Level 3 Early Years Educator Apprenticeship
Level 3 Early Years Educator
Course Overview: Highly trained professionals who play a key role in ensuring that young children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe
Course Duration: 18 months + EPA
Course Cost: £7000 (up to 100% government-funded)
Occupation Summary
This occupation is found in a range of maintained and private, voluntary, and independent settings such as full day care, children’s centres, pre-schools, reception classes, playgroups, nursery schools, home based provision, hospitals, social care settings, out of school environments, and local authority provision.
The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality early education and care to children. Through an evidence based approach, they provide opportunities and learning experiences for all children, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). Early years educators follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements set by government for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to 5 in both indoor and outdoor environments.
In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with children, parents, carers, colleagues, and wider multi agency professionals such as health visitors, early help services, social workers, and speech and language therapists. This includes supporting children with SEND.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for ensuring a safe and secure environment for children’s learning. They ensure that the learning environment and provision is inclusive and supports all children, and demonstrate a clear understand of equality, diversity, and inclusion. Early years educator’s teach and facilitate children’s learning play. They apply the observation, assessment, and planning cycle to support progress and children’s development. An early years educator will act as the key person for one or more children within their setting. They may play a leadership role within the setting or may act under the supervision of a manager.
– Skills England
Level 3 Early Years Educator
An Early Years Educator:
- Plans and supervises child initiated and adult led activities which are based around the needs and interests of each individual child
- Supports children to develop numeracy and language skills through games and play
- Has key person responsibility to help ensure each child feels safe and secure
- Observes each child and shapes their learning experience to reflect their observations
- Meets the care needs of the individual child such as feeding, changing nappies and administration of medicine
- Works in partnership with other colleagues, parents and/or carers or other professionals to meet the individual needs of each child
With additional experience, an Early Years Educator can become the manager of an early years setting.
Individuals will undergo all the checks as per the EYFS requirements to ensure suitability to work with children.
Occupation Duties
Duty 1 Support children’s learning and development through applying knowledge of pedagogy and the observation, assessment, and planning cycle.
Duty 2 Develop secure and supportive relationships with children and families as the key person for children in their care, advocating for those children.
Duty 3 Provide respectful and responsive physical and emotional care to children, promoting health and wellbeing.
Duty 4 Work with key individuals in children’s lives (for example parents, families, and carers) to improve all children’s outcomes and wellbeing.
Duty 5 Work in partnership with other organisations and agencies to support children’s learning, development, health and wellbeing.
Duty 6 Support the implementation of change to improve practice.
Duty 7 Initiate and engage in continuous professional development, underpinned by reflective practice.
Duty 8 Ensure compliance with child protection and safeguarding legislation, policies, and procedures.
Duty 9 Work in ways that promote and support equality, diversity, and the inclusion of all children, respecting their social and cultural context.
Duty 10 Ensure compliance with Health and Safety legislation, policies, and procedures.
Duty 11 Use technology to record and update information for example observations, assessments, reports, risk assessments, and safeguarding concerns.
Duty 12 Promote and engage in children’s play. Support all children to create and adapt the environment to reflect their interests and enable their learning and development.
Duty 13 Ensure legal requirements of statutory frameworks are met within policy, procedure, and practice.
Knowledge
K1: The importance of equality, diversity, and inclusion, and respecting children’s social and cultural context.
K2: Safeguarding policies and procedures for children and colleagues, including child protection and wellbeing.
K3: Types of abuse including domestic, neglect, physical, emotional and sexual, and know how to act to protect children and colleagues.
K4: The legal requirements and guidance on health and safety, security, confidentiality of information, and safeguarding.
K5: The principles of risk assessment and management, and how to balance risks and benefits of activities for children.
K6: The statutory and non-statutory frameworks and guidance for provision in early years including SEND.
K7: The legal rights of each individual child according to their current and future needs.
K8: The role of colleagues and multi-agency working to support the child.
K9: The role and responsibilities of the early years educator, including providing supervision to staff.
K10: The role and responsibilities of the key person.
K11: Theories and significance of attachment.
K12: The importance of professional relationships and collaboration with parents, families, or carers.
K13: The importance of professional relationships with colleagues, other organisations, and agencies.
K14: The influence of all key individuals in children’s lives on children’s learning and development.
K15: The development of social skills and maintaining relationships.
K16: How children learn and develop from conception to age 7; physiologically, neurologically, biologically, psychologically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. Including the interaction and impact of biological and environmental factors.
K17: The elements and characteristics of a wide range of enabling environments.
K18: How the design, resourcing, and use of the indoor and outdoor physical environment supports children’s learning and development.
K19: How the design of the day and expectations adapts to support and reflect all children’s current needs (for example, those children with SEND, EAL, communication difficulties, and the most able).
K20: How the organisations approach and values underpin the environment.
K21: How children experience change, transition, and significant events.
K22: The theories of play and its fundamental role in learning and development.
K23: How children develop characteristics for effective learning.
K24: How, when, and why to conduct observation and assessment.
K25: How the observation, assessment, and planning cycle is used to analyse and respond to children’s learning, development, and interests.
K26: How to create experiences and opportunities for children informed by the setting’s curriculum and pedagogy.
K27: Methods of reflective practice, including supervision, and opportunities for continuous professional development.
Skills
S1: 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.
S2: 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).
S3: Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice.
S4: Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others safety.
S5: Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child.
S6: Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child.
S7: Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person.
S8: Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children.
S9: Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years.
S10: Advocate for all children’s needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support.
S11: Promote and facilitate children’s interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships.
S12: Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture.
S13: Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours.
S14: Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child-centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements.
S15: Create inclusive, child-centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors.
S16: 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.
S17: Apply strategies that support children’s ability to manage change, transition, and significant events.
S18: Analyse observation evidence to assess and plan holistic individual learning based on a comprehensive understanding of the child’s needs and interests.
S19: Facilitate and support child-centred opportunities and experiences based on the setting’s curriculum and pedagogy.
S20: Provide adult led opportunities and experience based on the setting’s curriculum and pedagogy.
S21: Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally.
Behaviours
B1: Confident to have difficult conversations.
B2: Child-centred and empathetic, valuing equality, diversity, and inclusion and the uniqueness of each child.
B3: Vigilant and act with professional curiosity.
B4: Caring, compassionate and sensitive.
B5: Honest, open, respectful, and a role model.
B6: Self-motivated, using initiative and proactive.
B7: Playful and creative.
B8: Reflective and reflexive and committed to CPD.
Qualifications
English & Maths – Apprentices aged 16-18 years old without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level. Apprentices aged 19 years old and above without level 2 English and/or Maths will need to work towards and attempt the exams for this level prior to taking the end-point assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid – Apprentices must successfully complete the Level 3 Award in Paediatric First Aid. (RQF) or Level 3 Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF) to meet the EYFS requirements
Apprenticeship Application Guide
Our guide to applying for an Early Years Apprenticeship provides information on how to apply, how to write a CV, and top tips to help you succeed. It will support you through each step of the process, from preparing your application to standing out and feeling confident at interview.
Apprenticeships
While working as an apprentice you are entitled to the National Minimum Wage, £7.55 per hour.
Apprentices aged 19 and over, and not in their first year of their apprenticeship are entitled to the National Minimum Wage for their age group.
Supported by a Tutor for the duration of the apprenticeship
Gain job-specific and transferable skills
Gain an industry recognised qualification
