As experts in the field, Kids Planet was proud to be part of the government’s trailblazer group for a Level 5 Early Years Practitioner apprenticeship, linking with partners across the world to enhance and hone in on an innovative approach to how we deliver.
The apprenticeship was designed in recognition that there wasn’t a vocational progression route in early years for practitioners at that level. Gill Mason, Head of Training and Development at Kids Planet, said:
“We fought for this rather than a foundation degree, to avoid obstacles of higher education loans and so on. So it took four years for this to be created, and was a long time coming but so brilliant and necessary”.
With the course now on offer and our current cohort in full swing, we sat down with Gill Mason for the full lowdown on the course, what to expect, and training at Kids Planet:
The 24-month course provides in-depth teaching in the areas of leadership and leading a team, so practitioners can become real specialists in early years and lead certain projects and programs that enhance provision.
It helps practitioner’s to become reflective and learn to drill down deeper into certain aspects of EYFS and broaden knowledge of early years, for example looking in detail at the social and cultural context of early years, within a global context, taking a post-pandemic look at how Early Years has been affected on a global scale, and how the sector is constantly impacted by government policy.
We have designed this for our motivated, excited, and committed practitioners that are driven to know, understand and do more for our children every day.
The course is ideal for those practitioners who aspire to be a role model for the team within their nursery setting. They will already hold extra responsibility within the setting and will be looking to develop this further.
We expect that people will have Level 3 or relevant experience and/or other qualifications to be eligible for the course, as it is an ideal progression route for level 3’s, who want to move onto the next level.
It is for the practitioners that understand that our children’s outcomes are directly impacted by our skills and abilities and therefore continually strive to become the best practitioner they can be.
Our Lead Practitioners should still be immersed in day-to-day childcare: sat in the sandpit, helping children learn how to wash their hands, making mud pies, building towers, and sat in a corner chatting with children about their interests and motivations that day.
However, they will be equally comfortable advocating for children by confidently articulating to parents, colleagues and multidisciplinary teams strategies and practices to develop and extend children’s learning and holistic development.
Having become a natural leader within their teams and a valuable resource for the children, colleagues and team, they will understand a wide range of theories and be able to draw upon these to enhance their pedagogical approach and practice.
Studying with Kids Planet provides a clear pathway for career development, with designated routes for the promotion of practitioners after completing level 5. Being such a big group, the opportunities are there which may not exist in other groups, and we want our learners to grab them with both hands.
We have our own academy with is unique, delivering to our staff our expertise. Simply put, we are not only a training organisation, but we’ve got the jobs too. We offer both and we’ve got those opportunities at the end of training.
Inclusive to external employers also, other nurseries can benefit from a team of experts who bring a high level of experience to the Level 5 course offering.
There are monthly zoom sessions as well as taught sessions where possible in the current pandemic situation in which we find ourselves. The group come together to work on dynamic action research projects and identify emerging trends in the sector.
Supported by the academy team of experts and personal tutors, delivery is individually based, looking at the learner’s own level, role, and aspirations to focus on that learner in the context of their needs.
The first cohort started in September 2021 and are doing extremely well. They’re finding it supportive and have been finding creative ways of completing assignments and enhancing their skills.
By reflecting on their roles and provision, they are finding it benefits their job roles. We are focusing on gender diversity, wellbeing, outside play, communicating with parents and much more, and these projects allow them to disseminate their learnings to the rest of the group internally, which leads to a more cohesive approach for us all.
Please email Training@kidsplanetdaynurseries.co.uk to enquire today.
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