Course Overview
The Early Years Lead Practitioner apprenticeship is ideal if you are a room leader, deputy manager, assistant manager, senior practitioner, play leader or early years coordinator and aspire to be a leader within an early years setting.Early Years practitioners work in a range of settings such as day nurseries, playgroups, nursery schools, pre-schools, kindergartens, primary schools, hospitals, social care settings, out of school environments and local authority provision. As a lead practitioner you will be an effective role model to other staff, support the quality of learning and development, support others to develop their own practice and lead on operational aspects of your settings provision, adapting to individual needs to provide an inclusive and holistic environment.
What will I learn?
The broad purpose of this apprenticeship is to develop your Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours to be a proactive and influential practitioner, working directly with children, skilfully leading day to day practice at an operational level.
As an active practitioner you will be an effective role model of play based learning, supporting others to develop their own practice. You will be a highly skilled professional who takes an operational lead for the care, learning and development of all young children within your setting, adapting to individual needs providing inclusive and holistic provision.
In your daily work, an apprentice in this occupation interacts with children aged birth to eight years, families, practitioners, other professionals and appropriate agencies. They will be responsible for supporting the quality of learning and development in their 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 setting (manager, leader or director).
Study, Assessment and Qualifications
This apprenticeship covers the Department for Education criteria for level 3 Early Years qualifications (Early Years Educator) and is designed to prepare successful apprentice to meet the requirements for registration as a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner.
The areas covered in this qualification include:
-Quality environments
-Early years pedagogy
-Behaviour
-Care routines
-Professional development
-Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
-Safeguarding
-Inclusion
-Child development
-Play for learning
-The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)
-Leading and managing
-Health, safety and well-being
-Roles and responsibilities
You will complete written assignments and be observed in your workplace to confirm your occupational competence. You will build a portfolio of evidence to support your End Point Assessment at the conclusion of your apprentice.
Your employer will provide you with a minimum of 6 hours a week of learning and development opportunities.
The End Point Assessment is carried out by an independent assessor and consists of an observation of practice followed by questions, a professional discussion underpinned by your portfolio of evidence, a case study report with presentation followed by questions.
The first unit of the course will be set to you by your assessor.
Entry Requirements
Learners must be aged 19 years or over.
A Level 2 qualification in English and Maths is required at Grade C/4 or equivalent – if a recognised qualification at Level 2 is not held the apprentices is required to complete these prior to their End Point Assessment. Certificates are required prior to enrolment.
The apprentice must have completed the Level 3 Diploma for the Early Years Educator, or equivalent. The certificate is required prior to enrolment.
The apprentice must be working in the role of Manager, Deputy Manager or Curriculum Lead* in an appropriate setting.
*You must have the authority and access to make management decisions, change policies and procedures and implement new ones, lead, coach and mentor teams and individuals, carry out supervision meetings and performance reviews, investigate concerns and complaints taking the necessary action.
You must have secured a position with an employer and be ready to start working with them before you can begin your apprenticeship course.
If you already have an employer and they have agreed to put you through an apprenticeship, contact the Apprenticeship team and we'll get you started. Email apprenticeships@wiltshire.ac.uk or call 0845 345 2235.
Additional Costs and Information
Apprentices will use the OneFile e-portfolio to submit work and to receive feedback from their assessor.
The duration of this apprenticeship is 2 years.
There are no mandatory books or resources required for this course.
