Childcare Apprenticeship – Level 3 Early Years Educator
JUNIOR VIPS NURSERY LIMITED
Croydon (CR0 2UA)
Closes on Wednesday 17 December 2025
Posted on 17 October 2025
Contents
Summary
This apprenticeship is ideal for someone with some prior knowledge and experience within a nursery or school setting and especially someone passionate in childcare and early years, looking to further their career.
- Wage
-
£11,778 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Early years educator (level 3)
- Hours
-
Apprentices are required to be flexible, and punctuality is key. Working as part of a team and using own initiative are essential. The average working week will be between 30-40 hours, Monday - Friday, shifts to be confirmed.
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Wednesday 31 December 2025
- Duration
-
1 year 2 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
- Providing an excellent range of activities that ensures that the child learns whilst having fun.
- Supporting children’s learning and development, including supporting planning and observations.
- Preparing and maintaining the environment and resources for the children.
- Preparation of food for breakfast, snack and afternoon tea.
- Supporting children’s self-help needs.
- Being creative and enthusiastic.
- Following safeguarding rules
- Undertaking first aid training as required.
- Undertaking training as appropriate to meet any changes in standards or appropriate legal requirements as required.
- Ensuring that all health and hygiene requirements are always adhered to.
Where you'll work
32 Oakfield Road
Croydon
CR0 2UA
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
SWIFT ACI
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
Level 3 Advanced Diploma Early Years Educator
- You will be working towards an Advanced Diploma in Early Years.
- Your apprenticeship will last for 14 months, where you will be supported by a dedicated assessor throughout your apprenticeship, as well as a mentor and other staff within the nursery.
- This apprenticeship requires dedication, commitment & punctuality for you to be successful.
- This apprenticeship will open doors to a variety of future roles & career paths within the childcare sector.
- Training will take place in the workplace.
- You will need to attend online training with your assessor for 1 day a week for the first 8 weeks of your 14-month apprenticeship, for your classroom-based learning, and you will be working within the nursery for the rest of the time with the support of your dedicated childcare assessor.
- You will complete a qualification in paediatric first aid.
More training information
- Apprenticeship is 14 months in duration.
- Working in a nursery setting full-time, min 30hrs a week.
Attending online group classroom session 1 day a week for the first 8 weeks. - Updating online portfolio in a timely manner to meet deadlines.
- Training schedule will be communicated once the candidate is successful.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- IT skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem solving skills
- Logical
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Patience
About this employer
Junior VIPs Nursery is a dynamic and vibrant nursery that helps little VIP's have a great start in life. They provide childcare for children aged 3 months to 5 years and are open 8am-6pm daily ,51 weeks a year.
After this apprenticeship
Developing into a Level 3 practitioner, with the potential of a full time position upon successful completion. Other prospects could include applying for :
- Room Leader positions
- Possible management training
- Springboard into primary education
- Paediatric nursing
- Continuous development in current nursery setting
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
SWIFT ACI
Hannah Shorney
hls@swiftcc.co.uk
02034751326
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000347052.
Apply now
Closes on Wednesday 17 December 2025
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