Early Years Practioner Review
at Brambles Outdoor Group
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Rushall, Wiltshire
Review Submitted: April 2025
Overall Rating
4.3 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
4/5
-
Overview of Role
4/5
-
Skills Development
4/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
4/5
Early Years Practioner; everything relating to the care and development of children aged 1-4 in an outdoor environment.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
4/5
I found the programme challenging at times, being able to balance work and family commitments, with a few learning challenges of my own. Once I was more vocal
About my challenges, I received all the support I needed to complete my course and enjoyed it.
About my challenges, I received all the support I needed to complete my course and enjoyed it.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
4/5
I have developed skills I previously had, bringing my training up to date with the latest pedagogies and research into child development and learned lots more about the subject, how to work in a team, how to work in partnership with families and other professionals and how to work in an outdoor play environment.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
4/5
I believe the course is evolving constantly to meet the needs of the learners and improvements have been made to provide a well structured programme.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
4/5
Once I was open and honest about my needs and challenges, I received a lot of empathy and support from my employer and they helped me through. We were provided with an apprentice mentor who regularly met with and supported us and the managers were supportive in our own settings.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
I personally received a huge amount of support and my assessor was fantastic. They made adjustments for my needs and did everything to help me through my qualification.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
4/5
It provides the crucial knowledge in legislation and regulations that create the foundation of the work.
It then provides the background understanding for why we work the way we do. Often knowing the why behind something can ensure better practice.
It then provides the background understanding for why we work the way we do. Often knowing the why behind something can ensure better practice.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
We have group staff training where we get together with staff from different settings to share good practice and learn from one another’s experiences.
We have whole company events where we get to catch up with everyone and provides a wider sense of team.
And we have a staff Christmas social with awards.
We have whole company events where we get to catch up with everyone and provides a wider sense of team.
And we have a staff Christmas social with awards.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Brambles Outdoor Group to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Outdoor learning environments are rare and create a unique and invaluable place to play and learn. The role is more varied than other settings as we cook our own snacks, we light fires and cook on them, we use the seasons and the natural world to create learning opportunities. Being in nature is great for mental and physical health too.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Brambles Outdoor Group?
It’s a unique opportunity to work in this kind of environment. It has different benefits to working indoors. With the right combination of clothing, even the colder and wetter months can become a positive. A passion for early years education and nature is a must.
