Blog: Effective Leadership in Early Years Education and Care

About the author

Natalie Bignell is the Head of Service and Development at Kids Start Day Nursery in Northenden, Manchester. Kids Start is one of the Bright Futures NW EY Stronger Practice Hub’s key partners. She has worked in early years for 17 years and is passionate about providing high quality care and education. She is lucky to lead an amazing, diverse and professional team who work together to provide outstanding early education for the children in their care. 

Leadership in the early years of education is not just about managing a team or setting goals—it’s about shaping the foundations of learning and well-being for the young children in your care. In today’s climate, being a leader within the early years sector is challenging—but incredibly rewarding.

Sharing a Vision

Having a shared vision with your team is key to creating a positive culture. As a leader, it’s important to have a clear idea of what high-quality care and education looks like. By creating business values, an ethos, and a mission statement in collaboration with your team, you foster a sense of ownership and belonging. This helps build a strong foundation for your nursery. It’s equally important to share your team approach proudly with new team members, ensuring they feel included from day one. 

“The child’s experience must always be central to the thinking of every practitioner.”

Department for Education-Development Matters-2023

Empowering Early Years Educators

Empowering your team not only boosts morale but also builds a confident and positive environment, which ultimately benefits the children in your care. Encouraging practitioners to share ideas, reflect on their knowledge, and access high-quality training are key elements of empowerment.

Peer observations can be an excellent tool for this. Not only do they encourage the exchange of ideas, but they also promote reflective practice, strengthen communication, and help identify individual strengths.

Being Supportive

Leaders can support their teams in a variety of ways. Providing time to connect with each team member—understanding their strengths and identifying areas for development—is essential for fostering a culture where everyone feels heard.

A strong, well-planned induction helps team members feel supported from the outset and provides space to embed an understanding of policies, routines, and procedures. Regular supervisions/one-to-ones are vital for open communication, professional development, and ongoing support. These check-ins are also essential for discussing safeguarding, curriculum planning, and the progress of key children.

Staff supervision in a quiet environment.

“Leaders ensure that they and practitioners receive focused and highly effective professional development.”

Ofsted-Early years inspection framework-2024

Staff ‘Shout Outs” interactive board.

Recognition and Reward

Early years work is deeply rewarding—but also physically and emotionally demanding. Recognising the hard work, dedication, and creativity of your team helps them feel seen and appreciated.

Recognition boosts:

• Job satisfaction
• Commitment to the team
• Willingness to go the extra mile

Simple initiatives like Staff Member of the Month, Golden Time, or team Shout Outs can go a long way in helping team members feel valued and motivated.

Staff Member of the Month Award!

Supporting Professional Development

‘A quality learning experience for children requires a quality workforce. 

A well-qualified, skilled staff strongly increases the potential of any 

individual setting to deliver the best possible outcomes for children.’

(The Education Endowment Foundation)

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has produced a Guide to Professional Development in The Early Years. This helps leaders to:

• Signpost staff to professional development opportunities
• Fund professional development
• Make plans for their staff’s professional development
• Enable early years professionals to make choices about which professional development to prioritise

The EEF Evidence Store Guide to Effective Professional Development in the Early Years:

https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/production/documents/pages/Guide-to-Effective-Professional-Development-in-the-Early-Years.pdf

Challenges

Leading in early years settings can be tough. Staff shortages, funding limitations, and increasing expectations are common challenges. But effective leaders don’t shy away from challenges—they see them as opportunities for creativity and growth.

Strong leaders advocate for their teams, make thoughtful decisions, try new approaches, and keep their vision for high-quality care and education at the heart of everything they do.