Professional Coaching in Early Years Apprenticeship Level 5

Develop coaching and mentoring skills through this Level 5 Professional Coaching in Early Years Apprenticeship. Designed for those working in early years education who want to apply professional coaching approaches in their setting.

Part of LMP’s Future Leaders, this programme combines practical coaching practice with an understanding of organisational contexts, early years leadership and personal development. Upon completion, you will also receive a nationally recognised qualification plus an ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring.

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Apprenticeship level

5 Higher

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Typical duration

9 Months

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Training method

Blended

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Assessment Method

Observation, Q&A, Interview, Portfolio and Knowledge Test

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Cost/funding value

£5000

EPA organisation

Ofqual

FIRST cohort starts January 2026

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Professional Coaching in Early Years Apprenticeship Level 5

Join the first coaching apprenticeship designed specifically for the early years sector, bringing professional, evidence-informed coaching practice into nurseries, preschools and EYFS classrooms.

This Level 5 Professional Coaching programme is tailored for early years practitioners, leaders and support staff who want to deepen their understanding of coaching as a non-directive, person-centred approach that empowers others to reflect, grow and take ownership of their development.

This 9 month fully funded training is designed to be flexible and achievable along-side full time work within nurseries, crèches and other early years settings.

Upon completion of the programme, you will receive an ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring.

Employer Benefits

For an early years setting, investing in a Level 5 Coaching apprenticeship nurtures a supportive environment that helps individuals grow and thrive.

Demonstrate a clear commitment to staff development that directly improves outcomes for children and families in Early Years settings

Support inclusive and reflective practice in Early Years teams: Use emotional intelligence and motivation theory to help practitioners grow in confidence and meet the diverse needs of young children

Build strong coaching relationships in Early Years contexts: Develop active listening, effective questioning and clear contracting to support trust and professional dialogue across your setting

Improve outcomes across your Early Years provision: Learn how to measure the impact of coaching on staff development, pedagogy and setting-wide priorities

Manage sensitive conversations in Early Years environments: Tackle challenges such as change, wellbeing and safeguarding with professionalism and care

It offers a strategic opportunity to build internal coaching capability, support staff development and retention, embed a high-performance culture and make effective use of apprenticeship funding.

This programme is aimed at individuals who currently work in an early years setting and are looking to develop their coaching skills further.

You may already be applying coaching approaches informally or have some experience in a leadership role. This funded training programme will deepen your coaching expertise, helping you create lasting impact through meaningful dialogue and developmental challenge.

This apprenticeship is ideal for Early Years professionals who:

-Are coaching or mentoring other staff, either formally or informally

-Have completed EYITT, the EY SENCO Award, or an Early Years Apprenticeship

-Want to develop structured, high-quality coaching skills specific to Early Years

-Are looking to grow as a leader or support the development of others in their setting

Following the successful completion of this programme individuals can progress to further leadership, coaching or mentoring programmes.

To start this apprenticeship, you must be currently employed within an early years setting, school or nursery.

You must have lived in the UK 3+ years minimum and have a form of UK ID required at enrolment. You must be age 16+ (with no upper age limit).

You must have the right to work and study in the UK for the full duration of the apprenticeship

Undertaking the Level 5 Coaching Professional in Education Apprenticeship offers you the opportunity to unlock your potential while helping others. Other benefits include

Gain the ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring alongside your apprenticeship, with no extra study or cost – all tailored to Early Years settings

Learn coaching models that work in Early Years: Apply structured approaches like GROW and solution-focused coaching to support colleagues working in play-based, child-led environments

Grow as a coach in the Early Years sector: The programme develops your confidence, self-awareness and leadership as a coach supporting others in Early Years education

Learn While You Work: this programme is designed to fit around your current job, so you can immediately apply what you’re learning.

Develop advanced techniques: learn how to use enhanced listening and questioning skills to increase individuals’ and teams’ self-awareness to enable them to evaluate their own and others’ strengths and development areas.

Immediate Impact at Work – apply your learning directly to your current role, creating real improvements in how your team or department operates.

Recognised Qualification: upon completion of this programme, you will receive a nationally recognised certification.

Ongoing support: access to a LMP Tutor providing 1-2-1 support throughout your Course.

This Coaching Professional in Early Years programme equips you with all the required tools to adequately support and coach individuals within an early years setting.

During this programme you will be introduced to a range of structured, research-informed coaching models used across education and leadership development. These include:

GROW – A widely used model that supports goal-setting and problem-solving by guiding conversations through four stages: Goal, Reality, Options and Will

OSKAR – A strengths-based, solution-focused framework built around Outcome, Scaling, Know-how, Affirm and Review, helping to move colleagues forward through reflective dialogue

CLEAR – A model designed for deeper coaching relationships, focusing on Contracting, Listening, Exploring, Action and Review, ideal for supporting longer-term development goals. These models provide a flexible toolkit for coaches to adapt to different situations – whether you’re developing new staff, supporting experienced colleagues, or embedding a coaching culture across your setting.