Early Year Educator - Level 3 Apprenticeship

LARA NURSERY GROUP LTD

THIRSK (YO7 1TS)

Closes on Thursday 1 October 2026

Posted on 25 August 2026


Summary

Are you passionate about building a career working with children?

Lara Nursery has a fantastic opportunity for an enthusiastic individual to join the team as a Level 3 Early Years Apprentice. Gain a recognised qualification while earning and developing valuable hands-on experience in a nurturing, nature-focused learning environment.

Wage

£15,808 to £25,114.96, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Hours
The setting is open 7.30am - 6.30pm Monday - Friday, 38 hours per week over 4 days, shifts will be on a rota basis.

38 hours a week

Start date

Monday 5 October 2026

Duration

1 year 6 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

  • Supporting children through their daily learning, play, and care routines
  • Helping to plan and deliver engaging activities tailored to children's interests and developmental needs
  • Encouraging creativity, curiosity, independence, and confidence
  • Supporting outdoor learning, sensory experiences, and nature-based activities
  • Building positive relationships with children, families, and colleagues
  • Assisting with the induction of new children and helping them settle into nursery life
  • Maintaining a safe, stimulating, and welcoming environment for all children
  • Promoting children's emotional wellbeing, health, and development
  • Following safeguarding, health and safety, and nursery policies and procedures at all times
  • Supporting record keeping and documentation to meet nursery and regulatory requirements
  • Participating in training, team meetings, and continuous professional development opportunities

Where you'll work

INSPIRATION WAY
SOWERBY
THIRSK
YO7 1TS

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 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

This training schedule has not been finalised. Check with this employer if you’ll need to travel to a college or training location for this apprenticeship.

More training information

Training provider is Best Practice Network.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

English (grade 4/C)

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
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience

Other requirements

  • Need to pass a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check
  • 2 references are needed

About this employer

At Lara Nursery, we're on a mission to cultivate a spirit of exploration, experimentation, and boundless dreaming in every child.
We believe in providing a nurturing environment where children are encouraged to explore, experiment, and dream big, fostering a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world around them.

We want to change the way Early Years education is delivered through employing career driven Early Years Practitioners who light up a room with enthusiasm. Where children and practitioners become our family, ready for the ever-changing world ahead of them.

https://www.laranursery.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

  • Lunch included
  • Free onsite parking
  • Casual dress
  • In-house allocated mentor
  • Continuous CPD

Disability Confident

Disability Confident

A fair proportion of interviews for this apprenticeship will be offered to applicants with a disability or long-term health condition. This includes non-visible disabilities and conditions.

You can choose to be considered for an interview under the Disability Confident scheme. You’ll need to meet the essential requirements to be considered for an interview.

After this apprenticeship

Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).

This apprenticeship provides an excellent foundation for a rewarding career in Early Years. On successful completion, you may secure a permanent role as a Level 3 Early Years Educator and progress into positions such as Room Leader, Senior Practitioner, or other leadership roles as you gain experience. There are also opportunities to continue your professional development through higher-level Early Years qualifications and further training.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

BEST PRACTICE NETWORK LIMITED

Alice Pollington

alice.pollington@bestpracticenet.co.uk

0117 920 9200

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000049967.

Apply now

Closes on Thursday 1 October 2026