Childcare Apprenticeship

Ridgemount Cottage Nursery School is a long established, family run nursery in the heart of Brockworth. It offers a warm, nurturing environment for children from babies up to preschool age, with a strong focus on outdoor learning and exploration. The setting includes woodland areas, gardens, and adventure spaces that encourage curiosity, creativity and confidence. Indoors, children benefit from cosy, natural play spaces designed to support a wide range of interests and developmental stages.

The nursery embraces community involvement, with regular local visits and family events to help children feel connected to the world around them. An Early Years Apprentice plays a hands‑on role in supporting the care, learning, and development of young children while working toward their Level 3 Early Years qualification. They help create a warm, nurturing, and engaging environment where children feel safe, valued, and inspired to learn through play.

Apprentices assist with daily routines such as mealtimes, personal care, activity setup, and tidying, while gradually taking on more responsibility as their confidence and skills grow. As they progress, they begin to observe children's development, contribute ideas for activities, and support planned learning experiences in line with the EYFS framework. Throughout the apprenticeship, they learn from experienced practitioners, developing strong communication skills, safeguarding awareness, and the ability to build positive relationships with children and families.

If you are someone who is enthusiastic, caring, and eager to grow - supporting children's early development while simultaneously building a rewarding professional pathway of their own.

• Support daily routines such as meal preparation, personal care, tidying, and creating a safe, welcoming environment for children
• Assist in delivering play‑based activities, helping children learn through exploration, creativity, and social interaction
• Observe and record children's development, sharing insights with senior practitioners to support planning and next steps
• Build positive relationships with children, families, and the team, demonstrating warm, caring, professional behaviour
• Follow safeguarding, health & safety, and EYFS guidance, ensuring children's wellbeing is always the top priority; recognise when a child or a colleague is in danger or at risk of abuse and act to protect them in line with safeguarding policy and procedure
• Apply legislation, policy and procedure to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of children in the setting (for example, food safety, diets, starting solid food, allergies, COSHH, and accidents, injuries and emergencies)
• Apply the principles of risk assessment and risk management within documentation and practice
• Teach children to develop skills to manage risk and maintain their own and others' safety
• Use a range of communication methods, including technology, with other professionals to meet the individual needs of the child
• Develop and maintain effective professional, collaborative relationships with others involved in the education and care of the child
• Undertake the role and responsibilities of key person
• Recognise and apply theories of attachment to develop effective relationships with children
• Provide sensitive and respectful personal care for children from birth to 5 years
• Advocate for all children's needs, including children which require SEND or EAL support
• Promote and facilitate children's interpersonal communication to develop their social interactions and relationships
• Support children to develop a positive sense of their own identity and culture
• Support children to understand and respond to their emotions and make considered choices about their behaviours
• Assess the responsiveness of the environment for effective child‑centred experiences in line with curriculum requirements
• Create inclusive, child‑centred, dynamic, innovative, and evolving physical environments both indoors and outdoors
• Create inclusive and supportive emotional environment that enables the child to feel safe, secure, respected and experience a sense of wellbeing; maintaining and prioritising the…