Your comprehensive guide to a myriad of common early years practitioner interview questions, explained and answered with case studies created by our team! 

If you’ve arrived at this page on the hunt for a blog that teaches you how to nail interview questions for early years practitioners, you’ve struck gold! Here at Elevate Supply, we’re passionate about contributing to the educational sphere in many different ways. 

Whether you’re looking for advisory blogs, a helping hand to progress to your dream role or innovative tools to help you flourish, we’re here for you! 

We believe that every educator deserves to be equipped with the resources they need to create dynamic and impactful learning experiences. 

So, with that being said, let’s take a look at some of our advice on the best ways to prepare for early years practitioner interview questions and dive into some answers too. We hope this guide helps and motivates you to feel as ready and prepared for the interview as possible.

First things first, congratulations on landing your interview to become an early years practitioner! This is an amazing milestone in your educational journey and it means you are one step closer to your role. 

But before you begin planning your victory dance, let’s make sure you’re properly equipped for the process! 

Let’s face it, interviews are pretty terrifying, even if you are extremely knowledgeable about the topics you may be discussing. The fear of your mind going blank, stumbling on your words or coming across as disengaged can all be very understandable fears that you don’t want to encounter during your interview experience. 

That’s why we’ve compiled a list of early years practitioner questions that you can use during the run-up to your interview. You could use the questions and take part in a mock interview with a friend or family member, so you can get used to discussing all of the different points you may wish to make. This will ensure confidence and help you to feel comfortable and at ease in the scenario! 

You may also benefit from completing some detailed research. Get familiar with the ethos of the learning institution, whether it’s a nursery, preschool or an early years unit. Consider the structure of the environment, such as whether they focus on play-based learning and if they follow the Early Years Foundation Stage framework. Knowing these things will contextualise your answers and help you tailor your ideas to show you’re the perfect fit for the role! 

1. Tell us about your experience working with children and why you want to work at this nursery/school? 

This is typically an icebreaker question where the interviewer wants to gauge your experience and enthusiasm for working with children. It’s a great way to ease yourself into the interview and spend some time explaining your accomplishments! We’ve created a handy checklist for you to use when you’re preparing. You could jot down some of your experiences and specific duties for each topic and add a mini explanation of how these experiences have shaped your understanding of how to approach situations. You can use the SPARK method too, which is covered in this advisory blog. Adding situation-specific answers can help the interviewer understand more about your personality and experience alike! 

• Include relevant qualifications, such as GCSEs, achievements like the Level 3 childcare certificate or the Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) course to achieve Early Years Teacher Status (EYTS), which allows you to teach children up to the age of five. 

• Explain your work placements or experiences you’ve had with children. 

• Mention specific duties that were assigned to you and why the duties mattered in relation to the early years setting. 

• Discuss any differentiated situations and how you communicated with parents or guardians. 

• You may also wish to include experience working with children outside of formal settings, such as volunteering and babysitting.

When it comes to answering the “Why do you want to work at this nursery/school/?” question, it’s really important to present your completed research in a way that demonstrates your interest in the specific setting. You should also include whether your values align with the school’s ethos. It would be great to mention specific aspects of their approach, such as their teaching philosophy, community involvement or focus on child development, that appeal to you. Show that you are genuinely interested in contributing to their environment. For example, if there is a strong emphasis on outdoor learning and how to incorporate nature into the curriculum, discuss how your experiences have linked to the importance of giving children the space to explore and flourish at their own pace. It doesn’t always have to be an explicit link, but it can be a great example of your adaptability and personal focus! 

2. How do you support children’s learning and development?

This question specifically focuses on the importance of understanding child development. It’s essential to be aware of the different developmental stages of little ones, whether this is emotionally, linguistically, physically or mentally. 

The interviewer wants to see how you’d apply this knowledge in a practical setting to help children reach their full potential! Early years practitioner interview questions can be used as a springboard for you to demonstrate your awareness of learning and development, both practically and theoretically.

It’s important to discuss your approach to child development in a range of areas, such as cognitive, physical, emotional, fine motor and social development. Include key frameworks and expand on how you’d use the foundational knowledge to tailor your activities to meet individual needs. Include examples, such as:

• Cutting resources to enhance fine motor skills and bilateral coordination.

• Sensory activities that support various kinds of learning, such as kinesthetic and auditory.

• Creative materials such as modelling clay.

• Puzzles, verbal reasoning and listening games.

• Matching activities and scenario-based packs.

Did you know, with Elevate Supply, you can get access to a FREE Twinkl Ultimate Membership when you work with us? This means you’ll get access to top-quality resources to make life in the classroom easier, taken directly from a global leader in Ed-Tech publishing. 

Take a look at the Twinkl EYFS resources for an indication of just how many incredible resources the site has. Topics such as ‘understanding the world’ and ‘expressive art and design’ are categorised, which makes it incredibly easy to work your way through the sections and find the correct learning material for you. 

3. How do you build relationships with children and their families?

The early years practitioner interview questions have been designed to test all different kinds of knowledge. It’s essential for you to show your knowledge in a theoretical and practical sense, but also maintain a focus on the important pastoral setting within an early years environment. 

Establishing trust with both children and their families is a crucial part of being this kind of educator, and it’s important for you to be able to back your claims up with positive experiences and situations. 

Talk about your approach to building nurturing relationships with children, as well as your communication with parents, guardians or carers. We think it’s really important for you to highlight your ability to be approachable, empathetic and open to collaboration. 

Mention any specific methods you may use to communicate with parents, such as organising monthly parent-teacher meetings or using apps like Tapestry to amplify your understanding and awareness. You could also use a case study to answer this question, such as explaining a situation where a child may have had extra needs that needed to be communicated daily through their caregiver. 

You could explain the methods you used to research their needs and understand the child’s personality and interests, which may have helped you engage with them effectively. Use practical examples such as informal chats, progress reports and trackers. 

Explain that a partnership approach where caregivers feel involved and informed about their child’s development is really important and can help to build a strong rapport. 

4. How do you use observations to assess children’s progress?

There are lots of important early years practitioner interview questions to focus on, but a more situational question would revolve around the use of observations in class to track and assess development in the learning space. 

The interviewer would like to know how you would complete the observations in both formal and informal settings. You can use your findings as a springboard for how to approach and plan the next steps in the learning experience for students. 

This will help the interviewer understand more about the tools or frameworks you may use, as well as the EYFS assessment guidelines and how you may document progress. You could explain your answer in chronological order to explain the different steps you may have taken to enhance development. 

Don’t forget to include special milestones for children and whether their developmental needs were met within the different steps. You can also discuss future activities too, creating a specific focus on children’s strengths and target areas for development. 

5. How do you ensure a safe and inclusive environment for children?

When you are planning your answers to interview questions for early years practitioners, it’s really important to consider your knowledge and approach to safeguarding and inclusion. The interviewer would like to feel safe in the knowledge that you can confidently create a supportive and safe learning space for children, where they feel comfortable in the learning environment. It’s essential to discuss the policies you may implement and ensure that the environment is accessible for all of the different needs of children. You may wish to mention how you create an inclusive atmosphere by promoting diversity and respect for all cultures, abilities and backgrounds. 

You could discuss the health and safety guidelines that you have followed in a previous role, as well as any more you may implement, depending on the context of the scenario. You could also discuss the best practices for conducting regular risk assessments and being vigilant about potential hazards. 

You can also showcase the resources you may use to reflect diversity and actively encourage children to share their experiences and learn about other cultures. Explain the importance of adaptable and differentiated activities, which ensures no one is excluded! 

We wish you the best of luck with your early years practitioner interview. Remember, prepare in advance, stay calm and have faith in yourself! 

And the golden rule? Be yourself! If you can demonstrate that you’re caring, patient and genuinely passionate about working with little ones, your excitement will shine through and the interviewers will know this. 

Elevate Supply can also offer ongoing support, including access to a dedicated team for any questions or concerns you may have. Fancy a chat about any of the issues discussed above? Simply contact@elevatesupply.co.uk or call us on 0114 7008490 for more information or support!