Nursery Assistant Apprentice

As an Early Years Apprentice, you will be supporting the learning and development of every child in your care, while promoting best practice among colleagues to maintain the highest standards across the nursery. Work collaboratively with the team to create a safe, nurturing environment where every child can play, learn, and thrive.

Hours: Monday to Friday, shift pattern across 5 days, with one dedicated day for college training. 30 hours a week.

Duration: 1 year 6 months.

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

Duties and Responsibilities:

• To provide the highest standards of quality care and education.
• To ensure that health and safety and security measures are constantly maintained.
• To be aware of and act in accordance with current legislation, policy and procedures.
• To contribute to a programme of activities suitable to the age range of children in your room in conjunction with other staff.
• To keep an accurate and up to date Learning Journal for your key children, for parents.
• Work alongside parents of special needs children to give full integration in the Nursery. Foresee the needs of Special Needs children and give physical, emotional, intellectual guidance as appropriate.
• Support all staff and engage in a good staff team.
• To work in close partnership and to develop and maintain good relationships with parents / carers and other family members or outside agencies.
• To attend ALL out of working hours activities, e.g. training, staff meetings, Graduation Fun Day, parent training evenings, events, etc.
• To be flexible within the working practices of the nursery. Be prepared to help where needed, including to undertake certain domestic jobs within the nursery, e.g. preparation of snack meals, cleansing of equipment, putting out bins, doing the laundry, etc. Also, flexibility with regard to working in different rooms as and when required to ensure effective operation of the nursery.
• Work alongside the Manager, Area Manager and staff team to ensure that the vision, philosophy and objectives behind Kingfishers Day Nursery are fulfilled.
• To respect the confidentiality of information received.
• To ensure the provision of a high-quality environment to meet the needs of individual children from differing cultures and religious backgrounds, and stages of development.
• To develop your role within the team especially in your capacity as a Key Person:
• Keep children\’s files up to date including photographs.
• Complete observations in a variety of formats.

Specific child care tasks are as follows:

• The preparation and completion of activities to suit the child\’s stage of development.
• To ensure that mealtimes are a time of pleasant social sharing.
• Washing and changing children as required.
• Providing comfort and warmth to all children.
• Providing conscientious and effective supervision of the children.
• To interact and engage with the children.
• To be aware of the high profile of the nursery and to uphold its standards at all times. To be an ambassador for Kingfishers both within the nursery and in the wider community.
• To ensure good standards of hygiene and safety standards appropriate for the needs of young children.
• To take reasonable care of yourself and others and to comply with the Settings Health and Safety rules.

Additional Responsibilities:

• To initiate and conduct effective risk assessment.
• To run the room smoothly and effectively in the absence of the Head of Room.
• To support the Room Leader in supervising and monitoring students in training and Nursery Assistants if necessary.
• To ensure planning and observations are being completed.

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills. At least 20% of your working hours will be dedicated to study and professional development. It is a higher‑level programme designed for those aiming to progress into senior roles within early childhood education.

• Day Release (one day every week, online remote delivery)
• On‑the‑job and off‑the‑job training (minimum of 6 hours per week).
• Functional Skills in English and Maths (if required).
• End‑point assessment to demonstrate knowledge, skills, and behaviours.

Requirements

GCSE in:

• Maths (grade 4–5)

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

Skills

• Customer care skills
• Analytical skills
• Logical thinking
• Creative
• Initiative
• Non‑judgemental
• Physical fitness

About this employer

At Kingfishers Day Nurseries, we have been providing high‑quality childcare in Thornton Heath, Croydon, and Coulsdon for over 20 years.

We believe every child is unique and strive to create a happy, caring, and stimulating environment where they feel secure and valued. Our mission is to support each child’s emotional, social, and intellectual growth through a broad, balanced, and creative curriculum that encourages independence and teamwork. By nurturing lifelong learning skills and promoting British Values, we aim to help every child make a positive contribution to their community and society.

This role focuses on delivering high-quality care and education for children, with an emphasis on teamwork and professional development within the nursery setting.

Contact: CROYDON COLLEGE

Reference code: VAC2000004607

Apply now

The application closes in 24 days (Tuesday 20 January 2026 at 11:59pm).