Advice on leadership and mentorship

**Bluebell** · 03-11-2012, 06:15 PM

Hi I was wondering how those who have done the EYPS have demonstrated Leadership and mentorship as a childminder? We went through the standards and I was confident that I could arrange somethings that would increase my oportunity to demonstrate a couple of examples as these cover standards 7 and 8.

I also was looking into the 3 written assesments to demonstrate my practise/all the standards over the 3 different ages and was fairly confident with this - until the course leader looked at my plan and said thats great but who are you teaching? I have now realised that I have to demonstrate leadership across ALL the standards and ALL the age groups - across my whole practice so anything I do as a childminder is completely irrelevant because I am not showing 'leadership'!
I am thinking of taking on an assistant or placement student so I can highlight leadership of someone but have no idea how to go about this and is just putting more pressure on me for something that I need to deal with and take time to look into!!
Am I just panicking? Someone please help!

**jadavi** · 03-11-2012, 06:28 PM

I worried about this too when I did it but leadership is also shown by how you put together all your policies and paperwork etc (I was told) How you successfully manage all aspects of your business shows leadership and evidence of that is parents' satisfaction and anyone who has observed you and shown in writing how good you are.
I spent hours putting together an index of evidence showing all this stuff that I'd happily share with you to give you ideas for this and other aspects of the bleep bleep bleep course (wasn't impressed by it to say the least!!)
Do message me your email address if you'd like it.

ja x

**Bluebell** · 04-11-2012, 10:34 AM

Thank you jadavi - I have moments where I think its attainable and I can do it and others when I think this is not for me at all - particularly when I get comments from them saying I need to show who I am 'leading.' I will PM you my e-mail address. Thank you for offering your advice and support it is much appreciated.

**jumping j** · 28-11-2012, 08:02 PM

I passed on some notes from a couple of courses I'd been on to some childminders I meet in a group regularly, I then got one of the CM's to do a witness statement to say how I'd helped/passed on information and uploaded the notes as evidence.

**Bluebell** · 10-12-2012, 01:02 PM

Hi - just a quick update on this. I do have to do 3 x 1000 word assignments in which I write about my good practice and demonstrate the standards and the individual indicators. (1 for each age group) On top of this I need to be leading someone. So I can write about an activity and show knowledge of EYFS, relationship with children, parents, etc etc etc BUT I must be leading someone so I am sharing my professional knowledge. This means I can not use anything from the last 3 years as they state because I have worked alone, I must now find other childminders willing to be 'mentored' by me so I can show leadership!! Fortunately a couple have said they will but this is not the kind of leadership I had in mind. I tend to support at meetings and through sharing paperwork and passing on information so having to 'demonstrate' in front of others is a bit nervewracking tbh.
But with this new EYPS they seem to be really emphasising the leadership - the tutors have basically said that is what makes an EYPS - it desn't matter how good you are if you don't know how to share with others and therefore 'lead' good practice. A bit more confident about what I have to do to achieve it, but less confident about actually doing it if you see what I mean.
Thanks so much for you help.

**The Juggler** · 10-12-2012, 06:33 PM

could you run some sessions for your local cm's at either a children's centre or another venue? Maybe your view/perspective on dealing with the revised eyfs?

**Bluebell** · 10-12-2012, 09:41 PM

aww thank you for the suggestion - I don't think I'd be competant/knowledgable enough to do this. Also my confidence is so low at the moment that in a group situation I think I'd rather crawl in a hole than stand up in front of people and lead a group. I'm working on it as I contribute in seminar sessions at Uni but really couldn't do it.
The leadership demonstarted in the 3 written assignments has to relate to the activity that I am doing that involves each of the 3 age groups too so a seminar session with other adults would be something for standards 7 and 8 but not the 3 assigments.
I already share and pass on lots of information and have passed on information about specifics of the new EYFS but I tend to do it by passing on the paperwork with my notes telling them the relevant bits or in informal chats. (like I passed on an enquiry to a minder coming back off from maternity and she turned it down because it would be 2 babies under 12 months. the lady was desperate for care, lived very locally to the minder and it could have been done with the exception of numbers 'when the child is your own' so I passed on lots of information and where to get more information on the revised EYFS.
I've planned 2 of the 3 activities I'm going to do and will do it with 1 other person and I am therefore 'leading' or 'mentoring' them. As for information passed on I have loads of group conversations in a local group and e-mail conversations with local colleagues that I plan to print off and use,