Assessment name: Report: Contemporary Leadership in Practice

TCHR3004: LEADERSHIP AND ADVOCACY IN EARLY CHILDHOOD Assessment One: Report

Assessment Brief

Assessment name: Report: Contemporary Leadership in Practice

Due Date: Friday, 22nd August 2025 @ 11:59 pm (Week 3)

Weighting: 50% of your final grade

Length: 1500 words (a 10% leeway above or below this count is permitted)

Unit Learning Outcomes

You will demonstrate the following Unit Learning Outcomes on the successful completion of this task:

• Demonstrate knowledge of the key principles of leadership and management in practice in early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, underpinned by theoretical and practical perspectives.
• Demonstrate an understanding of how to build supportive and collaborative environments for children, families, community, and colleagues.
• Critically reflect on the role that advocacy plays in ECEC (locally, nationally, and internationally) and identify the skills that a strong advocate for the profession should display.
• Critically analyse and understand the role of the educational leader, including relationships, responsibilities, expectations, ethical practice, and the transition into leadership.

Task Description

For this assessment, you are required to write an academic report of 1500 words. The report can include tables or figures to illustrate your points where necessary.

Write a report that responds to the following three tasks:

1. Identify and discuss ONE significant contemporary challenge facing leaders in the Australian ECEC sector. Examples could include staff wellbeing and retention, leading curriculum change with the updated national frameworks, or embedding authentic community engagement.
2. Analyse the key principles and theoretical underpinnings of Distributed Leadership as a model for addressing the challenge you have identified. Explain why this leadership style is particularly suitable for the collaborative nature of ECEC settings.
3. Critically reflect on how you, as an emerging educational leader, would enact a distributed leadership approach on professional placement. Provide practical examples of how this would influence your practice and relationships with children, families, and your colleagues to address your chosen challenge.

The report must include:

• A concise introduction (approx. 100 words) outlining the purpose and structure of your report.
• A well-structured body (approx. 1320 words), broken into sections with clear, appropriate headings based on the three tasks listed above.
• A succinct conclusion (approx. 80 words) that summarises your key arguments.
• A reference list that includes all sources cited in your work.

Rationale

As a developing ECEC professional, it’s vital that you understand not only leadership theories but also how to apply them to solve real-world problems. This assessment challenges you to connect theory to practice, preparing you to lead effectively and ethically in complex modern learning environments.

Referencing

The APA 7th referencing format is required for all assessment tasks in the Faculty of Education. You can find the official SCU Libguide here: APA 7 Referencing.

A minimum of 10 high-quality academic references must be included. Your reference list must incorporate:

• The approved set text for this unit.
• The National Quality Standard (NQS).
• The Early Years Learning Framework V2.0 (or the relevant approved framework for your state).

Support Resources

• Academic Integrity: Review the SCU guidelines to ensure you understand your responsibilities.
• Learning Zone: Access workshops, Quick Guides, and study support to assist with your academic writing and research skills.

Submission

Submission of your assessment is via the Turnitin link on the TCHR3004 Blackboard site.

Please note:

• It is your responsibility to ensure you submit the correct and final version of your assessment before the deadline.
• Download and save your Digital Receipt from Turnitin as proof of submission.
• If you experience technical difficulties, log a job with Technology Services before the deadline to create a record of your submission attempt.
• In line with SCU Rules Relating to Awards (Rule 3, Section 6), there are NO resubmissions for this unit. Plan your time accordingly.