6:30pm. Rota based hours

40 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 2 July 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

  • You'll create meaningful relationships with the children, your team and with parents to provide the best service for our families
  • Ensure that every child's wellbeing is met by providing a thriving and safe environment
  • Safeguarding all children in the setting and making sure any child protection concerns are always appropriately acted upon immediately
  • You will observe, monitor and support delivering activities and learning experiences linked to the EYFS
  • Ensure children’s progress and achievements are regularly and effectively assessed and recorded. Including any activities, meals served and medication administered
  • Meet the needs of individual children, having an awareness of any disabilities, family cultures, and medical histories
  • Learn and maintain high standards in the nursery
  • Support and serve food to children, ensuring any special dietary requirements are met at all times

Where you'll work

TRINITY HOUSE
EVELYN STREET
SE8 5RB

Training

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

Training provider

BEST PRACTICE NETWORK 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

Early Years Lead Practitioner Level 5.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

Other in:

Level 3 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
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Patience

Other requirements

At least 1-year experience of Level 3 early years qualification with significant sector experience.

The role involves mentoring and managing care, you must have the capacity to carry out senior role responsibilities or already in a senior role.

SEN exposure is highly desirable and availability and flexibility is essential.

About this employer

We are a day nursery off Evelyn Street in Deptford. We care for children from 3 months to 5 years. The Ark Children Centre provides a friendly, warm and safe nursery environment, whilst focusing on the children's social, emotional, physical, and intellectual needs. Our ethos is that, if a child is happy, in a safe secure environment, they will develop to their full potential.

After this apprenticeship

Early Years Educators are found in a range of settings including day nurseries, playgroups, nursery schools, pre-schools, kindergartens, primary schools, hospitals, social care settings, out of school environments and local authority provision, giving you a broad range of employment opportunities.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

BEST PRACTICE NETWORK LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000027581.

Apply now

Closes on Wednesday 1 July 2026