Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship
KIDS CORNER NURSERY LTD
Leicester (LE5 5FS)
Closes in 9 days (Friday 14 August 2026 at 11:59pm)
Posted on 4 August 2026
Contents
Summary
We are currently seeking a qualified Level 3 Early Years Educator who is looking to take the next step in their career and progress onto a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship.
- Wage
-
£14,560 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
-
8.30am - 3.30pm, Monday - Friday. Term time only.
35 hours a week
- Start date
-
Tuesday 13 October 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
You will join a warm, supportive, and highly dedicated early years team who place children at the heart of everything they do. The setting is committed to delivering outstanding childcare outcomes and supporting staff to develop into confident senior practitioners and future leaders.
This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is ready to progress from a hands-on practitioner role into a more leadership-focused position, developing the skills required to supervise, guide practice, and support quality improvement within an early years setting.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Take on a lead practitioner pathway with responsibility for supporting high-quality early years practice
- Work closely with senior staff to support planning, delivery, and evaluation of learning activities
- Develop leadership skills in mentoring and supporting other team members
- Operate an effective key worker system, building strong relationships with parents and carers
- Plan, implement, and review a broad programme of engaging, child-centred activities aligned to the EYFS
- Support safeguarding, welfare, and inclusive practice across the setting
- Contribute to maintaining a safe, secure, and nurturing “home-like” environment for children
- Promote children’s development, independence, and emotional wellbeing
Where you'll work
Gwendolen Road
Leicester
LE5 5FS
Training
Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.
Training provider
BRIGHT BEES NURSERY LTD
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
Training & Development
- You will be working and learning on-site during your working hours
- Attendance at college-based classroom sessions will be required
- As part of Scope Training, you will receive ongoing support from a dedicated mentor throughout your Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship
- Continuous professional development focused on leadership, safeguarding, curriculum planning, and quality improvement
More training information
As an Ofsted Oustanding training provider, at Scope Training we deliver outstanding teaching tailored to meet the needs of our clients and learners. Led by early years education and healthcare professionals with over 30 years of combined experience, we work with nurseries, pharmacies and optometrists across the UK to deliver high-quality training programmes. We are an Ofsted Outstanding training provider with some of the highest success and achievement rates in the industry, and we are committed to delivering quality education that makes an impact.
We believe that every learner has the right to a high-quality education and the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are committed to promoting diversity, inclusivity, and equality in all aspects of our work, and we strive to create a safe and nurturing environment where learners can grow, learn, and thrive.
Requirements
Essential qualifications
Level 3 Early Years Educator 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
- Attention to detail
- Organisation skills
- Customer care skills
- Problem solving skills
- Team working
- Initiative
- Patience
Other requirements
Passing a DBS check.
About this employer
Kids Corner Nursery first opened its doors in 2012, right in the heart of Leicester on Upperton Road. Our home is a cosy Victorian building spread across three floors, full of character, warmth and laughter.
The nursery was founded by two best friends, Hafsa and Mariam, both with years of experience in childcare — and mums themselves. When they couldn’t find flexible, high-quality care for their own children, they decided to create it. The very first children to walk through our doors were their own!
Today, Kids Corner Nursery is run solely by Hafsa, ensuring their original vision of a loving, family-focused nursery remains at the heart of everything we do.
We’re proud to offer term time childcare for babies, toddlers and preschoolers. Our aim is simple: to provide a fun, nurturing and affordable environment where every child feels safe, supported and happy.
We’ve handpicked a team of caring managers and staff who share our passion for giving children the very best start in life. From day one, your child becomes part of our Kids Corner family. 💛
After this apprenticeship
Your earnings can increase over time with an apprenticeship. Find out about potential future pay (opens in new tab).
Completing a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship provides a foundation degree-equivalent qualification that equips practitioners for senior leadership, specialist child development roles, and top-up degree pathways.
Ask a question
The contact for this apprenticeship is:
BRIGHT BEES NURSERY LTD
Katie Taylor
ktaylor@scopetraining.co.uk
The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC2000046214.
Apply now
Closes in 9 days (Friday 14 August 2026 at 11:59pm)