Early Years apprenticeship (Forest School)

TREEHOPPERS FK LTD

Haywards Heath (RH16 1XP)

Closes on Saturday 18 July 2026

Posted on 12 May 2026

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Summary

Do you love working with children & enjoy being outdoors? Will you be leaving college or University this summer? Or looking to retrain?

We are looking for an enthusiastic apprentice to join our team at Treehoppers Forest Kindergarten, Haywards Heath.

• Wage:

  £19,047.60 a year

  Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)

  Wages will be determined by age & experience. However as a minimum we will pay £12.21 per hour, rather than apprenticeship wage.

• Training course: Early years educator (level 3)
• Hours: Minimum of 4 days a week. Our nursery is open Monday-Thursday 9am- 4pm and Friday 9am-3pm.

  30 hours a week

• Start date:

  Tuesday 1 September 2026

• Duration:

  1 year 6 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

Tasks include:

• Helping to set up and pack away equipment each day
• Working with the Kindergarten team to deliver high quality and fun early learning and childcare in an outdoor setting
• Helping to promote a happy, caring and welcoming atmosphere
• Taking on increasing responsibility for a small group of children as time goes on, ensuring they have access to and participate in a range of outdoor learning and play opportunities
• Assisting with the recording and reporting of children's learning, care and development
• Supporting snack/meal times within the setting
• Supporting children with hygiene & personal care
• Assisting with the planning and delivery of special Treehoppers events and activities, some of which may take place during the evening and weekends (e.g. Open Mornings/Stay & Plays)
• Actively participating at team meetings, supervision meetings and appraisal meetings. We are a small team and value everyone's ideas, thoughts, creativity and suggestions to make our setting the best it can be

Where you'll work

Treehoppers Forest Kindergarten
Borde Hill Lane
Haywards Heath
RH16 1XP

Training

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

Training provider

MOBIUS PARTNERS 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

Training schedule to be agreed, but will be a mixture of on the job training & paid study time

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

Maths & 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

• Communication skills
• Team working
• Non judgemental
• Patience
• Physical fitness

Other requirements

Our Kindergarten is a Forest School & Outdoor provision, so you must be physically fit and enjoy being outdoors rain or shine. 

You will need to pass a DBS check.

About this employer

Treehoppers is a Forest Kindergarten for children aged 2 and over, open from 8am to 4pm Monday to Thursday and 9am to 3pm on a Friday. We are based at Borde Hill gardens in Haywards Heath.

We have an amazing outdoor space, an enormous sandpit for the children to play in, a dedicated garden area for growing fruit & vegetables and shelters & Tipi's for when the weather is wild.

http://www.treehoppersfk.com (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

- Parking (Please note our site is not very easy to get to by public transport)

- Bank holiday and birthday leave, once probation passed

After this apprenticeship

• There are opportunities at Treehoppers to progress to an Early Years Educator once the apprenticship is complete

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

TREEHOPPERS FK LTD

Suzanne Mark

admin@treehoppersfk.com

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000031045.

Apply now

Closes on Saturday 18 July 2026