Leadership for Quality in Early Years and Playwork

Andrea Lancaster is an Early Years Foundation Stage consultant for Sheffield County Council. At the time of writing the book her role involved the support and development of leadership and management within the private, voluntary and independent early years education and childcare sectors. She now works exclusively with schools and takes a particular interest in developing provision for two year olds within that sector. Debbie Garvey is an active trainer, writer and speaker on the subjects of leadership, mentoring, team building and reflective practice, and the roles these play in quality improvement for early years settings. She was a founder member of the National Quality Improvement Network, managed by the National Children's Bureau, and is founder of Stonegate Training Consultancies, which provides training and advocacy designed to improve quality provision for children, young people and families.

This book on leadership for quality is both timely and forward looking. It recognises the challenges in leading an organisation with a quality improvement agenda that is based on learning, participation and collaborative action. The book is both theoretically informed and full of professional practice wisdom. I think anyone working in the early years sector who has a leadership role or who aspires to having one will find much to inspire and guide within these pages.The sector has at last recognised that leadership, as much as management, matters and is beginning to nurture a new generation of leaders with vision, passion and reflectivity. This book will make an important contribution to this movement.