Strengthening pedagogical leadership: what ACECQA’s educational leader resource means for ECEC services

Resources from the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority supports services to strengthen pedagogical leadership, clarify expectations and drive quality improvement across early childhood education and care (ECEC).

As services respond to workforce pressures, curriculum expectations and increasing regulatory scrutiny, the role of the educational leader continues to expand. ACECQA’s educational leader resource provides practical guidance to support this evolution, positioning leadership as a key lever for quality outcomes.

The resource is available via the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority website and is designed to support leaders across a range of service types and contexts.

The educational leader role has evolved significantly since the introduction of the National Quality Framework (NQF). The position now extends well beyond programming oversight to include:

• driving continuous improvement
• building educator capability
• strengthening curriculum decision-making
• supporting reflective practice
• embedding approved learning frameworks
• influencing service-wide pedagogy and culture

ACECQA’s resource reflects this expanded scope, offering structured guidance to support leaders to operate with clarity and confidence.

The Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority resource is organised around core elements of pedagogical leadership and includes practical tools, reflective prompts and examples.

Key areas include:

• Understanding the educational leader role - Clear guidance on the purpose and scope of the role, and its connection to Quality Area 1 (Educational program and practice) and Quality Area 7 (Governance and leadership).

• Leading pedagogy and practice - Strategies to support educators in curriculum decision-making, intentional teaching and alignment with approved learning frameworks.

• Building a culture of reflective practice - Approaches to facilitating critical reflection, using evidence to inform decisions and strengthening team-wide practice.

• Supporting professional learning and growth - Practical methods for mentoring, coaching and modelling practice to build educator capability.

• Working across the service team - Guidance on collaboration with nominated supervisors, room leaders and educators to ensure consistent, child-centred practice.

• Tools and templates - Downloadable resources to support planning, documentation and ongoing improvement.

The resource is designed as a flexible framework rather than a compliance checklist. Services can use it to:

• review and refine the educational leader role
• support educators transitioning into leadership positions
• guide professional discussions and team meetings
• strengthen evidence for assessment and rating
• build shared understanding of pedagogy
• identify capability and system gaps

For multi-service providers, the resource also offers a foundation for consistent leadership development across services.

Strong pedagogical leadership is closely linked to improved outcomes for children, increased educator confidence and more consistent practice.

The resource reinforces that:

• educational leaders require dedicated time, authority and support
• pedagogical leadership is a shared, service-wide responsibility
• continuous improvement relies on strong professional learning systems
• governance structures must embed and support the role effectively

For approved providers and centre managers, this presents an opportunity to review how the role is positioned, resourced and supported within service operations.

By providing clear, practical and evidence-informed guidance, the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority resource supports services to move beyond compliance and strengthen pedagogical practice.

As expectations across the ECEC sector continue to evolve, tools that support leadership capability will play an increasingly important role in delivering consistent, high-quality outcomes for children.

Read the educational leader resource on the ACECQA website.