Duty 1 Promote the health and well-being of all children, self-regulation and resilience through learning rich environments, opportunities for challenging play and a healthy attitude towards risk taking.

Duty 2 Provide playful, sensitive interaction opportunities that reflect children’s needs, interests and motivations in order to facilitate and extend deep level learning.

Duty 3 Participate in and lead daily routines and practice, including childrens’ personal care, play and maintaining the physical environment.

Duty 4 To be an effective key person and advocate for the child, supporting the child’s developmental, emotional and daily needs within a secure and caring relationship. To ensure the effectiveness of the key person approach across the aspect or environment for which they are responsible.

Duty 5 To take the lead and provide support in disseminating best practice in the use of observation, assessments and planning to meet children’s needs and extend their holistic development within the aspect or environment for which they are responsible.

Duty 6 Promote, demonstrate and facilitate a clear understanding of diversity and equality to support all children, including those with additional needs, those of high ability, those with English as an additional language and those with disabilities. To be able to use and evaluate distinctive approaches which engage and support inclusivity of all children within their social and cultural context.

Duty 7 Ensure full compliance with all safeguarding legislation, policies and strategies at a national, local and setting based level are promoted, implemented and embedded respectfully within practice, providing appropriate support to colleagues as, or supporting, the Designated Safeguarding Lead.

Duty 8 Demonstrate leaderful practice through the effective deployment of resources and practitioners keeping the child’s voice and needs central to practice.

Duty 9 Reflect and build on practice through ongoing professional enquiry and action research to contribute to the pedagogical approach of their setting. To be accountable for day to day practice, longer term planning, management and training within the specific aspect or environment for which they are responsible.

Duty 10 Establish engaging, inclusive and collaborative relationships and participate in multiagency meetings. Enable and facilitate practitioners to develop professional relationships with parents, carers and multi-agencies to meet the individual needs of the children.

Duty 11 Commit to becoming a reflective practitioner, enhancing skills and knowledge to improve pedagogical practice. Guide and support the development of the reflective practice of others.

Duty 12 Initiate continuing professional development opportunities in response to identification of strengths and weaknesses both personally and within your team. Provide constructive feedback on points of practice on an informal day to day basis and contribute to formal performance management as necessary.

Duty 13 Ensure compliance with all Health and Safety legislation, policies and strategies at a national, local and setting based level.

Duty 14 Maintain effective administrative systems including development records, assessment, report writing and record keeping, such as risk assessments and safeguarding concerns.

Duty 15 Work in collaborative partnership with parents and carers in the planning, implementation and review of strategies in place to support children’s experience, holistic development, learning and progress.

Duty 16 To lead and manage across the area, aspect or environment for which they are responsible for.

skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0551-v1-1

K1: Ethical and rights-based approaches to support the child, listening to the child’s authentic voice within their social and cultural context enabling advocacy for the child and their individual journey, developing high quality childcare environments that are continuously evaluated.

K2: How individual children learn and develop from conception to 8 years in relation to typical and atypical neurological, cognitive, social, emotional, behavioural, communication and physical development within the social, cultural context and the impact of this on their future.

K3: Factors that have an impact upon health, well-being and early learning that can affect children from conception to 8 years and how children and families can make healthy and effective life choices.

K4: Theories of self-regulation, resilience and well-being and the impact of adverse early childhood experiences.

K5: Current and contemporary theories and approaches to enable respectful and nurturing personal care.

K6: Local and national child protection and safeguarding statutory and non-statutory frameworks, policies and procedures in practice, how to identify when a child is at risk, and how to challenge in order to protect them. This includes understanding the role of the designated lead for safeguarding and assimilating findings of reviews of serious cases.

K7: Current and emerging theories of attachment and how these relate to promoting relationships effectively such as the key person approach.

K8: The importance of the social cultural context on the learning and development of the child and the influence parents, families and carers have within the home learning environment and the complexities of the family situation.

K9: Potential effects of transitions and theories and approaches on how to successfully support children and their families.

K10: Strategies to effect collaborative approaches to working with parents, carers, colleagues, professional bodies and multi agencies.

K11: The importance of play and the theoretical perspectives of play and its impact on a child’s learning and development.

K12: How to stimulate children’s creativity and curiosity and why and how this enables enquiry based active learning.

K13: A wide range of underpinning theories from physiological, neurological, developmental and education and how these can be incorporated to develop own pedagogy.

K14: The intent, implementation and impact of all provided experiences and opportunities for children informed by the setting’s curriculum and pedagogy.

K15: The importance and impact of design, resources and engagement within indoor and outdoor environments to enable learning and development.

K16: How planning cycles inform and improve practice and the principles of individual needs-based assessment for effective early intervention for all children responsive to typical and atypical needs and development.

K17: How to promote inclusion, equality and diversity in the sector and why it is essential.

K18: Current and contemporary theoretical perspectives and approaches to leadership and how to support others through leaderful practice, supporting teams and guiding change.

K19: Principles of reflection in influencing early years practice with a commitment to life-long learning including continual professional development and action research.

K20: Ways to use, record and store data and information securely and in line with data protection legislation, confidentiality requirements and local and national policies, including the safe use of digital technology to communicate effectively in both oral and written English.

K21: The current and relevant policy, statutory and non-statutory guidance and legal requirements as appropriate to the sector within; local, national, historical and global contexts including SEND. The impact of these contexts on effective provision.

K22: Principles of sustainability and efficient use of resources, in line with recycling, reuse, and safe disposal of waste.

skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0551-v1-1

S1: 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.

S2: Develop, model and implement strategies to support the emotional, social, psychological, physical and cultural needs of all children within the educational setting.

S3: 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.

S4: 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.

S5: Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children’s learning and thinking, including sustained shared thinking.

S6: 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.

S7: 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.

S8: 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.

S9: Plan, carry out and guide appropriate personal care routines for individual children.

S10: Competently action and carry out safeguarding procedures, using their professional curiosity, knowledge, insight and understanding.

S11: Explore and understand, challenge and question; knowing when to act to safeguard and protect children.

S12: Encourage all children’s participation, ensuring a sensitive, respectful and effective balance within the adult and child dynamic to facilitate play opportunities.

S13: Ensure staff are deployed effectively to suit and enhance the learning environment, prioritising the safety and wellbeing of all children.

S14: 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.

S15: Demonstrate the importance of the home learning environment, developing an effective and collaborative partnership to enhance opportunities for the child.

S16: Provide a dynamic, evolving and enabling environment that reflects the current interests, motivations, and play of individual and groups of children.

S17: Use current and contemporary knowledge, research, theories and approaches to develop, enhance and articulate their own pedagogical approach and practice.

S18: Observe, assess, plan, facilitate and participate in play opportunities which include current curriculum requirements.

S19: 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.

S20: 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.

S21: Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.

S22: 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.

S23: Identify, action and competently challenge issues and undertake difficult conversations where appropriate.

S24: Use reflection to develop themselves both professionally and personally to enhance their practice.

S25: Ensure the security and confidentiality of data, records and information in line with current legislation.

S26: 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.

S27: Apply the principles of sustainability and segregate used resources for reuse, recycling, and safe disposal.

skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0551-v1-1

B1: Ethical, fair, consistent and impartial, valuing equality and diversity at all times within professional boundaries.

B2: Leaderful and motivating through consistent modelling of innovative and aspirational practice to other colleagues.

B3: Person centred, friendly and approachable, demonstrating caring, empathetic and respectful qualities.

B4: Be authentic, playful, animated, responsive, creative, imaginative and curious.

B5: Positive and proactive member of the team, being assertive and exercising diplomacy.

B6: Reflective practitioner, receptive and open to challenge and constructive criticism.

skillsengland.education.gov.uk/apprenticeships/st0551-v1-1

You must have access to a lead practitioner role within an early years setting.

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.