Apprentice Pre-School Assistant

Summary

The job requires a passion for working with children and supporting their development. It is a rewarding role that allows you to support children aged between 2 and 5 to grow and develop. You will need to demonstrate patience, empathy, a caring nature and understanding to support children in your care.

Annual wage: £9,984 a year
Minimum wage rates (opens in new tab)
Training course: Early years educator (level 3)
Hours: Monday to Friday 9am - 3:30pm with a 30 minute lunch break
30 hours a week
Possible start date: Monday 7 October
Duration: 1 Year 6 Months
Positions available: 1

Work

As an apprentice, you’ll work at a company and get hands-on experience. You’ll gain new skills and work alongside experienced staff.

What you’ll do at work

A key part of your role will be building solid relationships with children, ensuring they can trust you and feel secure in your care.

Early Years Educators need to make learning a fun experience for young children. You need to be able to create age-appropriate activities that facilitate child development, ensuring engagement, whilst focusing and documenting on all areas of progress and development.

Communication skills are key to liaise with children, colleagues, committee members, parents and outside professionals. You need to work well as part of a team as well as using your initiative to work as an individual.

A keenness to learn and keep up to date with changes and legislation is essential. You need to follow safeguarding guidelines and all policies and procedures throughout your duties.

Duties include;

To work as a team to prepare for an Ofsted inspection and implement any recommendations made following regulatory inspections.
To provide a high quality of education and learning and offer appropriate stimulations and support to children attending the setting.
To ensure that the welfare and safety of the children is promoted within the setting and that any child protection concerns are always appropriately acted upon immediately.
To help ensure records are properly maintained e.g. attendance register, accident and incident book etc. and the closing checklist is completed.
To be responsible to specific key children, to monitor their key children’s progress and keep their key children’s learning journeys up to date and completed to an acceptable standard and that their key children’s reports and next steps are completed within deadlines set.
To liaise closely with parents/carers, informing them about the Pre-School and its curriculum, teaching methods and practices; exchanging information about children’s progress and encouraging parents’ involvement.
To liaise with the Committee, Ofsted, Children’s Social Care and other professionals as necessary.
To contribute to and to help implement all pre-school policies and procedures.
As a staff member, allow parents the opportunity to meet with their child’s key person, e.g. parent evenings.
Contribute to the SEF.
Attend staff meetings.
To ensure that the session is set up appropriately and starts promptly.
To attend or complete online training and meetings as required.
To keep up to date with current good practice.

Where you’ll work

TOLLESHUNT D'ARCY PRE SCHOOL

TOLLESBURY ROAD

TOLLESHUNT D'ARCY

MALDON

CM9 8UB

Training

An apprenticeship includes regular training with a college or other training organisation. At least 20% of your working hours will be spent training or studying.

College or training organisation

COLCHESTER INSTITUTE

Your training course

Early years educator (level 3)

Equal to A level

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.

Your training plan

The apprentice will be working towards the Early Years Educator Level 3 Apprenticeship Standard or Early Years Practitioner Level 2 Apprenticeship Standard dependant on prior qualifications/experience.
Apprentices undertaking the Early Years Practitioner Level 2 Apprenticeship will receive 1-to-1 tutor support from an assessor with tuition arranged on an individual basis.
Apprentices undertaking the Early Years Educator Level 3 Apprenticeship may also attend clases at the Colchester Institute - Colchester Campus one day per week during term time.

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

maths and English (grade 9-2/A*-E)

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

maths and English (grade 9-4/A*-C)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

Communication skills
IT skills
Attention to detail
Organisation skills
Customer care skills
Problem solving skills
Number skills
Team working
Creative
Initiative
Non judgemental
Patience
Physical fitness
Empathy
Caring nature
Keen to learn
Enthusiasm

Other requirements

A satisfactory enhanced DBS certificate will be required and you will need to complete a Level 2 Safeguarding course and hold or be booked onto a Paediatric First Aid course.

About this company

Tolleshunt D'Arcy Pre-school is an Ofsted 'Good' rated pre-school serving the D'Arcy community and surrounding areas of Tollesbury, Tolleshunt Knights, Tolleshunt Major, Goldhanger, Tiptree and beyond. We are an Essex Early Years Charter member 2024 and are Healthy Smiles Accredited. Set in the lovely grounds of the village primary school, we provide a fun, safe and stimulating learning environment for 2-5 year olds for up to 30 hours per week, 38 weeks per year.

https://tolleshuntdarcypre-school.co.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

Opportunity to join a pension scheme.

After this apprenticeship

After gaining experience with a Level 2 or Level 3 Childcare qualification, you can pursue more advanced qualifications, such as a Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor or Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner. These qualifications can help you move into more senior roles.
With a Level 3 early years educator qualification, you can work in a variety of childcare settings, such as nurseries, pre-schools, and reception classes.
You can move into managing a nursery or group of nurseries. You can do further training to become a primary school teacher or play therapist. You can also teach early years courses at university.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

COLCHESTER INSTITUTE

Colchester Institute - Apprenticeship Team

ci.apprenticeships@colchester.ac.uk

01206 712043

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000276358.

Apply now

Closes in 14 days (Friday 4 October)

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After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

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