Deputy Room Leader - Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprentice

Summary

Level 5 apprenticeship will develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours of early years practitioners to be proactive and influential. The learner will be working as a Deputy Room Leader. This apprenticeship will develop the practitioner’s ability to reflect & build on practice through on-going professional inquiry and action led research.

Wage

£27,560 a year

Training course

Early years lead practitioner (level 5)

Hours

Monday - Friday, Varies between 4 or 5 days per week, 7.30am - 6.00pm.

40 hours a week

Start date

Friday 28 November 2025

Duration

2 years

Positions available

3

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

Creating Inspiring Learning Environments:

• Plan and deliver engaging activities that reflect the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and take into account children’s interests, abilities, and cultural backgrounds
• Ensure the environment - indoors and outdoors is stimulating, purposeful, and inclusive, promoting exploration, independence, and curiosity
• Continuously review and reflect on daily routines, adapting them to meet the individual needs of each child

Leading and Supporting the Team:

• Work flexibly as part of the wider nursery team, stepping in wherever needed to support smooth operations
• Supervise and mentor staff in your room, ensuring consistency of practice and providing guidance where needed
• Share knowledge, lead by example, and inspire your colleagues to deliver their very best every day
• Identify training needs, delegate tasks appropriately, and support the manager in leading meetings, inductions, and 1:1s

Building Strong Relationships:

• Act as a Key Person for a small group of children, building strong, trusting bonds with them and their families
• Set developmentally appropriate weekly targets for key children and ensure they are integrated into planning
• Communicate with parents through daily diaries, learning journals, and regular updates using systems like EY Log
• Work in partnership with parents and carers, encouraging them to play an active role in their child’s learning journey

Safeguarding and Welfare:

• Take responsibility for the welfare, health, and safety of all children in your care
• Complete daily risk assessments and ensure environments are safe, welcoming, and inclusive
• Follow safeguarding policies rigorously, reporting concerns immediately in line with local authority and nursery procedures.
• Promote wellbeing through routines such as toilet checks, hygiene practices, and healthy eating
• Upholding Standards and Compliance
• Support management in maintaining Ofsted ‘Good’ status while striving towards ‘Outstanding’
• Reinforce company policies and procedures, dealing with any breaches swiftly and appropriately
• Ensure compliance with statutory ratios and complete ratio and headcount sheets daily
• Maintain accurate observations and assessments to monitor progress in line with EYFS

Professionalism and Reflection:

• Lead by example in professionalism, conduct, and communication at all times
• Engage in reflective practice daily, identifying opportunities to improve and innovate
• Support and promote equality, diversity, and inclusion, challenging behaviour or practices that do not align with these values
• Attend staff meetings, training sessions, and professional development opportunities

Additional Responsibilities:

• Be flexible and ready to support the nursery by helping with domestic tasks, covering staff absences, or assisting in other rooms
• Promote the high profile of Little Pumpkins Nursery within the local community
• Undertake peer observations to support colleagues and encourage continual development

Where you'll work

2 4 Crowther Road
London
SE25 5QW

Training

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

Training provider

THE CHILD CARE COMPANY (OLD WINDSOR) LIMITED

Training course

Early years lead practitioner (level 5)

What you'll learn

• 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

• Early years lead practitioner Level 5 (Higher national diploma)
• At the Childcare Company, the apprentice will be allocated a Development Coach that will have 121s with them on a monthly basis and will attend the setting for observations and further learning

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade 4 - 9)
• Maths (grade 4 - 9)

Other in:

Early Years Educator (grade PASS)

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
• Problem solving skills
• Presentation skills
• Administrative skills
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative
• Patience