Early Years Lead Practitioner Level 5

Overview of apprenticeship

This occupation is found in a range of educational settings which can include day nurseries, playgroups, nursery schools, pre-schools, kindergartens, primary schools, hospitals, social care educational settings, out of school environments and local authority provision. The broad purpose of the occupation is to be a proactive and influential practitioner, working directly with children, skillfully leading day to day practice at an operational level. As active practitioners they are effective role models of play based learning, supporting others to develop their own practice. They are highly skilled professionals who take an operational lead for the care, learning and development of all young children within their care, adapting to individual needs providing inclusive and holistic provision. They engage with sector developments both locally and nationally, with a commitment to developing their own professional and educational competencies.  In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with children aged birth to eight years, families, practitioners, other professionals and appropriate agencies. An employee in this occupation will be responsible for supporting the quality of learning and development in their educational setting. They lead on the operational aspects of this provision and are typically responsible for leading other practitioners, an aspect or environment such as; Communication and Language, Planning and Assessment, Forest School, Physical Activity and Nutrition. They usually report directly to the head of the educational setting (The Manager, The Leader, The Director).

Delivery Plan and Assessment

All Apprentices must spend 20% of their time on programme completing Off-The-Job training, this includes workshops, project assignments, independent study, internal training, and any shadow shifts. Apprentices will be supported by 1:1 meetings in the workplace by their dedicated Programme Tutor. Additional learning resources and information will be made available online to ensure a fully blended learning experience. Apprentices may be required to attend sessions at a WSC location, or in their workplace.

Learners will be required to complete an End Point Assessment at the end of their learning.

Where will this course take me?

Typical job titles: 

Room leader, Deputy manager, Assistant manager, Senior practitioner, Lead practitioner, Pre-school leader, Early years coordinator

Early years practitioner, Nursery officer, Early years officer, Key worker, Senior key worker, Baby room leader, Lead baby room practitioner, Play leader

Early years support worker, Higher level teaching and learning assistant, Early years foundation Stage lead or coordinator

Pastoral care manager, Pastoral assistant, Education welfare officer

Specialist practitioner in child development (health), Community nursery nurse, Health play specialist, Hospital play worker.

Down to business, what can I do and what can I earn?

Your wage is decided by your employer however must meet the National Minimum Wage regulations. 

Entry requirements

Whilst any entry requirements will be a matter for individual employers, typically an apprentice might be expected to have already achieved 5 GCSEs including Maths and English, Grade C or above or 4/5 (new grading). Some employers will accept other relevant qualifications and experience.

An enhanced DBS is also required for work with children. The application process is conducted by the employer before you start the role.

Apprentices without English and maths at Level 2 must achieve these qualifications in line with apprenticeship funding rules prior to End Point assessment.

Qualifications

On completion of the apprenticeship, you will have achieved:

• Early Years Lead Practitioner Level 5 Standard.
• Skills for Success - This module is designed by West Suffolk College to ensure you have all the personal skills and behaviours to succeed in the workplace.
• Any required Functional Skills in English or Maths.

Professional recognition:

This apprenticeship aligns with the criteria that early years qualifications must meet to be recognised by the Department for Education as full and relevant for L3. To count within the ratios at level 3, staff holding an Early Years Educator qualification must also have achieved a suitable level 2 qualification in English. Setting managers must hold a suitable level 2 qualification in maths or must achieve one within two years of starting in the position. These are additional EYFS requirements that are independent of the apprenticeship requirements.

How is this funded?

Learners

Apprentices are not required to contribute financially towards Apprenticeship training.

Employers

If you are an employer with an annual wage bill of £3 million or more, you will pay into an apprenticeship levy. This levy is then used to pay for the training element of the apprenticeship course.  The total figure for the Apprenticeship is negotiated before enrolment and once confirmed will be taken in monthly payments from your account directly to us or paid to us via invoice should additional fees be required.

If you are an employer with an annual wage bill of under £3 million, the Government will fund 95% of the training fee meaning you will be required to contribute 5%.  You may be required to contribute additional fees which we will invoice the company for.  The additional fees will be made known and negotiated prior to the Apprentice enrolment.

There are additional incentives available if you are a small employer (under 50) and if you train/recruit a 16-18 year old or 19-24 year old with an Education Health and Care Plan.

Contact us on 01284 716235 or apprenticeships@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk for further details of costs and how Apprenticeships are funded.

Try out our apprenticeship levy calculator here

I'm interested. What should I do now?

You apply for an Apprenticeship in the same way you would apply for a job: find an apprenticeship vacancy, send in your CV or complete an application. We can help you with applications and give you interview advice. Please view the following page on our website to see our latest Apprenticeship vacancies.

Apprenticeship Vacancies: https://www.wsc.ac.uk/find-a-course/apprenticeships/vacancies

Alternatively, you can look on the GOV.UK website to see what other Apprenticeships vacancies may be available: https://www.findapprenticeship.service.gov.uk/apprenticeshipsearch

Employers - Please contact us to speak with a member of the Apprenticeship Team for more information and to organise a face-to-face visit.

Days & times

Please contact us for dates and further information