Early Years Apprentice, Oaks Nursery

Early Years Apprentice – Oaks Nursery

Salary:
Apprenticeship rate in line with government guidelines, with a pay review upon successful completion of the Level 3 qualification.

35 hours per week

34 days’ annual leave (full-time equivalent).

Are you passionate about working with children from birth to five years?

Do you thrive in a nurturing and busy nursery environment?

Would you like to be part of a friendly, dedicated team making a real difference every day and complete an online Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship.

If so, we’d love to hear from you!

We’re looking for a nursery apprentice to join our warm and experienced team at Oaks Nursery, based on the beautiful University of Kent campus.

You’ll be part of a well-established, supportive setting committed to providing outstanding care and inspiring learning opportunities for children from babies to pre-schoolers.

• Paid full-time apprenticeship (35 hours per week, 5 days per week)
• Online Level 3 Early Years Educator course
• Nursery closed over Christmas and Bank Holidays
• Nursery uniform provided
• Support and mentoring from experienced practitioners
• Friendly and inclusive working environment
• Opportunities for progression on successful completion of the apprenticeship

• Provide a high standard of care and early education in line with the EYFS
• Create a stimulating and inclusive environment for all children
• Observe, plan and assess children’s learning using Development Matters (2023)
• Contribute to regular summative assessments and developmental reports
• Build positive relationships with children, parents, and colleagues

To be successful in this role, you will be kind, enthusiastic and excited to start a career working with children. You don’t need previous childcare experience, but you should have a genuine interest in helping children learn and grow. You’ll be keen to learn new skills, happy to take guidance from experienced team members and committed to completing your Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship.

Being reliable, friendly and able to work well as part of a team is important, along with a positive attitude and a strong commitment to keeping children safe.

Nestled in the heart of the University of Kent campus on Parkwood Road, Oaks Nursery is a well‑established setting with an excellent reputation in childcare. We’re proud to be rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted (October 2022) and care for up to 90 children daily. Our families include university staff, Kent Union employees, and students.

You’ll be joining a passionate team of 30 dedicated professionals from nursery practitioners to support staff all working together to create a warm, nurturing environment for the children in our care.

View and download a Recruitment Pack including full job specification and person specification, from our website,

To apply please go to our recruitment portal at  to complete your application and submit your CV. Please ensure that you pay particular attention in your application to detailing how you meet the requirements of the person specification and note the criteria that is tested at application and at interview.