Creating a highly skilled Early Years workforce through apprenticeships: Brightside Preschool Case Study

Brightside Preschool is a family-run, Community Interest Company based in Hatfield, caring for children between the ages of 0 and 5 years. They have invested in the Level 2 and Level 3 early years apprenticeship programmes as a way to both upskill and hire new staff since 2023.

Apprenticeship training has become a core part of our provision at Brightside Preschool, bringing new practitioners in and training to a high standard, and upskilling existing staff and increasing their knowledge of Early Years Education.

Early Years have experienced a shortage in qualified practitioners across the sector, but we’ve found the use of apprenticeships has filled that gap for us.

We have an apprentice working in each of our three rooms within the preschool and we find that this builds a culture of continual learning and growth within the staff team. Paige joined us as an apprentice and has completed both the Level 2 Early Years Practitioner and Level 3 Early Years Educator apprenticeship programmes.

Each time she has engaged with the training, the difference in her confidence and ability to support our preschool children has taken a noticeable leap upwards. She has used her knowledge to plan engaging activities and enhance the children's learning. What’s really lovely is how she’s also been able to share her knowledge with the team, which is helping our other practitioners refresh their knowledge.

Paige has been supporting the children with their communication and language skills through the use of visuals, makaton and repetition, and exploring how their body feels when they experience an emotion.

One of the things she has implemented recently was to create a transition book for families when moving into or joining her room. She has used this to support children with the change and to help them get to know the new room and their teachers.

I know Paige would love to become a Room Leader in the future and now her level 3 apprenticeship is complete, she is working on gaining experience within the setting to help her to achieve this goal. Being able to grow future leaders from within helps to support our setting for years to come, strengthening our practice and ensuring our success.

We love to train staff right from the beginning of their career, and currently have Megan completing her Level 2 Early Years Practitioner apprenticeship with ESF. Megan has gone through the process of learning the fundamental knowledge and skills required in Early Years, and we have found the apprenticeship has supported this through every training session and module completed. Megan has also gained her English functional skills qualification alongside the apprenticeship, receiving the support that she lacked at school.

Parents are so supportive of our apprentices. They are very happy with the progress their children are making and Paige and Megan are well-regarded members of the team. We've even had some parents ask if they can join us as an apprentice themselves!

Staff love to support their colleagues' training, and staff who have completed their qualifications years prior, feel that their knowledge is being refreshed too. It brings another level of value.

I would highly recommend investing in apprenticeships within your setting. They provide opportunities to upskill current staff, as well as recruiting new team members, and strengthening the knowledge within the setting. If you aren't a levy-paying setting, and are worried about the cost, there are opportunities to apply for levy transfers.

Apprentices are also able to start their training on an apprentice wage, which is a lower rate for the first year. This just leaves the cost of releasing the staff member from ratios, which is a worthwhile investment considering the benefits you’ll receive!