Hatching Dragons Canada Water - Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner in London

Ready to take the next step in your Early Years career? Hatching Dragons is looking for a passionate and ambitious Early Years professional to join our Canada Water nursery as a Room Leader while completing a Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who already has experience working in an Early Years setting and is ready to develop their leadership skills, gain a nationally recognised qualification and progress into senior nursery leadership roles. You'll be supported every step of the way by an experienced management team while making a real difference to children's learning and development.

What you'll be doing

• Lead the day-to-day running of your room
• Create a safe, nurturing and inspiring learning environment
• Support children's learning, development and wellbeing
• Build strong relationships with families and carers
• Act as a key person for a group of children
• Support and mentor other practitioners within the room
• Help maintain high standards in line with EYFS and Ofsted requirements
• Work closely with the management team to continually improve practice
• Plan and deliver engaging, age-appropriate learning experiences
• Promote safeguarding, inclusion and positive outcomes for every child

What we're looking for:

• Is passionate about Early Years education
• Has previous experience working in a nursery environment
• Is ready to take on leadership responsibilities
• Has excellent communication and teamwork skills
• Is committed to providing outstanding care and education
• Wants to continue developing professionally

What you'll gain:

Alongside your role, you will complete the Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship, designed to develop your leadership, management and professional practice skills. You'll learn how to:

• Lead high-quality Early Years provision
• Support and develop staff teams
• Reflect on and improve practice through professional enquiry
• Influence positive outcomes for children and families

On successful completion, you'll achieve a nationally recognised Level 5 qualification.

Benefits:

• Competitive salary of £28,000 - £32,000
• Ongoing training and professional development
• Clear career progression opportunities
• Supportive and friendly team
• Company pension scheme
• Generous annual leave
• Regular team events and engagement activities
• Opportunity to progress into senior leadership positions

This role offers excellent progression opportunities within our growing nursery group, including pathways into:

• Third In Charge
• Deputy Manager
• Nursery Manager

Safeguarding: Hatching Dragons is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people. An enhanced DBS check will be required for this role.

Training Information: Over the course of 21 months, you will study various topics related to healthcare and safeguarding, person-centred care & support, and more. Upon successful completion of the apprenticeship programme, you will achieve a Level 5 Qualification and a TQUK Diploma in Care.

We and our employer partners are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults, so a DBS check will be required for this role.

Our delivery of training is through blended learning, supported by one of our sector specialist tutors. Teaching sessions are normally bi-weekly or monthly, depending on the learner's preferred learning style.

You will initially take an online assessment that will help us to understand your learning style and needs, then we will tailor your learning experience accordingly. We ensure that you stay on track to complete your programme on time by managing your expectations through our state-of-the-art e‐portfolio system.

As part of the apprenticeship, alongside your job role, 20% of your time in work must be dedicated to developing new skills.