Leadership behaviours during crises: Cases from Early Childhood Education and Care in England

In this paper, we present research into how leaders in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in England conceptualise and respond to sudden and challenging circumstances at organisational and personal levels. A distinction is made in this paper between critical incidents, such as a fire in the kitchen, and crises whereby leaders need to respond to unexpected, long term and evolving events. Although the impact of Covid-19 pandemic was uppermost in participants’ minds, crises emerging from other issues were also investigated. The data informing this study were collected during the first half of 2021, nearly a year after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, with ECEC leaders experiencing drastic changes which extended existing perceptions of crises. The research employed qualitative methodology using interviews with 16 accountable leaders in 13 different settings, with a further interview of a local authority officer with responsibility for advising and guiding multiple settings.