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What if leadership development was built into Early Years training from day one?
Leadership in Early Years education is often associated with experience, seniority and formal responsibility. But what if the foundations of effective leadership could be developed much earlier in a practitioner’s career?
Leading Early, a new report from Equalitas, explores how Early Years Teacher trainees are beginning to develop leadership behaviours through evidence-informed practice and professional reflection.
Drawing on leadership projects undertaken by trainees on our Early Years Initial Teacher Training (EYITT) programme, the report considers how practitioners identify challenges, engage with evidence and contribute to meaningful improvements within their settings.
Leadership begins long before a formal leadership role
In her foreword to the report, Tracey Maloney, Initial Teacher Training Director at Equalitas, considers how leadership shapes children’s experiences long before practitioners take on formal leadership responsibilities.
The report explores how leadership develops through everyday professional decisions, from adapting environments and supporting communication to strengthening collaboration between colleagues.
"Children experience the quality of leadership long before they ever meet a leader."
The report explores how leadership develops through everyday professional decisions, from adapting environments and supporting communication to strengthening collaboration between colleagues.
What the trainee projects revealed
Across the projects reviewed, trainees explored challenges familiar to Early Years practitioners, including communication and language, inclusion, participation, emotional regulation and school readiness.
What emerged was not simply a collection of interventions or improvement plans, but evidence of practitioners beginning to think differently about their roles.
Rather than focusing solely on individual children, trainees increasingly considered how environments, relationships, routines and adult practice influence children’s experiences.
The report makes the case for developing leadership as an integral part of Initial Teacher Education, helping practitioners build the professional judgement, curiosity and responsibility needed to contribute to improvement throughout their careers.
Download the full Leading Early report
The full report explores the findings from these trainee projects and considers what they mean for the future of Early Years leadership and professional development.
Complete the short form below to receive your free copy of Leading Early.