Early Years Level 5 Specialist Apprenticeship
The Level 5 Early Years Specialist Apprenticeship is equivalent to a Foundation Degree. It is delivered over 18 months and equips experienced practitioners with the knowledge, skills and confidence to lead high-quality early years provision. Ideal for those wanting to coach and motivate colleagues, improve practice and enhance outcomes across their setting.
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At A Glance
Level 5 Level
18 monthsDuration
WorkplaceLocation
About The Course
Effective leadership is central to delivering high-quality early years provision. The Early Years Specialist Level 5 Apprenticeship is a government-funded programme designed to develop confident, forward-thinking leaders who inspire excellence and help shape the future of early years education. The qualification is equivalent to a Foundation Degree.
This programme builds advanced knowledge and skills in key areas, including:
- Coaching and developing educators
- Leading change and innovation
- Improving outcomes for children
Through a combination of on-the-job learning and reflective practice, practitioners will gain the confidence and capability to lead day-to-day operations, drive continuous quality improvement, and support their teams in delivering outstanding provision.
This qualification empowers practitioners to become proactive and influential leaders, making a meaningful impact on outcomes for both staff and children.
This course is employer funded, which means that learners will never be expected to pay towards their qualifications. The course can be 95% funded by the government or paid through the apprenticeship levy.
Is this course right for you?
This programme is ideal for experienced early years practitioners who:
- Lead or support a team of early years staff
- Take responsibility for areas such as communication and language, planning and assessment, forest school, or physical development and nutrition
- Shape practice, mentor others, and maintain high standards of care
- Hold at least a Level 3 qualification and want to advance into roles such as Room Leader, Deputy Manager, Curriculum Lead, SENCo or Early Years Teacher
Pursuing this qualification not only deepened my understanding of leading a large team but also had a profound impact on my confidence.
Ashleigh-Marie Lafford
What you’ll learn
Learning phases on the Level 5 Early Years Practitioner apprenticeship include:
- ‘Leaderful’ practice
- Continuing professional development
- Child development
- The power of coaching
- The unique child
- Curriculum and pedagogy
- The skilful coach
- Leading safeguarding
- Risk management
- Health and wellbeing
- Coaching for outcomes
- Relationships and partnership working
As part of your continued professional development, you will also learn reflective practices.
How is the course assessed?
This course is assessed through an End Point Assessment (EPA) at the end of the 18 month learning period. The EPA assesses an apprentice’s ability to lead and manage effectively in an early years setting and takes around 3 months to complete.
Career progression
Completing the Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner course can open doors to:
- Level 6 degree level study
- Senior leadership roles
- Pathways to becoming an Early Years Teacher
How does this course improve outcomes?
Three new areas of learning have been introduced to strengthen the practical focus of the programme and equip practitioners with the core skills needed for effective leadership.
- Coaching educators - Builds the ability to unlock potential in others and support colleagues’ growth.
- Leading change - Develops the confidence to innovate, adapt and guide teams through improvement.
- Improving outcomes - Focuses on making decisions and taking actions that create positive impact for children, teams, and the wider community.
How you’ll learn
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Our sector expert staff will support you to achieve the apprenticeship. We have highly skilled and knowledgeable staff with significant experience of working in the industry who will be able to share their experiences and support you.
We deliver the programme throughout the year providing you with the flexibility to start the apprenticeship when it meets your needs. All learning is either on a 1-2-1 basis or online tutorials so you have the best experience possible with sector experts.
Our delivery model includes:
- Online learning sessions
- Online tutorials
- Remote support
- Independent learning
- Ongoing mentoring, coaching, advice and guidance
- Specialist English/maths support (if needed)
- Impartial information, advice and guidance
You will also record and track your learning progress through the OneFile e-portfolio, helping to support and evidence your journey. OneFile is an industry leading and award-winning online service which can be accessed 24/7 anywhere and through any device. Even if you’re offline and have no signal.
Why choose Realise?
We are a trusted training provider with over 30 years of experience delivering exceptional early years training. With a strong track record of excellence, we currently support over 1,600 learners through a network of 120 local trainers, ensuring personalised guidance and practical support.
Our commitment to quality is reflected in our Ofsted Good rating and our learners consistently achieve outstanding outcomes.
At Realise, we combine experience, expertise and a learner-focused approach to empower early years professionals to thrive.
The support we have received from Realise has been exceptional. The managers are hands-on, providing guidance and ensuring our apprentices achieve their goals within a realistic time-frame. The level of dedication from the assessors right up to the Director of Early Years clearly demonstrates their passion for delivering the best for our apprentices.
Stevie Deeble Operations Manager at Kids Inc Nurseries
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