Course Details

Employers have designed the Apprenticeship Standards to meet the needs of the sector and industry. Ensuring they include:

• Relevant Knowledge, skills and behaviours ensure that the Standard is relevant to the occupation.
• Widening participation Apprenticeship standards provide opportunities to employees that may not previously have been available.
• Development tools A cost effective way to train your employees to undertake specific roles in your business.
• Return on Investment On average, an apprentice who has completed their course will increase business productivity by £214 per week (CEBR, 2015).

Knowledge

You will understand:

• The expected patterns of children’s development from birth to 5 years, and their further development.
• The significance of attachment and how to promote it effectively.
• A range of underpinning theories and philosophical approaches to how children learn and develop, and their influence on practice.
• How children’s learning and development can be affected by their stage of development and individual circumstances.
• The importance of promoting diversity, equality, and inclusion, fully reflecting cultural differences and family circumstances.
• The importance of children’s holistic development.
• Systematic synthetic phonics in the teaching of reading, and strategies for developing early literacy and maths.
• The potential effects of, and how to prepare and support children through transitions and significant events in their lives.
• The current early education curriculum requirements such as the Early Years Foundation Stage.
• Use appropriate sign-posting or resolution to meet the customers’ needs and manage expectations.
• Maintain informative communication during service recovery.

Skills

You will be able to:

• Analyse and explain how children’s learning and development can be affected by their stage of development and individual circumstances.
• Promote equality of opportunity and anti-discriminatory practice.
• Plan and lead activities, purposeful play opportunities and educational programmes.
• Ensure the plan fully reflects the stage of development, individual needs and circumstances of children and providing consistent care responding quickly to the needs of the child.
• Provide learning experiences, environments and opportunities appropriate to the age, stage and needs of individuals and groups of children.
• Encourages children’s participation, ensuring a balance between adult-led and child- initiated activities.
• Engage in effective strategies to develop and extend children’s learning and thinking.
• Support and promote children’s speech, language and communication development.
• Support children’s group learning and socialisation.
• Model and promote positive behaviours expected of children such as turn taking, and keeping reactions and emotions proportionate.
• Support children to manage their own behaviour in relation to others.
• Plan and provide activities to meet additional needs, working in partnership with parents and/or carers and other professionals.
• Carry out and record observational assessments accurately.
• Identify the needs, interest and stages of development of individual children.
• Make use of formative and summative assessment, tracking children’s progress to plan next steps.
• Discuss children’s progress and plan next stages in their learning with the key person, colleagues, parents and/r carers.
• Communicate effectively in English in writing and verbally.
• Engage in continuing professional development and reflective practice to improve own skills and knowledge.
• Plan and carry out physical care routines suitable to the age, stage and needs of the child.
• Promote healthy lifestyles by encouraging healthy snacks and drinks, and being physically active.
• Undertake tasks to ensure the prevention and control of infection for example, hand washing, food preparation and hygiene.
• Carry out risk assessment and risk management in line with policies and procedures.
• Maintain accurate and coherent records and reports and share information, only when appropriate.
• Identify and act upon own responsibilities in relation to health and safety, security, confidentiality, safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children.
• Work cooperatively with colleagues and other professionals to meet the needs of babies and children.
• Work in partnership with parents and/or carers to help the recognise and value the significant contributions they make to the child’s health, well-being, learning and development.
• Encourage parents and/or carers to take an active role in the child’s play, learning and development.

Behaviours

• Care and compassion.
• Being team-focused.
• Honesty, trust and integrity.
• Commitment.
• Work in a non-discriminatory way.
• Working practice considering fundamental British values.

Early Years Educators and other job roles such as Nursery Nurse and Childminders, are highly trained professionals who play a key role in ensuring that young children learn and develop well and are kept healthy and safe. You could work in a range of settings including full day care, children’s centres, preschools, reception classes and as childminders. You may either be working on your own or supervising others to deliver the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) requirements set by the Government for the learning, development and care of children from birth to 5 years old.

An Early Years Educator:

• Plans and supervises child initiated and adult led activities which are based around the needs and interests of each individual child.
• Supports children to develop numeracy and language skills through games and play.
• Has key person responsibility to help ensure each child feels safe and secure.
• Observes each child and shapes their learning experience to reflect their observations
• Meets the care needs of the individual child such as feeding, changing nappies and administration of medicine.
• Works in partnership with other colleagues, parents and/or carers or other professionals to meet the individual needs of each child.

With additional experience, an Early Years Educator can become the manager of an early years setting.

It is really important for you to have a criminal records check called an enhanced DBS check before you can go on your work placement.

So, you need to be aware that if you’ve received a caution, reprimand or conviction it may mean we can’t enrol you on the course and you won’t be able to get a job in the care and childcare sectors.

Off the Job Training

A key requirement of an Apprenticeship is Off-the-job training. This must make up an average of six hours per week of your working hours, over the total duration of your planned training period. Off-the-job training must be directly relevant to the apprenticeship standard and must take place within your normal working hours.

The new learning must be documented and reflected on through the Learner Journal on your e-portfolio.

Employers will set their own entry requirements; typically, you should have acquired relevant, active experience in the leisure sector prior to enrolment.

You will need to be in a relevant role and show a willingness to undertake the knowledge, skills and behaviours required. You will also need to have Level Two Maths and English (GCSE at Grade Four/C or above or equivalent) or be prepared to attend a block study period for Maths and English if this is required.

You may be required to attend an interview and undertake relevant skills assessments. Once you have been accepted onto the programme you will be required to attend a Lincoln College Induction.

You will also require access to a tablet/computer to access your e-portfolio.

Assessment is done through a combination of practical tasks, written assignments, oral discussions and online tests throughout the programme:

• One-to-one support from a dedicated, professional assessor/instructor allocated to you for the duration of the programme.
• Work based assignments and projects to be completed in an e-portfolio.
• Case studies and in College course days as and when required for each learner.
• Job shadowing and mentoring, cross training in other departments.
• Independent learning and research as directed by the assessor, relevant to the area of study.
• Review of progress every one to twelve weeks with you, your manager and assessor, evaluating and contributing to what has been learnt and what the next steps to take are.

End Point Assessment

There will be an End Point Assessment (EPA) as the final stage of an Apprenticeship. You must demonstrate their learning to an independent end point assessor and the overall grade available is distinction, pass or fail.

Assessment events are:

• Synoptic knowledge test: 60 min multiple choice test.
• Professional discussion: 90 min professional discussion underpinned by portfolio.

Qualifications

You must successfully complete a Level Three Early Years Educator qualification.

You must also successfully complete the Level Three Award in Paediatric First Aid (RQF) or Level Three Award in Emergency Paediatric First Aid (RQF) Or complete a first aid course delivered by one of the following types of organisations as per the EYFS requirements. Voluntary aid society, member of trade body with an approval and monitoring system, or acknowledged by the Health and Safety Executive.

Progression

This Apprenticeship provides an ideal grounding into the occupation and supports progression within the sector to Level Five Early Years Lead Practitioner.

As an Apprentice, you will pay no course fees. However, your employer may have to pay towards your training as well as provide you with a wage. All Apprentices are entitled to the national minimum apprentice wage within their first year of training from their employer, although they can, and often do, pay more. In the second and subsequent years of an Apprenticeship programme, if you are aged 19 or over, the national minimum wage for your age would apply [https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates]

If you are an employer and want to find out more information regarding employer contributions and any further costs related to the Apprenticeship programme, please contact our dedicated Apprenticeship team at employers@lincolncollege.ac.uk