Apprentice Nursery Practitioner in Reading

As an Apprentice Nursery Practitioner, you will have the opportunity to rotate around the nursery rooms and Forest School, gaining hands-on experience in all areas of our nurseries. This, coupled with your apprentice training in Early Years, will equip you with all the skills, experience and qualifications to apply to progress into a qualified educator role with us. This apprenticeship will be for a level 2 early years practitioner or a level 3 early years educator, depending on experience.

From there, you can develop your career at N, opting for a managerial route or pursuing a specialism in an area that excites you. This role is for multiple positions due to the growth of the business. The role is a full-time position (40h working week, 20% of which is spent on learning).

Day-to-day, you will learn to:

• Support your team in the delivery of basic childcare routines
• Be responsible for the delivery of our 'learning through play’ educational ethos
• Innovate with activities and constantly challenge your children’s learning and development
• Build and maintain excellent relationships with parents
• Promote child welfare and ensure safeguarding procedures are followed
• Work a flexible shift pattern within the opening hours (7am-7pm)

What can we offer you?

• £17,784 for Level 2 early years practitioner or £18,845 for Level 3 early years educator
• Funding of your apprenticeship
• You’ll be part of N Academy, which could put you on track for an EY degree once your apprenticeship is complete
• Performance-related bonus of up to £750 per year (once working within the ratio)
• Up to 32 days holiday a year (including bank holidays, 1 day off for your birthday and 3 days during Christmas and New Year) to start (rises with length of service)
• Free daily lunch and drinks
• Personal development fund of £100 per year
• Professional development, specialisms, coaching and mentoring through our N Academy
• Annual clothing allowance of £100 (no uniform)
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, Adoption and Shared Parental leave pay for all team members after 2 years of continuous service with N
• 5 days full sick pay and, depending on individual circumstances, we may offer up to 5 days discretionary leave
• Paid training, including 2 inset days per year
• Childcare discount of 10%, rising to 25% when you become a Nursery Manager
• Emergency childcare: 6 back-up childcare days in any of our nurseries

Training Apprenticeship standards are aimed at developing skills within the apprentice’s chosen career route. Each standard has set knowledge, skills and behaviours required to be successful within the job role. This will include the completion of Functional Skills in maths and English. Once the apprentice has completed a minimum of 12 months of training and the employer and Inspiro's Regional Trainer confirm they have met all the requirements of the Level 2 Early Years Practitioner standard, they will be put through to the end-point assessment.

The end-point assessment is independent from the training and includes a variety of assessment methods which test the skills and knowledge of the apprentice to ensure they are fully competent in their role. Each apprentice will be supported throughout the apprenticeship by a structured programme of teaching, e-learning, face-to-face training and workplace mentoring; this will encourage and help them to meet the requirements of the new standards and will prepare them for the end-point assessment.

This vacancy is intended to lead to a permanent position within N Family Nursery upon the successful completion of the apprenticeship programme.

Skills:

• Communication skills
• Attention to detail
• Organisation skills
• Problem solving skills
• Team working
• Creative

Key details:

• Wage: £17,784 a year
• Working week: Work a flexible shift pattern within the opening hours (7.00am - 7.00pm).
• Hours: 40 hours per week
• Duration: 1 Year 2 Months
• Start date: 2026-12-01
• Closing date: 2026-11-15
• Apprenticeship standard: Early years practitioner (level 2)
• Training provider: INSPIRO LEARNING LIMITED

About the employer:

4.5 Glassdoor rating and N.1 highest quality, Outstanding nursery group in the UK Ofsted leaderboard! Would you like to join a fast growing nursery group with outstanding progression opportunities? We started with one nursery in 2017 and now have 20, and growing! Are you passionate about inspiring and developing the next generation to reach their full potential in this ever-changing world? At N Family Club, we’re rethinking careers in early years and challenging the way things are done in the sector. We empower you to reach your potential by supporting you with a mix of development initiatives and an unparalleled learning environment through our very own N Academy. We offer industry leading salaries, a refreshed approach to flexibility to ensure you have a positive work-life balance and a second-to-none benefit package.