Early Years Apprentice - Little Bears Childcare

Job Posted: 5 June 2026

• Contract Term: Apprenticeships
• Location: Arreton, Isle of Wight
• Contract Type: Full time
• Salary: £8.00 per hour
• Industries: Apprenticeships Childcare

Here at The Isle of Wight College, we are proud to partner with a wide network of dynamic employers across a diverse range of industries. An exciting opportunity has arisen to work as an Early Years Apprentice with Little Bears Childcare in Arreton.

Are you looking to kickstart your career in Early Years?

Welcome to Little Bears Childcare- an Ofsted registered childminder setting in Arreton, IOW ??

This is a fantastic opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience while working towards a recognised qualification in a nurturing and supportive childcare setting.

At Little Bears we provide a safe, warm and nurturing environment where children build the confidence, skills and knowledge to succeed and thrive in their lifelong journey of learning in whatever their next steps may be.

We learn through play and real-life experiences, inside and outside of the setting; fostering a love of learning and approaching challenges with curious and inquisitive minds, resilience and enthusiasm about the world around us.

We celebrate our unique achievements and differences and build upon each individual’s skills, interests, experiences and knowledge, whilst building strong and positive relationships with both adults and children.

We feel the best learning and thriving happens when children are happy, engaged, exploring and having fun and this is at the heart of what we do.

Our ethos at Little Bears is to provide a ‘home from home’ for children, where they feel safe and nurtured.

We pride ourselves on building strong relationships with the children to enable this and also value positive relationships and effective communication with families as well as the children.

Rather excitingly and owing to business growth, Little Bears Childcare are now seeking to recruit a motivated and enthusiastic apprentice to join their small friendly team.

To learn more about Little Bears Childcare, visit their Facebook page:

Little Bears Childcare - Arreton, Isle of Wight | Facebook

Tasks and responsibilities will include:

·         To provide all aspects of care which may include hand washing, nappy changing, feeding and personal hygiene for the children.

·         To support in daily routines of the setting to support the children’s care, wellbeing and learning.

·         Assist with meeting the personal and emotional needs of individual children.

·         To support learning and development of the children – with in the moment support while playing and engaging in activities and with supporting planning and carrying out activities and tracking progress and development of the children.

·         Undertake training for continuous improvement – safeguarding and first aid are essential to the role, but a willingness to participate in further training offered.

·         Know and implement the setting’s policies and procedures, knowing where to find them if needed.

·         Have a role in safeguarding children by working to the setting’s safeguarding policy and knowing where to access further guidance if required.

·         Communicate effectively with parents/carers and build trust, while retaining confidentiality when appropriate – including using the setting phone and app to log register, daily routines; food, toileting etc as well as verbal communication at handovers.

·         Uphold the professional standards outside of working hours, for example if encountering families from within the setting outside of work to behave professionally and respect confidentiality. This also includes social media presence.

·         Uphold confidentiality to not discuss private information of the setting or any of the families from within the setting outside of the setting.

Teamwork

·         Contribute towards an effective and supportive team environment.

·         Work collaboratively with colleagues to ensure the highest standards of care and learning are provided.

·         Attend team meetings or discussions and contribute ideas; being proactive with implementing ideas of yourself and others to improve the setting and create opportunities.

·         Attend out of working hours’ activities, within reasonable limits e.g. training, staff meetings etc.

·         Communicate effectively to ensure that everybody is aware of any important information about children and families within the setting.

General

·         Contribute to high standards of hygiene and cleanliness in the setting.

·         To respect the confidentiality of all information received, being aware that when safeguarding is concerned this confidentiality can be waived, as long as professional values are demonstrated at all times.

·         To help ensure the setting is a high-quality environment which meets the needs of individual children; keeping inclusion at the forefront in ensuring all children are offered the same access to opportunities.

·         To be aware of the profile of the setting and to always uphold its standards.

·         To be aware of all emergency and fire evacuation procedures.

·         To promote and support the setting’s policies relating to safeguarding of children and young people within the workplace.

·         To be aware of the developmental needs of children and have an active role in creating activities and resources to support and extend this.

Person Specification:

·         If a successful candidate is selected, the job offer will be dependent on passing the Enhanced DBS check, Ofsted suitability check and being able to attend and passing the compulsory first aid and safeguarding training.

·         Two references will also need to be obtained prior to commencement of the post.

Qualifications Required:

GCSE grade C/4 or above in English & Maths (or equivalent qualification and/or ability to work towards these Functional Skills).

Apprenticeship Standard:

• Level 2 or Level 3 Early Years Apprenticeship depending on the successful candidates previous qualification/s.
• Functional Skills in Maths and English if required and not previously achieved GCSE grade 4 or above.

·         Alongside your practical daily work, you’ll take part in off-the-job training hours—dedicated time within your working week to develop your knowledge, skills, and behaviours through any new/online learning.

Working Week:  

·         35 to 40 hours in term time weeks.

·         27 to 30 hours in school holiday weeks.

Wage:

£8.00 per hour.

Additional information below:

Once qualified and dependant on company needs at the time, there may be the potential for a permanent position.

So, if this sounds like the next step you want to take with your career, then please apply with a cover letter telling us why you feel you would be the ideal person to take on this brilliant opportunity. Don’t forget to attach your latest CV too!!

*Please note applications without a CV or covering letter will not be considered.