Pre-school Apprentice

THORN GROVE LITTLE ACORNS LTD

Bishop's Stortford (CM23 5LD)

Closes in 10 days (Sunday 24 August 2025 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 11 August 2025

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Summary

An amazing opportunity to work as part of the pre-school team under the direction of the pre-school manager and begin to learn how to care for young children and help with their development.

Wage

£11,778 to £19,047.60, depending on your age

National Minimum Wage

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Early years practitioner (level 2)
Hours
4 days a week 08:30 - 16:00 (Term Time Only). 38 Working School Weeks. 7 Holiday Weeks.

30 hours a week

Start date

Thursday 4 September 2025

Duration

10 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

Duties include but not limited to:

  • To help set up and tidy away activities and toys, modelling good practice and behaviour for children to learn and follow. To ensure that all toys and equipment they deal with are always clean and safe.
  • To shadow a key person for a small group of children, liaising closely with the early years' practitioner, manager or deputy, ensuring each child’s needs are recognised and met.
  • To advise the pre-school leader of any concerns e.g. over children, child protection, parents/carers or the safety of equipment, preserving confidentiality as necessary.
  • To be aware of any special needs a child may have and to familiarise oneself with relevant play and learning with support from the team.
  • To keep completely confidential any information regarding the children, their families, or other staff. This is required as part of the job. This is why a confidentiality contract is signed when you begin.

Where you'll work

Thorn Grove
Bishop's Stortford
CM23 5LD

Training

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

Training provider

HARLOW COLLEGE

Training course

Early years practitioner (level 2)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Support babies and young children through a range of transitions and significant events. e.g moving onto school, moving house or the birth of a sibling.
  • Recognise when a child is in danger, at risk of serious harm or abuse and explain the procedures to be followed to protect them. Types of abuse including: domestic, neglect , physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
  • Identify risks and hazards in the provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
  • Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
  • Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’s requirements.
  • Encourage children to be aware of personal safety and the safety of others and develop personal hygiene practices (including oral hygiene).
  • Promote health and wellbeing in the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious meals, snacks and drinks appropriate for their age and be physically active through planned and spontaneous activity throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors.
  • Carry out respectful care routines appropriate to the development, stage, dignity and needs of the child, including eating (feeding and weaning or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
  • Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication.
  • Extend children’s development and learning through verbal and non-verbal communication.
  • Encourage babies and young children to use a range of communication methods.
  • Use a range of appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
  • Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes to support children’s holistic development through a range of play, creativity, social development and learning.
  • Implement and review activities to support children’s play, creativity, social development and learning and clear up after activities.
  • Observe children, assess, plan and record the outcomes, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’s requirements.
  • Use learning activities to support early language development.
  • Support children’s early interest and development in mark making, writing, reading and being read to.
  • Support children’s interest and development in mathematical learning including numbers, number patterns, counting, sorting and matching.
  • Support the graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing of each baby’s and young child's individual plan for their care and participation.
  • Work in ways that value and respect the developmental needs and stages of babies and children.
  • Use feedback and mentoring or supervision to identify and support areas for development, goals and career opportunities.
  • Work co-operatively with colleagues, other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of babies and young children and enable them to progress.
  • Work alongside parents or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
  • Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
  • Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.
  • Support babies and young children through a range of transitions and significant events. e.g moving onto school, moving house or the birth of a sibling.
  • Recognise when a child is in danger, at risk of serious harm or abuse and explain the procedures to be followed to protect them. Types of abuse including: domestic, neglect , physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
  • Identify risks and hazards in the provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
  • Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
  • Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’s requirements.
  • Encourage children to be aware of personal safety and the safety of others and develop personal hygiene practices (including oral hygiene).
  • Promote health and wellbeing in the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious meals, snacks and drinks appropriate for their age and be physically active through planned and spontaneous activity throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors.
  • Carry out respectful care routines appropriate to the development, stage, dignity and needs of the child, including eating (feeding and weaning or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
  • Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication.
  • Extend children’s development and learning through verbal and non-verbal communication.
  • Encourage babies and young children to use a range of communication methods.
  • Use a range of appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
  • Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes to support children’s holistic development through a range of play, creativity, social development and learning.
  • Implement and review activities to support children’s play, creativity, social development and learning and clear up after activities.
  • Observe children, assess, plan and record the outcomes, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’s requirements.
  • Use learning activities to support early language development.
  • Support children’s early interest and development in mark making, writing, reading and being read to.
  • Support children’s interest and development in mathematical learning including numbers, number patterns, counting, sorting and matching.
  • Support the graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing of each baby’s and young child's individual plan for their care and participation.
  • Work in ways that value and respect the developmental needs and stages of babies and children.
  • Use feedback and mentoring or supervision to identify and support areas for development, goals and career opportunities.
  • Work co-operatively with colleagues, other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of babies and young children and enable them to progress.
  • Work alongside parents or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
  • Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
  • Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.

Training schedule

Harlow College has an outstanding team of EYP training staff and assessors with wide experience and knowledge. We work closely with employers to ensure apprentices develop appropriate knowledge, skills and behaviours for the workplace setting and to meet the needs of the Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard. The Early Years Practitioner Apprentice will be interacting with parents, children, colleagues and wider multi-agency professionals and partners such as health visitors, social workers and speech and language therapists.

The apprentice will undergo all checks as per the EYFS requirements to ensure suitability to work with children. Due to the nature and level of responsibility, it is not anticipated that the role would have any budgetary or leadership responsibilities.

You will develop skills for the care and education of 0-5yr-olds in early years settings and gain practical and theoretical knowledge covering a variety of topics including child development, health and safety, safeguarding and inclusion.

Training will be to the new Level 2 Standard. Details may be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/early-years-practitioner-v1-0

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade Grade 2 or higher)
  • Maths (grade Grade 2 or higher)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • IT skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Presentation skills
  • Administrative skills
  • Number skills
  • Analytical skills
  • Logical
  • Team working
  • Creative
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Willing to learn
  • Enthusiastic/Motivated
  • Relaible
  • Adaptability

Other requirements

Passing a DBS Check.

About this employer

We are a small private company who operate out of school premise. We have 24 little ones aged between 20 months to age 4. We have access to the school hall and some outdoor access. We have been open 16 years.

https://directory.hertfordshire.gov.uk/services/5424 (opens in new tab)

After this apprenticeship

We require 2 apprentices with a view to being employed permanently when qualified. We offer in-house training when required, opportunities to shadow the manager and deputy when dealing with any child protection or funding situations.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

HARLOW COLLEGE

Kellie Tighe

ktighe@harlow-college.ac.uk

07377125961

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000336384.

Apply now

Closes in 10 days (Sunday 24 August 2025 at 11:59pm)

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