Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire Becoming an effective leader and manager
The Coalition Government took office on 11 May 2010. This publication was published prior to that date and may not reflect current government policy. You may choose to use these materials, however you should also consult the Department for Education website www.education.gov.uk for updated policy and resources.
Developing quality through leadership: Action research in private, voluntary and independent sector early years settings
Nottinghamshire Becoming an effective leader and manager The starting point for our project was our existing leadership training programme. Six leaders, from a variety of childcare settings, were supported to develop aspects of leadership. All had previously completed our short, three-session, leadership training programme. Having reviewed the course evaluations, we realised that there was a place for follow-up and further support for practitioners to develop their leadership skills. We also proposed to cross-reference our programme to the level 4 National Occupational Standards in Children’s Care, Learning and Development.
What did we do?
What did we achieve?
Through this project we were able to offer an opportunity for some small-scale action research to leaders to help them apply the understanding they gained from the three-session leadership training course to their own situations.
For the leaders
The leaders:
The leaders reflected on the professional and personal benefits of being involved in this project. All were enthusiastic and positive about their involvement. The main benefits they identified were similar.
■
identified areas and aspects for development;
Networking
■
considered possibilities for action;
■
made action plans and evaluated them.
Leaders of childcare settings often feel isolated; this project gave them the opportunity to meet with other leaders and to share successes and difficulties. Leadership networks are now being set up across the county.
Mentors from the local authority specialist teacher team provided regular mentoring and support, as well as opportunities for the leaders to meet and network. Following an initial meeting, the leaders identified areas to focus on. Broadly, these comprised: ■
recognising the need to develop staff through delegation;
■
supporting staff through the development of curriculum changes and new initiatives.
Confidence The content of the training course, with the opportunity to network and be supported through an action research project, gave the leaders much more confidence in their ability to lead a staff team. The leaders have become more assertive, with the confidence to take on new initiatives and to ensure that these are successfully implemented. ‘I feel more confident to approach higher managers with new ideas.’
We reviewed and amended our existing three-session course to ensure that it matched with the knowledge evidence for units 401 and 404 of the National Occupational Standards in Children’s Care, Learning and Development (CCLD) at level 4. As new programmes begin, we will direct practitioners towards ways of demonstrating performance in these units. We made contact with local further education providers to discuss developing a relevant NVQ level 4 CCLD programme and found a local college offering this.
‘I feel more confident, more assertive, which has had a knock-on effect to staff individually and as a team.’
‘I feel more able to take on different and new tasks, for example implementing new planning or procedures.’
Business planning Some leaders have become better at business planning and have had the confidence to approach their provider or management committee with ideas that would improve the setting. One pre-school changed their working hours as a result of better business planning. Beginning a session at
Nottinghamshire: Becoming an effective leader and manager Primary National Strategy
00019-2007LEF-EN © Crown copyright 2007
9:15 am instead of 9:45 means they are able to finish the session at 11:45 instead of 12:15. They now run a ‘lunch club’ for two days a week and on two other days have half an hour at the end of the session to plan and discuss concerns. These changes have been very positive and this has created a stronger, more motivated team.
‘My nursery is nearly full… I think this is in part down to
Delegation
As staff teams became more confident and enthusiastic, changes to practice were implemented and children have benefited. One leader commented that being involved in the project had helped to change their provision for underthrees completely. Others noted:
Leaders have developed their ability to delegate and not only has this had a huge impact on them personally, it has also had an effect on confidence and motivation within their staff teams. ‘Being a part of the project has made me more confident to delegate duties and responsibilities to other staff, which has made a huge impact on my workload and the work taken home (without pay).’
the fact that my staff are more confident when showing parents around.’
For the children and parents
■
‘we reflected on language development, giving children more time to communicate’;
■
‘children have more learning opportunities, activities are well planned as well as having more child-initiated activities’;
■
‘we have calmer, more motivated key workers, more information-sharing and better relationships between key workers and children’;
■
‘we have more interesting group times (now planned by the key worker so they are enthusiastic and sure of the learning outcomes)’.
‘Being able to delegate in a positive way has given staff the ownership of projects, which has increased their confidence in themselves and their practice.’
For the staff The leaders’ increased confidence and greater leadership skills have made an impact on the practice of their staff teams. A ‘team spirit’ has been fostered in many settings. Leaders now recognise the importance of staff morale, team support and motivation. By delegating responsibility they have found more time to lead and this has contributed to more evaluative practice. Staff teams are taking ownership and responsibility, feeling secure enough to contribute their own ideas and becoming more committed and enthusiastic about implementing changes. The confidence of the staff teams has grown and staff meetings and appraisals are more effective. Some staff are keen to develop their own education and training further. One leader noticed that, as the team became more confident in their abilities, the setting had a much calmer atmosphere – even parents noticed and commented on the change that had taken place.
‘The impact on staff has had a significant impact on the children. We have better environments and better resources. The rooms are a lot calmer and parents are really noticing that. It is also having an effect on the children’s language development as staff are working with the children in a different way.’
‘We have based our routines more around the children – giving the children the choice of what to play with or when they want to stop play and have a drink or snack.’ Parents have benefited as the staff are now more confident when speaking to parents and share information more
00019-2007LEF-EN
Nottinghamshire: Becoming an effective leader and manager
© Crown copyright 2007
Primary National Strategy
readily with them. In one setting parents have been given much more information on the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, planning is shared and displays are available for them to see. Parents have been made to feel more welcome in many settings.
Challenges and solutions
For the local authority
Possible solution: Using support teachers and other local authority staff to support leaders through leadership networks.
The success of this project has enabled the local authority to emphasise the importance of developing leadership skills within private, voluntary and independent settings and to demonstrate clearly that this investment will have an impact on practice. Funding has been agreed for leadership networking sessions across the county. Leaders now access the support available from the local authority team with confidence rather than feeling that asking for support is a sign of weakness.
What next? We are pleased that this work is to continue in Nottinghamshire as there are so many benefits for leaders, practitioners, children and parents. Two leaders are already planning to complete a Foundation Degree, another one is building on her HND to achieve a degree and some are keen to achieve Early Years Professional status. As a local authority we plan to develop training for new graduate leaders, using these six settings as case studies. We will develop the networks and support more practitioners to achieve level 4 qualifications. As this action research model has proved so positive, we will use it in the future, prioritising different aspects of our work with settings. There are still challenges ahead to which we are finding solutions.
Challenge: Momentum: once the focus for this project has gone, how do we keep it going?
Challenge: Where will funding for future leadership programmes come from? Possible solution: The local authority will prioritise leadership activities to secure funding. Challenge: There is a constant flow of new initiatives to introduce. Possible solution: Now staff are more motivated, leaders feel able to delegate more. Staff see the benefits of the new initiatives and are more enthusiastic about change.
On the CD-ROM you will find: ■
Nottinghamshire: Case study
■
Nottinghamshire: Training programme
■
Nottinghamshire: Aspects of motivation
■
Nottinghamshire: One playgroup’s action plan
■
A copy of this leaflet
Contact: Nottinghamshire Early Years and Childcare Services | County Hall | West Bridgford | Nottingham | NG2 7QP Tel: 0115 8546346
Nottinghamshire: Becoming an effective leader and manager Primary National Strategy
00019-2007LEF-EN © Crown copyright 2007
The Coalition Government took office on 11 May 2010. This publication was published prior to that date and may not reflect current government policy. You may choose to use these materials, however you should also consult the Department for Education website www.education.gov.uk for updated policy and resources.
Developing quality through leadership: Action research in private, voluntary and independent sector early years settings
Nottinghamshire Becoming an effective leader and manager The starting point for our project was our existing leadership training programme. Six leaders, from a variety of childcare settings, were supported to develop aspects of leadership. All had previously completed our short, three-session, leadership training programme. Having reviewed the course evaluations, we realised that there was a place for follow-up and further support for practitioners to develop their leadership skills. We also proposed to cross-reference our programme to the level 4 National Occupational Standards in Children’s Care, Learning and Development.
What did we do?
What did we achieve?
Through this project we were able to offer an opportunity for some small-scale action research to leaders to help them apply the understanding they gained from the three-session leadership training course to their own situations.
For the leaders
The leaders:
The leaders reflected on the professional and personal benefits of being involved in this project. All were enthusiastic and positive about their involvement. The main benefits they identified were similar.
■
identified areas and aspects for development;
Networking
■
considered possibilities for action;
■
made action plans and evaluated them.
Leaders of childcare settings often feel isolated; this project gave them the opportunity to meet with other leaders and to share successes and difficulties. Leadership networks are now being set up across the county.
Mentors from the local authority specialist teacher team provided regular mentoring and support, as well as opportunities for the leaders to meet and network. Following an initial meeting, the leaders identified areas to focus on. Broadly, these comprised: ■
recognising the need to develop staff through delegation;
■
supporting staff through the development of curriculum changes and new initiatives.
Confidence The content of the training course, with the opportunity to network and be supported through an action research project, gave the leaders much more confidence in their ability to lead a staff team. The leaders have become more assertive, with the confidence to take on new initiatives and to ensure that these are successfully implemented. ‘I feel more confident to approach higher managers with new ideas.’
We reviewed and amended our existing three-session course to ensure that it matched with the knowledge evidence for units 401 and 404 of the National Occupational Standards in Children’s Care, Learning and Development (CCLD) at level 4. As new programmes begin, we will direct practitioners towards ways of demonstrating performance in these units. We made contact with local further education providers to discuss developing a relevant NVQ level 4 CCLD programme and found a local college offering this.
‘I feel more confident, more assertive, which has had a knock-on effect to staff individually and as a team.’
‘I feel more able to take on different and new tasks, for example implementing new planning or procedures.’
Business planning Some leaders have become better at business planning and have had the confidence to approach their provider or management committee with ideas that would improve the setting. One pre-school changed their working hours as a result of better business planning. Beginning a session at
Nottinghamshire: Becoming an effective leader and manager Primary National Strategy
00019-2007LEF-EN © Crown copyright 2007
9:15 am instead of 9:45 means they are able to finish the session at 11:45 instead of 12:15. They now run a ‘lunch club’ for two days a week and on two other days have half an hour at the end of the session to plan and discuss concerns. These changes have been very positive and this has created a stronger, more motivated team.
‘My nursery is nearly full… I think this is in part down to
Delegation
As staff teams became more confident and enthusiastic, changes to practice were implemented and children have benefited. One leader commented that being involved in the project had helped to change their provision for underthrees completely. Others noted:
Leaders have developed their ability to delegate and not only has this had a huge impact on them personally, it has also had an effect on confidence and motivation within their staff teams. ‘Being a part of the project has made me more confident to delegate duties and responsibilities to other staff, which has made a huge impact on my workload and the work taken home (without pay).’
the fact that my staff are more confident when showing parents around.’
For the children and parents
■
‘we reflected on language development, giving children more time to communicate’;
■
‘children have more learning opportunities, activities are well planned as well as having more child-initiated activities’;
■
‘we have calmer, more motivated key workers, more information-sharing and better relationships between key workers and children’;
■
‘we have more interesting group times (now planned by the key worker so they are enthusiastic and sure of the learning outcomes)’.
‘Being able to delegate in a positive way has given staff the ownership of projects, which has increased their confidence in themselves and their practice.’
For the staff The leaders’ increased confidence and greater leadership skills have made an impact on the practice of their staff teams. A ‘team spirit’ has been fostered in many settings. Leaders now recognise the importance of staff morale, team support and motivation. By delegating responsibility they have found more time to lead and this has contributed to more evaluative practice. Staff teams are taking ownership and responsibility, feeling secure enough to contribute their own ideas and becoming more committed and enthusiastic about implementing changes. The confidence of the staff teams has grown and staff meetings and appraisals are more effective. Some staff are keen to develop their own education and training further. One leader noticed that, as the team became more confident in their abilities, the setting had a much calmer atmosphere – even parents noticed and commented on the change that had taken place.
‘The impact on staff has had a significant impact on the children. We have better environments and better resources. The rooms are a lot calmer and parents are really noticing that. It is also having an effect on the children’s language development as staff are working with the children in a different way.’
‘We have based our routines more around the children – giving the children the choice of what to play with or when they want to stop play and have a drink or snack.’ Parents have benefited as the staff are now more confident when speaking to parents and share information more
00019-2007LEF-EN
Nottinghamshire: Becoming an effective leader and manager
© Crown copyright 2007
Primary National Strategy
readily with them. In one setting parents have been given much more information on the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework, planning is shared and displays are available for them to see. Parents have been made to feel more welcome in many settings.
Challenges and solutions
For the local authority
Possible solution: Using support teachers and other local authority staff to support leaders through leadership networks.
The success of this project has enabled the local authority to emphasise the importance of developing leadership skills within private, voluntary and independent settings and to demonstrate clearly that this investment will have an impact on practice. Funding has been agreed for leadership networking sessions across the county. Leaders now access the support available from the local authority team with confidence rather than feeling that asking for support is a sign of weakness.
What next? We are pleased that this work is to continue in Nottinghamshire as there are so many benefits for leaders, practitioners, children and parents. Two leaders are already planning to complete a Foundation Degree, another one is building on her HND to achieve a degree and some are keen to achieve Early Years Professional status. As a local authority we plan to develop training for new graduate leaders, using these six settings as case studies. We will develop the networks and support more practitioners to achieve level 4 qualifications. As this action research model has proved so positive, we will use it in the future, prioritising different aspects of our work with settings. There are still challenges ahead to which we are finding solutions.
Challenge: Momentum: once the focus for this project has gone, how do we keep it going?
Challenge: Where will funding for future leadership programmes come from? Possible solution: The local authority will prioritise leadership activities to secure funding. Challenge: There is a constant flow of new initiatives to introduce. Possible solution: Now staff are more motivated, leaders feel able to delegate more. Staff see the benefits of the new initiatives and are more enthusiastic about change.
On the CD-ROM you will find: ■
Nottinghamshire: Case study
■
Nottinghamshire: Training programme
■
Nottinghamshire: Aspects of motivation
■
Nottinghamshire: One playgroup’s action plan
■
A copy of this leaflet
Contact: Nottinghamshire Early Years and Childcare Services | County Hall | West Bridgford | Nottingham | NG2 7QP Tel: 0115 8546346
Nottinghamshire: Becoming an effective leader and manager Primary National Strategy
00019-2007LEF-EN © Crown copyright 2007
