Nursery Apprentice

Early Years Apprentice

📍 Acorn Nursery, Mulberry Bear
🎓 Level 2 or Level 3 Apprenticeship Opportunity

Full time - 36 hours per week

Are you looking to start your career in early years and gain a recognised qualification while working? We are looking for an Early Years Apprentice to join our team at Acorn Nursery in The Open University Campus.

This is a fantastic opportunity to earn while you learn, working towards your Level 2 or Level 3 Early Years Educator qualification while gaining hands-on experience in a supportive and nurturing environment.

About Acorn Nursery, Mulberry Bear

Acorn at Mulberry Bear is a 62 place day nursery in Milton Keynes, which offers full and part-time care for children aged four months to four years, and is open 7:30am until 6.00pm, Monday to Friday, all year round.

The Acorns and Squirrels room caters for children aged four months to two years old. The Acorn room has 12 spaces and the Squirrels room has 16 spaces. It has a bright main play room, which offers a range of sensory play with a range of resources to support children’s physical, emotional and language development. There is a sleep area and nappy changing/toilet facilities, and children have access to a safe, enclosed garden.

Our Oaks room caters for children aged three and four, and has 24 spaces, and is a bright room with a wide range of open-ended and first-hand experiences. All the nursery meals are freshly prepared and delivered each day by Acorn Catering, which operates from our hub kitchen at our Shenley Church End nursery. We use local and ethically sourced produce to create our delicious meals and all our menus have been designed to be nutritionally balanced ensuring we offer a variety of foods.

Acorn Early Years is a well-established not-for-profit childcare provider with over 35 years’ experience, delivering high-quality early years education across Milton Keynes, Northampton and Bedford.

Our nurseries are built on strong values, including nature-based learning, child-centred practice, and professional development, and we are proud to have been recognised as a ‘Top 20 Recommended Nursery Group 2025’ by Day Nurseries.

At Stony Stratford, you’ll be part of a friendly and experienced team dedicated to helping children grow, learn and thrive.

About the Role

As an Early Years Apprentice, you will:

• Work as part of the nursery team while completing your qualification
• Learn how to support children’s learning, development and play
• Help create a warm, safe and stimulating environment
• Build positive relationships with children, parents and colleagues
• Gain experience in EYFS practice and safeguarding procedures
• Work closely with a mentor to achieve your apprenticeship objectives

What You’ll Be Doing

• Supporting children through play-based learning and activities
• Being a positive role model for behaviour and engagement
• Learning how to deliver a holistic early years curriculum
• Supporting children’s progress and development
• Observing children and learning about planning in the moment
• Encouraging curiosity through creative, outdoor and messy play
• Developing strong communication skills with children and adults
• Learning and applying Acorn’s values, ethos and practices
• Ensuring children are safe and well cared for at all times

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who:

• Is passionate about working with children
• Enjoys outdoor learning and creative play
• Is enthusiastic, reliable and eager to learn
• Can balance work and study commitments
• Has a positive, caring and proactive attitude
• Wants to develop a long-term career in early years

(No prior qualification is required — full training will be provided as part of the apprenticeship.)

What We Offer

• A recognised Level 2 or Level 3 Early Years qualification
• Hands-on experience in a supportive nursery environment
• Ongoing training and development opportunities
• Enhanced pension contributions
• 65% childcare discount
• Four annual nursery closure days dedicated to staff training
• The opportunity to work for a not-for-profit organisation that puts children first

Equality, Diversity & Safer Recruitment

At Acorn, we are committed to creating an inclusive and welcoming environment where everyone feels they belong. We value diversity and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds.

Successful applicants must:

• Have the right to work in the UK
• Provide two satisfactory references
• Complete an Enhanced DBS check prior to starting

As a thank you for all of your hard work and dedication to making Acorn a safe, nurturing and fun place for our children to be, we offer:

• Payscales that are competitive, transparent and reviewed annually
• 65% Childcare discount Pro-rata according to contracted hours
• Generous family leave
• Christmas closure
• 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays (and the option to buy more)
• 4 dedicated training days and individual development plans
• Enhanced pension scheme
• Cyclescheme
• Techscheme
• Length of Service awards
• Summer and Christmas parties
• Pay advances for when times are tough
• Employee assistance wellbeing programme