The purpose of this apprenticeship is to train practitioners, working directly with children, to skillfully lead and support the day-to-day practice in their setting. The Lead Practitioner will be responsible for supporting the quality of learning and development in their setting as well as managing the operational aspects of the provision.

An apprenticeship is a job with an integrated formal training programme.

Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes that are designed to help employers and individuals train for specific job roles. Apprentices get a paying job with valuable training while working towards a nationally recognised apprenticeship standard.

Both new and existing staff may embark on an apprenticeship.

The EYLP Level 5 apprenticeship is ideal for someone looking to further their career possibilities as an Early Years Senior Practitioner, Room Leader, Deputy Manager, Supervisor.

 It is suitable for new recruits to the sector, newly qualified practitioners and most definitely established and experienced practitioners who wish to progress.

 Early Years Lead Practitioners work with and care for children from birth to 8 years. They play a massive role in supporting children to have the best start to their education. Research shows disadvantaged children are 4 months behind at age 5, 10 months behind by the age of 11, and 19 months behind when they reach 16. As an Early Years specialist, you will personally help to close the gap and increase the life chances of the children you work with. 

All applicants will be initially invited to a Teams interview with our sector specialists. This is to ensure they have the suitable experience, meet the entry requirements and are fully-informed of the programme they are accessing.

Apprentices must have:

• Support from your employer to undertake the programme
• Funding agreed with apprenticeship account holder
• GCSE’s in English and Maths at Grade C (4) or above or able to achieve Level 2 English and Maths whilst on programme
• Level 3 Early Years Educator or Equivalent Qualifications / Extensive Experience 
• Successful interview
• Must have held a residency in the UK for the last three years

There are no age restrictions.   

There are residency conditions:   

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apprenticeship-funding-rules-for-employer-providers/annex-a-eligibility-criteria-who-we-fund   

Applicants will need to undertake a Disclosure and Baring Service to check and provide the results. Apprentices without level 2 English and Maths will need to achieve these prior to End Point Assessment. Apprentices will need to hold a Paediatric First Aid Certificate in order to meet Early Years Educator criteria. 

GCSE’s in English and Maths at Grade C (4) or above or evidence on the Personal Learner Record (PLR) will be required for an exemption from sitting English and Maths.

• Lost certificates – please contact your awarding body for copies  
• If you have no evidence, we will support you to achieve Level 2 Functional skills  

The apprentice is paid a lawful wage  

The apprentice cannot contribute towards the cost of the apprenticeship  

An initial assessment must consider whether the individual already possesses any of the training content e.g. the knowledge, skills and behaviours required by the apprenticeship:  

• It is important to know the apprentice’s starting point so that the training plan does not duplicate prior learning 
• Any existing relevant qualifications will be checked against the Apprenticeship Standard criteria during the initial assessment to ensure there is no duplication
• Significant new learning must be required

Only knowledge, skills and behaviours in the Apprenticeship Standard are relevant, existing non-relevant qualifications at the same or higher level do not exempt learners from the programme, e.g. a degree in landscape design  

Typically you will have GCSE’s in English and Maths at Grade C (4) or above, or able to achieve Level 2 English and maths whilst on the programme, but a full list of acceptable equivalent qualifications to exempt you from maths and English can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-and-maths-requirements-in-apprenticeship-standards-at-level-2-and-above

Typically,  18 to 24 months duration.

On successful completion of your apprenticeship, you will be awarded the Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner Apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship is a work-based qualification, which means that the majority of the training and assessment for the apprenticeship will be completed at your workplace. You will need to build an apprenticeship e-Portfolio of evidence. Your Apprenticeship Tutor will observe you in the workplace and guide you on which pieces of work-based evidence are suitable for your e-Portfolio.  

Delivery will also be through webinars, online courses, briefings and face to face.

Throughout your apprenticeship, you will have remote visits and face to face visits with your Apprenticeship Tutor to carry out reviews and observations and support you and your employer.  

Once you have completed all the criteria for the apprenticeship and mock tests you will have a gateway meeting with your Tutor and Line Manager/Mentor to agree you are ready for your End Point Assessment (EPA). The EPA is completed to assess the knowledge, skills and behaviours that you have learnt throughout the apprenticeship.

As an apprentice,  you must be paid at least the Apprenticeship Minimum Wage of £5.28 an hour, however many employers pay more than this.   

If you are 19 after completing the first year of your apprenticeship, you must be paid at least the full National Minimum Wage.  

All apprentices are employed and have a contract of employment. You are counted as a regular employee so get all the benefits such as holiday and sick leave as well.  

Gateway requirements  

The decision to take an apprentice through Gateway is made between the employer, Independent Training Provider and apprentice. The apprentice must have achieved all the required on-programme elements before they enter Gateway, including the completion of a Portfolio of Evidence that will underpin the Professional Discussion (video evidence can be withheld for the EPAO to view at the employer’s premises) and The case study title and scope will be agreed between the apprentice, employer and the EPAO at the gateway.  

The EPA for Early Years Lead Practitioner contains 3 methods of assessment as outlined below:  

Observation with questions 

An observation with questions involves an independent assessor observing and questioning an apprentice undertaking work, as part of their normal duties, in the workplace. This allows for a demonstration of the KSBs through naturally occurring evidence. The observation must be of an apprentice completing their usual work and simulation is not permitted. The independent assessor will ask questions in relation to KSBs that have not been observed although these should be kept to a minimum. 

Professional discussion underpinned by a portfolio of evidence 

 This assessment will take the form of a professional discussion which must be appropriately structured to draw out the best of the apprentice’s competence and excellence and cover the KSBs assigned to this assessment method. A professional discussion is a two-way discussion which involves both the independent assessor and the apprentice actively listening and participating in a formal conversation. The apprentice leads the discussion. It gives the apprentice the opportunity to make detailed and proactive contributions to confirm their competency across the KSBs mapped to this method. 

Case study with report and presentation and questioning 

The assessment method is the completion of a case study and the outcome will be a case study report and presentation. The case study report will be based on a case study that the apprentice has done with an individual child or group of children. The case study report should include an analysis of observations the apprentice has made. The presentation will complement the report by allowing the apprentice the opportunity to provide more information about the report and to answer questions on it. A case study must be based on a real-life workplace situation which involves the apprentice completing a relevant and defined piece of work. The work must have a real benefit to the children or setting the apprentice is working in. The in-depth analysis of the observations and resulting case study report and presentation must be undertaken after the apprentice has gone through the gateway. The case study, report and presentation should be designed to allow the relevant KSBs to be assessed for the EPA. The EPAO must refer to the grading descriptors to ensure that case studies are pitched appropriately. The observations, analysis and preparation of the case study report and presentation will typically take 12 weeks. The case study report and presentation must be submitted 12 weeks after the gateway. 

 Grade aggregation table :

There are three levels of Apprenticeship:  

Level 2: Intermediate Level Apprenticeship (equivalent to five A* GCSEs)  

Level 3: Advanced Level Apprenticeship (equivalent to two A-Levels)  

Level 4, 5 and 6: Higher Apprenticeship (Foundation degree level)  

It is up to you what you do when you have finished your apprenticeship. There may be an opportunity to stay on at the same company and progress to the next level of apprenticeship or you may want to look for a new job or professional development opportunity.  

Applying for an apprenticeship is like applying for a job so you will have to go through an application process.  

Yes, apprentices can move employers but they must check that the new employer is happy to support them on the programme and the employer will need to complete checks and contracts with us first.

For the apprenticeship, a certain amount of your working hours should be focused on gaining new learning. The amount will be dependent on your contracted hours per week. 

• Off-the-job training is about upskilling an individual to reach full occupational competency, not accrediting their existing skills. 
• Off-the-job training must be away from the apprentice’s normal working duties and must teach new knowledge, skills and behaviours relevant to their specific apprenticeship. 
• You can deliver off-the-job training in the apprentice’s normal workplace or at an external location.  
• Progress reviews and on-programme assessment do not count towards off-the-job training. 
• Apprentices may choose to spend additional time training outside paid hours, but this must not be required to complete the apprenticeship. 
• If training must, by exception, take place outside of the apprentice’s normal working hours, e.g. in an evening or at a weekend for an apprentice that normally works Monday to Friday between 9-5, we would expect this to be recognised, for example through time off in lieu or by an additional payment to the apprentice. 

Benefits of Off-the-job training 

Apprenticeships are about upskilling an individual. Reaching occupational competency takes time.  

• Many employers and apprentices have praised the positive effect off-the-job training has on their productivity  
• Apprentices feel valued by the significant investment in their training.  
• It can be delivered flexibly, for example, as a part of each day, one day per week, one week out of five or as block release.
• You may already have existing training programmes or materials you can use to deliver elements of the apprentice’s off-the-job training. 
• We have developed a range of delivery styles to suit employer and apprentice needs. Employers should work with us to decide when and where off-the-job training should take place and who is best placed to deliver it. 
• Learning support - To be successful, learners may need a range of approaches and support, which will be targeted appropriately. As well as material assistance, such as physical adjustments or access to accessibility software, some apprentices may benefit from additional time, revision or personal support from their training provider, to help them to stay on track and to achieve specific knowledge, skills and behaviours.  
• Develops strategic leadership skills and behaviours 
• Improves core management techniques 
• Focused learning experience
• Builds leadership capabilities to motivate and inspire your teams 
• Builds self-awareness 
• Addresses real organisational issues 
• For those that are engaged on an apprenticeship there may be an initial loss of productivity, due to the time the apprentice is engaged in training, but in the long term the new skills that the person brings back to the workplace, which makes them fully occupationally competent, should compensate for this. 
• The importance of off-the-job training to a quality apprenticeship was emphasised in the Richard Review of Apprenticeships and more recently in Taking Training Seriously, a report by the Gatsby Foundation which compared English apprenticeships to those in other countries. This report reinforced the need for off-the-job training and concluded that 20% should be the bare minimum if England is to compete with the strongest apprenticeship programmes internationally. 
• Ofsted and the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) have also highlighted the importance of off-the-job training to a quality apprenticeship in their various publications.  
• A key element of Ofsted’s inspection regime is a judgement about how well apprentices make progress from their starting points i.e. what an apprentice can do as a result of their training and experience on the apprenticeship programme that they were unable to do before. 

Off-the-job training examples 

• Research 
• Networking events 
• Seminars  
• Shadowing others  
• Employer induction programme, e.g. conflict resolution and corporate induction as these are part of the required knowledge. 
• Reflective learning 
• Self-directed distance learning (where the apprentice is working on their own with no real-time support) 
• Interactive online learning (virtual classrooms where the learner can receive support, in real-time, from their training provider).  
• Practical training 
• Mentoring 
• Time writing assignments 
• Lectures, role-playing, simulation exercises 
• Online learning 
• Industry visits 
• Learning support 

£8,000  but:  

Apprenticeship funding is available for employers from the government. The size of the funding employers receive varies depending on whether they pay the apprenticeship levy or not. Non-levy paying companies currently pay 5% of the cost with the government paying the rest. For levy-paying employers, the funds are drawn from their levy accounts or topped up by the government if they have insufficient funds.  

https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/employer/how-much-is-it-going-to-cost   

• The entire apprenticeship is eligible for funding  
• The apprentice cannot pay towards an apprenticeship  
• Resits may incur extra costs to the employer  

How are apprenticeships paid for and are they affordable?  

Payments are spread across the entire lifetime of the apprenticeship - taken each month by your training provider. This means that you don’t have to meet the full cost of the apprenticeship at the start of the training. You just need enough funds in your account to meet the monthly payments. In addition, 20% of the cost of the apprenticeship will be held back and taken from your Apprenticeship Service (AS) online account at the end of the apprenticeship.  

Do Levy funds run out?  

Yes. Levy funds will expire 24 months after they enter your digital account unless you spend them on apprenticeship training. For example, funds that entered your account in July 2019 will expire in July 2021. If you don’t use them, you will lose them. The account works on a first-in, first-out basis. Whenever a payment is taken from your digital account it automatically uses the funds that entered your account first.  

What happens if an employer’s Levy funds don’t cover the full cost of training?  

If an employer pays the Apprenticeship Levy but their funds do not cover the full cost of the apprenticeship training, then additional support is available. The government will pay 95% of the additional costs (up to the maximum of the relevant funding band) - with you as the employer ‘co-investing’ 5%.

As part of our Early Years initiative, learners who wish to become early years professionals, or those already working in this area of education, can take part in our programmes and advance onto other qualifications related to early years and child care. This initiative supports you in achieving your own ambitions and allows you to gain the skills required to support the next generation in being able to reach theirs.

Our Early Years Career Pathway has been developed to support your career development, take into account the variety of roles within the early years sector, and help you develop your career.

This pathway includes the following programmes: Early Years Practitioner (EYP) Apprenticeship Level 2, Early Years Educator (EYE) Apprenticeship Level 3, Early Years Lead Practitioner (EYLP) Level 5 and Early Years Initial Teacher Status (EYIIT) (eligible with a degree top-up).