Apprentice Early Years Educator

Chestnuts Childcare

MANSFIELD (NG20 8PJ)

Closes in 21 days (Friday 30 January 2026 at 11:59pm)

Posted on 6 January 2026

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Summary

We are looking to recruit an apprentice to join our team to deliver a high standard of learning, development and care for children aged 0-5 years. To ensure that the preschool nursery is a safe environment for children, staff, and others.

Wage

£11,788 a year

Check minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

Training course
Early years educator (level 3)
Hours
Working on a rota, between the hours of 7.00am - 6.30pm, dependent on the needs of the business.

30 hours a week

Start date

Monday 2 February 2026

Duration

1 year 6 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

  • To provide a safe, caring, stimulating educational environment, both indoors and outdoors, always
  • To deliver an appropriate play based Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum that enables children to make individual progress
  • To help ensure the preschool nursery always meets Ofsted requirements
  • To understand and work to preschool nursery policies and procedures, including how to deal with child protection issues appropriately and how to respond to incidents, accidents, complaints, and emergencies
  • To plan activities which ensure each child is working towards the early learning outcomes
  • To be a key person
  • To ensure records are properly maintained, e.g. daily attendance register, accident and incident book, risk assessments
  • To liaise closely with parents/carers, informing them about the nursery and its curriculum, exchanging information about children’s progress and encouraging parents’ involvement
  • To work in partnership with senior management to update and review the self-evaluation and improvement plan
  • To undertake any other reasonable duties as directed, in accordance with the preschool aims and objectives

Where you'll work

BYRON STREET
SHIREBROOK
MANSFIELD
NG20 8PJ

Training

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

Training provider

WEST NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COLLEGE

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

We host supporting workshops regularly throughout the apprenticeship which you will attend in person at our designated training site/campus. These workshops are carefully designed to support the learning required throughout the apprenticeship programme.

You will work with expert assessors and tutors to develop new knowledge, skills and behaviours within the profession.

You will experience a blended learning model.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English (grade 4)
  • Maths (grade 4)

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

About this employer

Chestnuts Childcare has been established for over 19 years.We dedicate ourselves to provide the best quality of childcare for all children. We have a vast amount of experience at working with children with SEN, additional needs, multiple births, Autism, ADHD and other medical conditions.

A Place to Shine

All our staff are qualified to ensure they can provide quality teaching and learning to all children. Christine Scott, the Owner has spent time surveying the needs of local residents and put those needs into her business. The setting is open 52 weeks a year. We open from 5.00am to 10.30pm seven days a week. This helps us provide a service to parent/carers who work shifts or unsociable hours and have struggled to get childcare.

https://chestnutschildcare.wixsite.com/website (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Free car parking available.

After this apprenticeship

There may be an opportunity to progress into a full time, permanent role.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

WEST NOTTINGHAMSHIRE COLLEGE

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000006982.

Apply now

Closes in 21 days (Friday 30 January 2026 at 11:59pm)