Early years educator apprentice

LITTLE SMARTIES LIMITED

Meols, (CH47 8XA)

Closes in 17 days (Wednesday 31 December 2025)

Posted on 2 December 2025

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Summary

Apprentices play a crucial part in supporting delivery of welfare and care in the early years. Supported by a suitably qualified early years educator, you will interact and work with the children on a day to day basis, supporting the planning and delivery of play activities and undertaking key person responsibilities.

Wage

£11,778 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age

National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices

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Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Hours
Rotating shifts between 8.00am and 6.00pm (Monday to Friday)

30 hours a week

Start date

Friday 2 January 2026

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

  • Plan and carry out child initiated and adult led play activities supporting children’s individual needs and interests
  • Provide play activities which encourage and promote children’s numeracy, literacy and language development
  • Undertake the role of the key person to help children feel safe, secure and valued
  • Carries out observations and use these effectively to understand the changing needs of their individual key children and plan for the interests in line with the early years foundation stage
  • Carry out care routines such as nappy changing, toileting, hand washing and feeding routines with care, respect and compassion
  • Work in partnership with other professionals, parents, colleagues and children to meet the individual needs of children
  • Ensure the welfare, well-being and safety of children is promoted and report safeguarding issues and concerns to the person in charge
  • Take an active role in seeking out continuous professional development opportunities during the apprentices programme and beyond
  • Support children who are experiencing transitions such as moving to school or birth of a sibling, using your knowledge of the children to support them
  • Take an active part in the completion of their apprenticeship, meeting deadlines set by their trainer assessor and working with the dedicated mentor to develop their knowledge, skills and behaviours
  • Work in a non-discriminatory way to ensure all children have equal access to opportunities

Where you'll work

Smarties Nursery and pre-school
Station Approach,
Meols,
CH47 8XA

Training

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

Training provider

REALISE LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT 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

  • Your full role and responsibilities will be set out by your employer
  • They will provide you with all of the on-the-job training you need to up-skill in your role, and your 20% off-the-job learning will be incorporated as part of your working day

You will be working towards the Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship standard, which includes:

  • Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours
  • Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid or Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid
  • Level 2 Functional Skills in maths and English (if required)

This will be delivered by your dedicated training provider, Realise.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE or equivalent in:

Maths and English (grade 4)

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

Skills

  • caring
  • Communication Skills
  • Creative

Other requirements

You will be required to undertake an enhanced dbs check as part of the employers safer recruitment process

About this employer

At Smarties, we’re a family-run nursery in Wirral offering a warm, nurturing environment where children feel at home, grow with confidence, and receive the highest quality care.

After this apprenticeship

  • At the end of the apprenticeship you will be a highly trained early years educator
  • Depending on the setting in which you work you could progress onto becoming a room leader or taking on additional specialisms such as special educational needs co-ordinator or the designated safeguarding lead

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

REALISE LEARNING AND EMPLOYMENT LIMITED

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000003352.

Apply now

Closes in 17 days (Wednesday 31 December 2025)

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