Working in Childcare and EY Educator Apprenticeships

Job title: Nursery Nurse
Organisation: The Children’s Centre – Bright Horizons
Salary: To be disclosed at interview
Position: Permanent or bank
Information: email Jacqueline Man or Fran Neves
Please note: This is a rolling advert

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework is very clear that a safe, high quality staff team are essential for effective early learning. We hope the guide below will help you navigate through the minefield of recruitment, ensuring a suitably experienced, knowledgeable and effective Early Years workforce is achievable from the start.

Download the document at the bottom of this page

Providing high quality care and education for young children can be very rewarding.

It provides a much-needed service for local communities and, most importantly, makes a huge difference to the development and well-being of children.

What you need to do:

1. Research the need

Before starting up your childcare business it is important to assess what the demand for a new childcare provision is likely to be. Remember that the City of London is a very small area.

You will need to take various steps, such as:

• creating opportunities to talk to parents informally, for instance, in the City Child and Family Centre, our community libraries or through surveys;
• finding out what’s already available through our childcare sufficiency audit;
• viewing details on parents’ use of childcare and their views and experiences through the Early Years Alliance Childcare and Early Years Survey of Parents;
• looking at our directory of early years providers in the Square Mile

2. Financial viability

You can register with the City of London to claim funding to provide part-time early years education places for three and four-year-old children, and eligible two-year-old children.

Some three and four year olds will also be eligible for a 30 hours funded place. You can register to provide for this at Childcare Choices

3. Ofsted registration

If you will be looking after children under the age of eight years for more than two hours a day you will need to register with The Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills (Ofsted).

If you are a childminder, you can choose either to register with Ofsted or with a Childminder Agency.

Ofsted inspects and regulates the quality and standards of care and education in childcare provision. Find Ofsted's guidance on setting up a childcare service here

4. Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

The statutory framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage is a mandatory framework for all Ofsted registered childcare providers caring for children from birth to five years. It was developed to ensure that all childcare services provide a safe and secure environment for children and support children’s learning through carefully planned play activities that are fun and appropriate to their needs.

Contact the Education and Early Years Team for support, guidance and training: EEYService@cityoflondon.gov.uk

5. Premises

Childcare may be provided on domestic premises (for example, in the home of a childminder) or on non-domestic premises (such as a pre-school in a community hall or nursery on a school site).

The premises that you operate from must comply with the EYFS requirements. In choosing premises you will also need to consider whether the building is in a good state of repair, if it is safe and secure for the children, whether appropriate toilet and kitchen facilities are available, whether the premises are easy for families to get to and whether they are accessible to children and adults with disabilities.

6. Health and safety

The safety of the children and adults in the provision is a central theme throughout the EYFS. You will have a duty to develop effective procedures for ensuring that the provision is secure and that any risks are identified and managed through regular risk assessments; safeguarding and protecting children from harm or abuse; maintaining high standards of hygiene; regularly checking fire procedures and equipment.

7. Data Protection

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you will need to put systems in place to ensure any personal data you collect is securely processed, stored and destroyed. You will also need to issue those whose personal data you collect, such as parents, employees and volunteers with a privacy notice.

8. Insurance

Childcare providers must have adequate insurance cover. Some forms of insurance are required by law or for Ofsted registration, such as public liability insurance and employers’ liability insurance (where applicable).

Others are not legally required, but are still necessary because they provide protection for the provision and for those that use and are responsible for it.

9. Safeguarding and child protection

Every provider in the City of London is required to have and implement a safeguarding children policy and procedures which follows the guidance and procedures of the City and Hackney Safeguarding Children Partnership

10. Employer responsibilities

As an employer, you will need to take steps to ensure that your employees, job applicants, service users and volunteers are treated in a fair and consistent manner. Everyone has certain legal rights, including the right not to be discriminated against or harassed on the grounds of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion and belief, or sex

11. Inclusion and diversity

For the benefit of all staff and families, equality and inclusion must be embraced throughout your provision. The Equality Act 2010 requires childcare providers to ensure that their policies, procedures and practices promote equality of opportunity and prevent discrimination against children and adults in the provision.

Providers also have a duty to regard the Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice (DfE 2015) when meeting the needs of children with special educational needs and disabilities and developing a special educational needs policy.

The Early Years Alliance has a useful free mini guide to Setting up a Childcare Provision which advises on key choices and responsibilities to consider before you start.

Please note: The above information is also available in the Childcare section of this website, which also includes information about childcare, the options for childcare in and around the City of London, and the Childcare Act

Early years professionals are crucial in helping children develop before starting school. They plan and run education, play activities with children under five years old, and make sure they're safe and happy. It is a joyful and rewarding job where apprentices will get to see children learn and grow thanks to their support.

• Be somebody children look up to and earn as you learn valuable leadership, communication, and planning skills.
• Spark children’s imaginations and make a difference to their development, while you earn as you learn.
• Click on the link for more information: https://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/apprentices/early-years-educator#
• Download the case studies here to find out stories from apprentices.

Apprentices share what they enjoy most in their job, how they have progressed in their career and the support they received. Check out some some case studies here or download the PDF below.

For further information and to find out how to apply, visit: Early Years Educator (apprenticeships.gov.uk)