Early Years Educator Apprentice
SQUIRRELS DAY NURSERIES (BROXBOURNE) LTD
Herts (EN10 6AE)
Closes in 14 days (Friday 28 August 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 11 August 2026
Contents
Summary
The successful apprentice will be supporting to provide a safe, happy, and well-disciplined learning environment, which enables our children to acquire a wide range of knowledge, skills, and practical abilities.
- Wage
-
£12,480 for your first year, then could increase depending on your age
National Minimum Wage rate for apprentices
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Salary will be Between £8-£11 depending on age and experience.
- Training course
- Early years educator (level 3)
- Hours
-
Hours to cover 8.30am to 6.00pm, Monday to Friday, in accordance to business need. 1 hour unpaid lunch.
30 hours a week
- Start date
-
Monday 7 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
- Working in one of our rooms, explorers, and reporting to room leader, deputy manager and nursery manager.
- Engaging with children through their everyday play and social interactions and following curriculum.
- Read stories and singing songs.
- Messy and sensory activities.
- Help support team through everyday cleaning and washing routines.
- Continuous risk assessment of environment and reporting to room leader.
- Supporting children in their growing independence, such as hand washing, putting on own clothes, coats, and shoes and toilet training etc.
- Learn how to change nappies.
- Help plan and set up activities around children’s growing interests, both indoors and outdoors.
- Supporting children through mealtimes and sleep routines.
- Recording of accidents and medicines with room leader guidance.
- Parent partnerships.
- Possible keyperson role after progression of expectations.
- Follow policies and procedures of the nursery.
Where you'll work
Hertford Regional College
High Road
Turnford
Herts
EN10 6AE
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
HERTFORD REGIONAL 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
Working towards completing Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship Standard. Work based learning with regular 1-to-1s and monthly workshops with Assessor at Hertford Regional College Broxbourne Campus.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
GCSE in:
- English (grade 4-9)
- Maths (grade 4-9)
Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.
Skills
- Communication skills
- IT skills
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Team working
- Patience
- Approachable
- Enthusiasm
- Positive Attitude
- Kind nature
- Punctual and Reliable
Other requirements
Working hours between 30-40 hours per week.
About this employer
Squirrels Nursery Broxbourne is a 84 place nursery. A purpose-built large building houses 4 rooms equipped and resourced for differing age ranges. A very large garden surrounds the building allowing for exciting outdoor learning opportunities. Rated Outstanding by Ofsted in March 2018. The nursery continues to thrive for excellence and outstanding care and education for babies and children aged 3 months to 5 years.
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
There will be opportunities for progression and a permanent position subject to performance.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
HERTFORD REGIONAL COLLEGE
The Apprenticeship Team
apprenticeship@hrc.ac.uk
01992411572
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000045735.
Apply now
Closes in 14 days (Friday 28 August 2026 at 11:59pm)