Early Years Lead Practitioner (L5) Apprentice - Grapevine Day Nursery
GRAPEVINE DAY NURSERY LIMITED
Birmingham (B21 0LH)
Closes on Tuesday 31 March 2026
Posted on 19 February 2026
Contents
Summary
An exciting opportunity for someone wishing to take their next step in their Early Years career. This Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship will help you build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take on a leadership role in an Early Years setting.
- Wage
-
£15,704 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
- Training course
- Early years lead practitioner (level 5)
- Hours
-
Monday to Friday, between 7:30am – 6:00pm (flexibility required)
40 hours a week
- Start date
-
Wednesday 1 April 2026
- Duration
-
2 years
- 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
This Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship will help you build the knowledge, skills, and confidence to take on a leadership role in an Early Years setting.
You’ll work in a senior position such as Room Leader or Early Years Lead, supporting both children’s development and your team’s growth while enhancing your reflective practice, professional understanding, and leadership capabilities.
Main Duties and Responsibilities:
- Follow all nursery policies and procedures at all times
- Plan and deliver engaging, age-appropriate activities that meet each child’s needs
- Build strong, supportive relationships with children, parents, and carers
- Observe, assess, and document children’s development and progress
- Promote equality, inclusion, and respect for all children and families
- Identify and report safeguarding or child protection concerns in line with policy
- Ensure a safe, clean, and stimulating learning environment
- Supervise children at all times and maintain accurate ratios
- Encourage independence and good hygiene practices
- Support positive behaviour and promote a caring, respectful environment
- Engage children during mealtimes and promote healthy eating
- Maintain and check resources and equipment to ensure safety and quality
- Work collaboratively with colleagues and management to ensure high standards
- Attend training, staff meetings, and nursery events as required
- Be flexible and support the wider nursery team where needed
Preferred Skills and Qualities:
- Excellent communication and teamwork skills
- Strong organisational and time management abilities
- Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism
- Creative, reflective, and positive approach to childcare
- Confident in using technology and online systems
- Knowledge of safeguarding, first aid, SEN, and food hygiene (preferred)
Special Requirements:
- Enhanced DBS check required prior to employment
- At least two professional references, including one from your most recent employer
- Ongoing commitment to professional development and compliance with training requirements
Where you'll work
56 Holyhead Road
Birmingham
B21 0LH
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
SKERN LODGE LIMITED
Training course
Early years lead practitioner (level 5)
Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)
What you'll learn
Course contents
- Advocate for children through their child centred approach, listening to the voice of the child; ensuring children’s rights, views and wishes are heard, respected and acted upon at all times. Offer appropriate support and influence decisions in the best interests of the child.
- Develop, model and implement strategies to support the emotional, social, psychological, physical and cultural needs of all children within the educational setting.
- Support and promote children’s diverse speech, language and communication development and determining and adapting appropriate responses and interventions to support verbal, nonverbal interactions and engagement with written communication.
- Support children to engage in a range of learning contexts such as individual, small groups and larger groups as appropriate for their play and support confidence within social experiences.
- Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children's learning and thinking, including sustained shared thinking.
- Promote, model and support children and families to develop a healthy approach to making choices relating to personal care including eating, sleeping and physical activity.
- Analyse and articulate how all children’s individual learning can be affected by their current developmental capabilities, characteristics and individual circumstances taking into account all factors contributing to typical and atypical development.
- Ensure plans fully reflect the individual development needs and circumstances of children and actively participate in the provision of consistent care, responding quickly to the needs of the individual child.
- Plan, carry out and guide appropriate personal care routines for individual children.
- Competently action and carry out safeguarding procedures, using their professional curiosity, knowledge, insight and understanding.
- Explore and understand, challenge and question; knowing when to act to safeguard and protect children.
- Encourage all children’s participation, ensuring a sensitive, respectful and effective balance within the adult and child dynamic to facilitate play opportunities.
- Ensure staff are deployed effectively to suit and enhance the learning environment, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of all children.
- Cultivate professional partnerships with parents, carers, colleagues and other professionals, presenting their understanding of the child’s journey within multidisciplinary teams to holistically support the child’s individual needs.
- Demonstrate the importance of the home learning environment, developing an effective and collaborative partnership to enhance opportunities for the child.
- Provide a dynamic, evolving and enabling environment that reflects the current interests, motivations, and play of individual and groups of children.
- Use current and contemporary knowledge, research, theories and approaches to develop, enhance and articulate their own pedagogical approach and practice.
- Observe, assess, plan, facilitate and participate in play opportunities which include current curriculum requirements.
- Make use of formative and summative assessment, tracking children’s progress to plan for future learning possibilities including early interventions based on individual developmental needs.
- Take responsibility for supporting the key person in articulating children's progress and planning future learning possibilities including the safe use of digital technology to communicate effectively in both oral and written English.
- Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
- Be a leaderful practitioner to support, mentor, coach, train and guide colleagues in a range of educational settings, providing inspiration and motivation to engage others to develop their practice, supporting teams and guiding change.
- Identify, action and competently challenge issues and undertake difficult conversations where appropriate.
- Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally to enhance their practice.
- Ensure the security and confidentiality of data, records and information in line with current legislation.
- Identify and act upon own responsibilities in relation to health and safety, prevention and control of infection, carrying out risk assessments and risk management processes in line with policies and procedures.
- Apply the principles of sustainability and segregate used resources for reuse, recycling, and safe disposal .
- Advocate for children through their child centred approach, listening to the voice of the child; ensuring children’s rights, views and wishes are heard, respected and acted upon at all times. Offer appropriate support and influence decisions in the best interests of the child.
- Develop, model and implement strategies to support the emotional, social, psychological, physical and cultural needs of all children within the educational setting.
- Support and promote children’s diverse speech, language and communication development and determining and adapting appropriate responses and interventions to support verbal, nonverbal interactions and engagement with written communication.
- Support children to engage in a range of learning contexts such as individual, small groups and larger groups as appropriate for their play and support confidence within social experiences.
- Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children's learning and thinking, including sustained shared thinking.
- Promote, model and support children and families to develop a healthy approach to making choices relating to personal care including eating, sleeping and physical activity.
- Analyse and articulate how all children’s individual learning can be affected by their current developmental capabilities, characteristics and individual circumstances taking into account all factors contributing to typical and atypical development.
- Ensure plans fully reflect the individual development needs and circumstances of children and actively participate in the provision of consistent care, responding quickly to the needs of the individual child.
- Plan, carry out and guide appropriate personal care routines for individual children.
- Competently action and carry out safeguarding procedures, using their professional curiosity, knowledge, insight and understanding.
- Explore and understand, challenge and question; knowing when to act to safeguard and protect children.
- Encourage all children’s participation, ensuring a sensitive, respectful and effective balance within the adult and child dynamic to facilitate play opportunities.
- Ensure staff are deployed effectively to suit and enhance the learning environment, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of all children.
- Cultivate professional partnerships with parents, carers, colleagues and other professionals, presenting their understanding of the child’s journey within multidisciplinary teams to holistically support the child’s individual needs.
- Demonstrate the importance of the home learning environment, developing an effective and collaborative partnership to enhance opportunities for the child.
- Provide a dynamic, evolving and enabling environment that reflects the current interests, motivations, and play of individual and groups of children.
- Use current and contemporary knowledge, research, theories and approaches to develop, enhance and articulate their own pedagogical approach and practice.
- Observe, assess, plan, facilitate and participate in play opportunities which include current curriculum requirements.
- Make use of formative and summative assessment, tracking children’s progress to plan for future learning possibilities including early interventions based on individual developmental needs.
- Take responsibility for supporting the key person in articulating children's progress and planning future learning possibilities including the safe use of digital technology to communicate effectively in both oral and written English.
- Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
- Be a leaderful practitioner to support, mentor, coach, train and guide colleagues in a range of educational settings, providing inspiration and motivation to engage others to develop their practice, supporting teams and guiding change.
- Identify, action and competently challenge issues and undertake difficult conversations where appropriate.
- Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally to enhance their practice.
- Ensure the security and confidentiality of data, records and information in line with current legislation.
- Identify and act upon own responsibilities in relation to health and safety, prevention and control of infection, carrying out risk assessments and risk management processes in line with policies and procedures.
- Apply the principles of sustainability and segregate used resources for reuse, recycling, and safe disposal .
Training schedule
Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE or equivalent in:
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Team working
- Creative
- Initiative
- Non judgemental
- Patience
- Physical fitness
Other requirements
This is a physical and active role, and you will need to be alert and have the ability to get involved.
About this employer
Grapevine nursery offers excellent nursery provision to children from ages 3 months+. Based in Handsworth the team are experienced and welcoming. A great nursery to gain further development in early years with a supportive and encouraging team behind you every step of the way.
After this apprenticeship
Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner qualification. Successful completion of the apprenticeship can lead to progression into senior roles such as Room Leader, Early Years Lead, or Deputy Manager within the nursery.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
SKERN LODGE LIMITED
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000016669.
Apply now
Closes on Tuesday 31 March 2026
After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.