Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Within every early childhood education and care setting, there are various roles in relation
to management and leadership that need to be fulfilled. These roles are put in place to
ensure quality outcomes for both children and families. One significant leadership role is that
of the educational leader. Attached to this role are essential obligations that must be met in
order to achieve best practice, which can be accomplished through a particular leadership
style.
large centre catering for children 6 weeks 5 years. (What does this mean? Give a
The role of the educational leader is recognised by The Australian Childrens Education and
Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) in two of its seven Quality Areas. As part of Quality Area
Four, Staffing arrangements (Australian Childrens Education & Care Quality Authority
[ACECQA], 2017, p. 9), section 118 of the Education and Care Services National Regulations
states that an educational leader must be designated by the approved provider of all
education and care services to lead the development and implementation of educational
programs in the service (Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development
and Youth Affairs [MCEECDYA], 2011, p. 133). Quality Area Seven, Leadership and service
management (ACECQA, 2017, p. 9), requires that provision is made to ensure a suitably
qualified and experienced educator or co-ordinator leads the development of the curriculum
and ensures the establishment of clear goals and expectations for teaching and learning
(ACECQA, n.d., p. 1). ACECQA acknowledges that this role requires the appointed person to
guide other educators in their planning and reflection, and mentor colleagues in their
The educational leader is ultimately responsible for developing quality educational programs
Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR], 2009, p. 46). Pedagogy refers to
the art and science of teaching (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd,
2012); it is how educators teach and put their philosophy into practice. The concept of
leadership depends on clear pedagogical and curriculum visions (Siraj-Blatchford & Manni,
based curriculum (Fleet, Soper, Semann, & Madden, 2015), and ensure that all educators
childhood stems from a responsibility to establish a shared philosophy, values and beliefs
that guide everyday practice and decision-making, and depends strongly on tactical planning
and evaluation (Solly as cited in Rodd, 2006). Once educational leaders have established a
shared vision, they must motivate all members to work towards achieving it (Cheeseman,
2012).
The role of the educational leader can be characterised by a sense of inspiration, motivation,
affirmation and challenge of the practices and pedagogies of educators (ACECQA, n.d.). The
role is one of modelling, mentoring, guiding and coaching: educational leaders are models,
in that they must role model best practice to ensure the team can provide the best quality
care and education for all children and their families, and they need to model ethical practice
(Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012) to ensure all are treated
with respect and equity; educational leaders are mentors, meaning they must engage in a
2012); educational leaders are guides, in that they direct educators in processes of reflection,
evaluation, planning and interpretation of curriculum documents (Waniganayake,
Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012) and approaches; finally, educational leaders
are coaches, which means they must provide educators with explicit instructions to facilitate
their professional learning (Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012).
Successful early years education and care is highly influenced by the quality of leadership
that is provided (Rood, 2006). At the heart of the role of the educational leader is the children
and families involved at the setting. Heikka and Waniganayake (2011) recognise this in
stating that the role entails ensuring that the practices educators implement are suitable for
children. The importance of leaders guaranteeing that the needs and interests of all children
Underpinning the role of educational leader are certain qualities which should be taken into
consideration when appointing someone to this position. Cheeseman (2012) suggests that
educational leaders must be knowledgeable about: current theories and research; the
strengths and weaknesses of a range of curriculum approaches; how individual children learn
and develop; how the curriculum can be differentiated to accommodate diverse learning
In your role as the pedagogical/educational leader, outline the essential obligations that
must be met in terms of achieving best practice for children and families in the early
Achieving best practice for children and families in early childhood settings is the main goal
improvement (Hydon, 2013). It involves everything the educational leader does, to the
highest standards possible, to ultimately ensure that optimal learning opportunities are
provided for every child. In order to achieve best practice, educational leaders must meet
The EYLF refers to eight practices, which can provide a guide for educational leaders as to
what best practice looks like in action (DEEWR, 2009). These practices reveal that
educational leaders are obligated to ensure all educators do the following: adopt holistic
responsive to childrens individual strengths, abilities and needs; plan for play-based
experiences that foster learning; teach with intention and purpose; create safe, welcoming,
flexible learning environments that reflect the identities of all children and families; value
cultural and social diversity among all children and families; provide continuity of learning
experiences to assist children in transitions; and assess and monitor for childrens learning,
The Early Childhood Australia (ECA) Code of Ethics (2016) sets out specific obligations for
educational leader. Using the Code, it can be suggested that in order to achieve best practice
for children and families, educational leaders should work towards building collaborative
relationships among staff; valuing each members individual strengths, interests and
experiences; managing differences in values and beliefs; encouraging members to share and
build on each others knowledge; and continually reflecting on and reviewing the settings
leaders are obliged to promote a sense of collegiality among all members of the settings
team. Kearns (2017) describes collegiality as a workplace culture, which encompasses how
team members work together to achieve shared goals, and the sense of mutual trust and
respect that exists among colleagues. To establish a culture of collegiality, Barth (2006) states
that educational leaders are required to make their expectations explicit; reward members
who work well with their colleagues; protect members who engage in collegial actions; and
Explain and justify the steps and processes you would take to ensure that you are providing
quality care and education at the centre and that you are meeting the obligations
described above. (What would you do and why? Which leadership and management
The role of the educational leader requires certain steps and processes to be undertaken in
order to ensure quality education and care is provided and that the obligations essential for
achieving best practice for children and families are met. Educational leadership in practice
can be defined by three main processes: observing, discussing and sighting documentation
networking and providing support, can all be underpinned by a particular leadership style
leaders may find it effective to conduct whole-school and individual meetings with educators
to discuss and review curriculum. These meetings should take place in a collegial manner,
with all educators being given equal opportunities to have their say. Regular staff meetings
encourage all team members to come together to share ideas, discuss routines (ACECQA,
n.d.) and converse about any concerns they may have for how the service is being delivered.
In order to ensure that the obligation of mentoring educators is met, a process that could be
the actions of their team members in order to gain a deeper insight into their individual
need to question the practices of their team members. Based on their observations, they
should then provide explicit and constructive feedback to each member to help them work
towards the constant improvement which Hydon (2013) believes constitutes best practice.
Educational leaders should obtain evidence that each member of the team is reflecting the
curriculum and the organisations shared goals in their everyday practices and philosophies.
Similarly to observations, educational leaders can use this evidence to construct feedback
Other strategies that would assist educational leaders to achieve their obligations include
providing support, promoting reflective practice and networking. Offering support can be
achieved by highlighting the strengths of each team member doing so helps to ensure all
members of the team feel valued and confident that they can work collaboratively to achieve
the goals of the organisation. Reflection is also crucial (ACECQA, n.d.; Waniganayake,
Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012), and must be based on what each team
member is doing well and what they can do to improve in the future. Additionally,
educational leaders can work with other early childhood professionals (ACECQA, n.d.).
Networking can allow leaders to share ideas, and it encourages change and innovation
(Waniganayake, Cheeseman, Fenech, Hadley & Shepherd, 2012), which in turn can lead to
When educational leaders undertake these processes and strategies, they do so using a
particular approach to their leadership. Martoz and Lawson (2007) refer to different
leadership styles, one of which is the participative style. The participative style of leadership
aligns well with the role of the educational leader, as it emphasises a teamwork approach
(Martoz & Lawson, 2007), and a commitment to teamwork is what underpins educational
leadership. This democratic style of leadership provides all team members with a sense of
that affect them (Martoz & Lawson, 2007). Educational leaders can benefit from adopting
this style as it builds team members self-confidence and self-esteem, and assists them to
Words: 1741
References
Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2017). Guide to the
national quality standard. Retrieved from http://files.acecqa.gov.au/files/National-
Quality-Framework-Resources-Kit/NQF-Resource-03-Guide-to-NQS.pdf
Australian Childrens Education and Care Quality Authority [ACECQA]. (2011). Guide to the
National Quality Standard. Sydney: ACECQA.
Australian Children's Education & Care Quality Authority [ACECQA] (n.d.). The role of the
educational leader: Information sheet. Sydney, NSW: ACECQA.
Barth, R. (2006). Improving relationships within the schoolhouse. Educational Leadership,
63(6) Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educational-
leadership/mar06/vol63/num06/Improving-Relationships-Within-the-
Schoolhouse.aspx
Cheeseman, S. (2012). The educational leader. Barton, ACT: National Quality Standard
Professional Learning Program.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations [DEEWR] (2009).
Belonging, being and becoming: The early years learning framework. Barton, ACT:
Commonwealth of Australia.
Early Childhood Australia [ECA] (2016). Code of ethics. Deakin West, ACT: ECA.
Fleet, A., Soper, R., Semann, A., & Madden, L. (2015). The role of the educational leader:
Perceptions and expectations in a period of change. Australasian Journal of Early
Childhood, 40(3), 29-37. Retrieved from
http://search.informit.com.au.ipacez.nd.edu.au/fullText;dn=666785006890418;res
=IELAPA
Heikka, J., & Waniganayake, N. (2011). Pedagogical leadership from a distributed perspective
within the context of early childhood education. International Journal of Leadership
in Education, 14 (4), 499512. doi:10.1080/13603124.2011.577909.
Hydon, C. (2013). Pursuing best practice: What does it take to drive continuous
improvement? Every Child, 19(1). Retrieved from
http://www.earlychildhoodaustralia.org.au/our-publications/every-child-
magazine/every-child-index/every-child-vol-19-1-2013/pursuing-best-practice-
take-drive-continuous-improvement/
Kearns, K. (2017). The big picture (4rd ed.). South Melbourne, VIC: Cengage Learning
Australia.
Martoz, L., & Lawson, A (2007). Motivational leadership in early childhood education. Clifton
Park, Australia: Thomson Delmar Learning.
Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs
[MCEECDYA] (2011). Education and care services National Regulations. Carlton
South, VIC: Commonwealth of Australia.
Rodd, J. (2006). Leadership in early childhood (3rd ed.). Crows Nest, N.S.W: Allen & Unwin.
Rood, J. 2006. Leadership in Early Childhood. London: Licensing Agency.
Sergiovanni, T. (1998). Leadership as pedagogy, capital development and school
effectiveness.
International Journal of Leadership in Education, 1(1), 3746.
doi:10.1080/1360312980010104
Siraj-Blatchford, I., & Manni, L. (2007). Effective leadership in the early years sector: The
ELEYS study. London: Institute of Education.
Waniganayake, M., Cheeseman, S., Fenech, M., Hadley, F., & Shepherd, W.
(2012). Leadership: Contexts and complexities in early childhood education. South
Melbourne, Victoria: Oxford University Press.