England's only hybrid Level 6 Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship launches, with £8,236 available per apprentice

The Childcare Company, part of Impact Futures Group, and the University of Roehampton have opened applications for a new Level 6 Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship (EYTDA). It’s the only hybrid delivery model for this qualification currently running in England, and eligible employers can now access a government grant worth £8,236 per apprentice to help cover the cost of training.

The first cohort starts in October 2026. Apprentices spend three years working towards a full honours degree and Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), the professional recognition needed to lead practice with children from birth to five, all while staying in their job rather than stepping away from paid work.

Demand has been strong even before the course formally opened. More than 110 nurseries, pre-schools and schools registered their interest during early promotion, well ahead of applications going live.

Most early years degree apprenticeships still ask staff to spend long stretches away from their setting. This one doesn’t. After a two-day induction on campus, most of the course runs through weekly online learning, with just two days of face-to-face teaching per term at Roehampton. For the 2026-27 academic year, the university is also covering accommodation for every one of those visits, so apprentices aren’t paying to stay overnight on top of everything else.

Gareth Reichers, Director of Growth and Partnerships at Impact Futures Group.

We wanted apprentices to get a proper university experience without having to give up their job, their home life or their income to do it. This is a genuinely academic route into teaching that fits around working in a nursery or a school, and we’re proud to have helped shape it with the University of Roehampton.

Three Years, Three Stages

The course takes apprentices from day-to-day practice through to leading it:

• Year 1 – Foundations: child development and early learning, observation and assessment, and building reflective practice.
• Year 2 – Developing Practice: curriculum design, SEND and inclusion, and working with families and other professionals.
• Year 3 – Leading Practice: leadership, safeguarding and multi-agency working, ahead of their end-point assessment.

Funding

The apprenticeship is fully funded for eligible employers. On top of that, the Department for Education is offering employer support grants worth £8,236 per apprentice for the 2026-27 academic year, to help settings cover costs like supply cover while staff are training. There are only 400 of these grants available nationally, allocated on a first come, first served basis. With more than 110 expressions of interest already logged and applications now open, employers who want to secure a place and the funding that comes with it should act quickly rather than wait. Anyone who wants to check whether their setting qualifies should speak to The Childcare Company directly.

Applicants would normally need GCSE grade 4/C or equivalent in English, maths and science, along with 96 UCAS points from relevant qualifications. Anyone without those GCSE equivalents can work towards Functional Skills alongside the apprenticeship, so it doesn’t have to be a reason not to apply.

Designed by Nursery Leaders

Before the course went live, an Employer Advisory Panel of senior leaders from some of the UK’s best-known nursery groups worked with the university on the curriculum, so it reflects what actually happens in a setting day to day, not just the theory. The panel includes:

• Charlotte Roberts, Director of Operations, kinderzimmer
• Corinna Laing, Family Adventures Group
• Bliss Greenwood, Hopscotch Day Nurseries
• Pru Barwood, Fennies
• Michele Falconer, Family First Nurseries
• Kate Bickley, Storal
• Annie Tierney, Kindred Nurseries

“A lot of our best managers started out as apprentices, so we know what a good route into this sector looks like, and what a bad one looks like too,” said Bliss Greenwood, Head of People and Training at Hopscotch Day Nurseries. “Having a say in this course meant we could push for the leadership and practice skills our teams actually need on the ground, not just theory for theory’s sake. It’s the kind of route into teaching our sector has been asking for.”

The apprenticeship also gives staff who’ve already completed The Childcare Company’s Level 3 Early Years Educator or Level 5 Early Years Lead Practitioner qualifications a direct route from the nursery floor into a fully qualified teaching role.

How To Apply

Full entry requirements are on The Childcare Company’s Level 6 Early Years Teacher Degree Apprenticeship page. Employers with candidates ready to enrol, or anyone with questions about eligibility and funding, can contact Amanda Robertshaw at Amanda.Robertshaw@thechildcarecompany.com.