All about the role of ... Early years specialist leader of education
Anne Hayes
Friday, June 22, 2012
The specialist leader of education (SLE) is a new role first introduced in the Department for Education's 2010 Schools White Paper - 'The Importance of Teaching'.
The SLE concept is about recognising leaders who are excellent at what they do and are able to help leaders in other schools through school-to-school support and peer-to-peer learning. SLEs also extend the role that many senior and middle leaders play in supporting their peers to develop. They are designated by teaching schools, which are also currently being developed on the back of the White Paper.
The National College was commissioned to instigate the SLE programme. Currently, most SLEs are school leaders including those from early years SLE foundation stage. Forty out of 1004 designated SLEs have an early years specialism.
Wroxham Teaching School has been commissioned by the National College to lead a pilot to encourage early years leaders from children's centres and PVI settings, in addition to teachers, to apply for the new role of early years SLE. They are holding awareness raising sessions and pre-application briefings to harness leadership skills from across the early years sector.
The role of the SLE is to deliver system leadership support to individuals and teams in other schools and settings working at middle or senior leadership level. The early years SLE supports leaders in other early years settings to develop leadership capacity that will ultimately contribute significantly to improving outcomes for children. Each deployment is tailored to meet the needs of the supported school or setting and may involve coaching, mentoring or facilitation skills. There is no set approach but support will always focus on sustainable leadership development and school or setting improvement.
Selection and training
Applicants for early years SLE designation should be outstanding middle and senior leaders within the EYFS - in positions below headteacher or centre manager - and have at least two years experience in that role. They should understand what outstanding leadership practice in early years specialism looks like and have the capacity, skills and commitment to support other individuals or teams in similar positions in early years settings. In addition to EYFS teachers, all leaders in children's centres and in private, voluntary and independent settings may apply.
Selected teaching schools around the country are delivering the training. All newly designated SLEs must attend the compulsory training day which equips them with the tools and techniques to enable them to deliver effective school-to-school support and provides essential information about the role. Later, a menu of optional training is offered, taking the form of twilight sessions about teaching and learning, developing self, developing others and managing an organisation.
The application window for the second SLE cohort will open from 7 - 30 September 2012 and further details will be available on the National College website.
FURTHER INFORMATION
- The National College for School Leadership. www.nationalcollege.org.uk/sle
CASE STUDY: VICKY BEARE
Vicky Beare took part in the first round of SLE applications in November 2011.
She says, 'I feel very proud to be a specialist leader of education in early years. My pathway towards this qualification started four years ago when I became the qualified teacher at Oak Tree Children's Centre. One of the main aspects of my children's centre teacher role is outreach work. I regularly visit early years providers within the Children's Centre area including daycare centres, pre-schools and EYFS teachers within schools. I offer support with all aspects of the EYFS including observation, assessment, planning, learning environments, transition and role modelling. I love the scope and variety. The SLE role will enable me to support schools, PVIs and children's centre leaders more widely by being deployed through Wroxham Teaching School.
'As this is such a new, evolving role, I feel it will be invaluable to network with other SLEs - especially those with an early years specialism. I have already met up with a deputy from a primary school who was appointed at the same time as myself. We shall continue to communicate via email to offer each other support and guidance.
'I am looking forward to being deployed into other schools and PVI settings to offer support and advice to early years leaders. I am passionate about the early years ethos and I feel this type of collaborative peer support will have positive outcomes. I understand the pressures and constraints that you have to overcome within a leadership role and I hope that I can offer advice to aid the development of innovative practice with birth to five-year-olds.
'If I can disseminate some of the skills and knowledge that I have learnt to encourage practitioners to value the importance of early years, to understand how young children learn best and to create an environment that stimulates children's minds and curiosity, then I will feel satisfied within my role. I am driven by the desire to work with practitioners from all levels and truly believe that distributed leadership within a team has the maximum impact on children's learning.'
