Childcare Apprenticeship - Swindon

Summary

Our ethos is simple; we all belong, we all matter, and we all contribute so we all benefit. Our core values foster happiness, confidence, and growth, with a ‘careers not jobs’ approach, shaping the future of our extraordinary company together at our Windmill Hill Day Nursery in Swindon.

Wage

£17,130.75 a year

As an apprentice at Childbase Partnership, you will be paid an hourly pay rate of £7.57. This will increase to £10.00 an hour after 6 months in post.

Training course

Early years practitioner (level 2)

Hours

You will work varied shifts, usually between the hours of 07:15am-18:30pm Monday - Friday, so you experience all aspects of the daily routine at nursery.

37 hours 30 minutes a week

Start date

Thursday 17 December 2026

Duration

1 year 1 month

Positions available

2

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

• Work as part of a team to create and maintain safe and supportive learning environments across the nursery, plan and implement opportunities to enhance children’s development, and complete observations linked to the early years curriculum
• Interact positively with all nursery users and work in partnership with colleagues and parents to ensure all children’s individual needs are met at all times whilst they are in your care
  adhere to nursery routines and policies and to seek guidance from your leadership team as required
• Successfully manage your time to ensure you submit your coursework by the deadlines set by your assessor/tutor

Where you'll work

Windmill Hill Day Nursery
Windmill Business Park
Whitehill Way
Swindon
SN5 6NX

Training

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

Training provider

CHILDBASE PARTNERSHIP LIMITED

Training course

Early years practitioner (level 2)

What you'll learn

• Support babies and young children through a range of transitions and significant events. e.g moving onto school, moving house or the birth of a sibling.
• Recognise when a child is in danger, at risk of serious harm or abuse and explain the procedures to be followed to protect them. Types of abuse including: domestic, neglect , physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
• Identify risks and hazards in the provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
• Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
• Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’s requirements.
• Encourage children to be aware of personal safety and the safety of others and develop personal hygiene practices (including oral hygiene).
• Promote health and wellbeing in the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious meals, snacks and drinks appropriate for their age and be physically active through planned and spontaneous activity throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors.
• Carry out respectful care routines appropriate to the development, stage, dignity and needs of the child, including eating (feeding and weaning or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
• Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Extend children’s development and learning through verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Encourage babies and young children to use a range of communication methods.
• Use a range of appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
• Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes to support children’s holistic development through a range of play, creativity, social development and learning.
• Implement and review activities to support children’s play, creativity, social development and learning and clear up after activities.
• Observe children, assess, plan and record the outcomes, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’s requirements.
• Use learning activities to support early language development.
• Support children’s early interest and development in mark making, writing, reading and being read to.
• Support children’s interest and development in mathematical learning including numbers, number patterns, counting, sorting and matching.
• Support the graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing of each baby’s and young child's individual plan for their care and participation.
• Work in ways that value and respect the developmental needs and stages of babies and children.
• Use feedback and mentoring or supervision to identify and support areas for development, goals and career opportunities.
• Work co-operatively with colleagues, other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of babies and young children and enable them to progress.
• Work alongside parents or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
• Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
• Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.
• Support babies and young children through a range of transitions and significant events. e.g moving onto school, moving house or the birth of a sibling.
• Recognise when a child is in danger, at risk of serious harm or abuse and explain the procedures to be followed to protect them. Types of abuse including: domestic, neglect , physical, emotional, and sexual abuse.
• Identify risks and hazards in the provision and during off site visits relating to both children and staff and visitors and follow reporting procedures.
• Use prevention and control of infection techniques for hand washing and food preparation and hygiene, deal with spillages safely, safe disposal of waste, using correct personal protective equipment.
• Use equipment, furniture and materials safely and securely, following the manufacturers’ instructions and provision’s requirements.
• Encourage children to be aware of personal safety and the safety of others and develop personal hygiene practices (including oral hygiene).
• Promote health and wellbeing in the provision by encouraging babies and young children to consume healthy, balanced and nutritious meals, snacks and drinks appropriate for their age and be physically active through planned and spontaneous activity throughout the day, both indoors and outdoors.
• Carry out respectful care routines appropriate to the development, stage, dignity and needs of the child, including eating (feeding and weaning or complementary feeding), nappy changing procedures, potty or toilet training, care of skin, teeth and hair and rest and sleep provision.
• Communicate with all children, including those for whom English is an additional language and those with additional needs, in ways that will be understood. This includes verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Extend children’s development and learning through verbal and non-verbal communication.
• Encourage babies and young children to use a range of communication methods.
• Use a range of appropriate communication methods to share information with children, parents or carers and other professionals.
• Work with colleagues to identify and plan educational programmes to support children’s holistic development through a range of play, creativity, social development and learning.
• Implement and review activities to support children’s play, creativity, social development and learning and clear up after activities.
• Observe children, assess, plan and record the outcomes, share results accurately and confidentially in line with expected statutory and the provision’s requirements.
• Use learning activities to support early language development.
• Support children’s early interest and development in mark making, writing, reading and being read to.
• Support children’s interest and development in mathematical learning including numbers, number patterns, counting, sorting and matching.
• Support the graduated approach for the assessment, planning, implementation and reviewing of each baby’s and young child's individual plan for their care and participation.
• Work in ways that value and respect the developmental needs and stages of babies and children.
• Use feedback and mentoring or supervision to identify and support areas for development, goals and career opportunities.
• Work co-operatively with colleagues, other professionals and agencies to meet the needs of babies and young children and enable them to progress.
• Work alongside parents or carers and recognise their role in the baby or child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
• Encourage parents or carers to take an active role in the baby's or child’s care, play, learning and development.
• Demonstrate how to share information with parents or carers about the importance of healthy, balanced and nutritious diets for their child, looking after teeth and being physically active.

Training schedule

By the end of your apprenticeship you will gain: 

• A level 3 Early Years Educator qualification; there will be an online initial assessment during our screening stage if you don’t already hold maths and English at grade 4 or above, to determine the most suitable level of apprenticeship for you
• Level 2 functional skills qualifications in maths and English, if you do not already have equivalent qualifications in these subjects at the required level
• A paediatric first aid qualification
• A permanent contract, subject to you successfully gaining your qualification, where after completion you will be appointed as a qualified Nursery Practitioner within our partnership

Our Early Years apprenticeship offers you:

• A full-time role (37.5 hours a week) working with children under 5 in our nursery to gain valuable practical childcare experience
• 'Off the job' learning time within your working week which will support your studies
• A Trainer/Assessor from our in-house EduBase Academy, who will visit you at your nursery on a regular basis to guide and direct you
• Mandatory group training sessions are held at our EduBase Training Academy (Northampton Road, Newport Pagnell, MK16 8NJ or at our nursery sites located at OX4 2DQ and UB2 5RN) around once a month and travel costs are covered.

Requirements

Desirable qualifications

GCSE in:

• English (grade 4)
• maths (grade 4)

Share if you have other relevant qualifications and industry experience. The apprenticeship can be adjusted to reflect what you already know.

Skills

• Communication skills
• Team working
• Creative
• Initiative
• Non judgemental
• Patience

Other requirements

For your application to be considered, at the time you apply, you must be able to evidence your NI number and right to work in the UK, have photographic ID (valid passport or driving licence), have access to a computer, been resident in the UK for at least 3 years and be comfortable travelling to/from the training sessions in Newport Pagnell.