When I started the Level 6 programme, I thought it’d just be an upgrade from Level 5, but it’s a fair bit deeper. It pushes you to think about why we do things, not just how. The course links everything back to Aistear and Síolta, and, honestly, those frameworks keep popping up in nearly every bit of work.
Most of us on placement are already working in settings across Ireland — some in Cork, a few in Dublin or Galway. We’re learning how to take leadership roles, follow the Tusla 2016 Regulations, and make sure what happens in our rooms actually matches the rights and needs of the children. It’s about moving from being a helper to being a reflective practitioner who can stand over their decisions.
Assignment Type: Continuous Assessment – Formal but still practical
The continuous assessment side counts for twenty per cent, but it shapes how you think for the rest of the course. It makes you pull together laws, ethics and frameworks, and ask, “What does that look like in real life?”
In Ireland, everything we do is grounded in the Child Care Act 1991, Children First Act 2015, and of course the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Those pieces of legislation sound heavy, but they’re behind the simple things – like making sure every child is safe, respected and included.
We also study Bronfenbrenner, Piaget, Vygotsky, and Erikson. To be honest, I used to mix them up, but after writing a few reflections, I saw how they fit into Aistear’s four themes. For example, Vygotsky’s idea of learning through interaction links straight into “Communicating.” When you see the theory match a child’s behaviour, it kind of clicks.
Continuous assessment also checks if you understand equality. The Equal Status Acts 2000–2018 and the Disability Act 2005 remind us that inclusion isn’t optional. So we design spaces that suit everyone – quiet nooks, bilingual signs, soft lighting for sensory needs. Tutors love it when you show how policy becomes practice, but to be fair, that’s what matters in the room too.
Writing these essays and reflections can be tough, but they make you justify your choices. You can’t just say “because that’s how we do it.” You learn to back it up with Irish policy and child-development theory. That’s what the twenty percent is really testing – your thinking, not just your typing.
Assignment Type: Skills Demonstration – Reflective and practice-based
The bigger chunk – eighty per cent – comes from the placement and portfolio. That’s where everything suddenly becomes real. During my placement in a community preschool in Cork City, I helped with curriculum planning, observations, and reviews. At first, I was nervous leading activities, but the room leader kept reminding me that leadership isn’t about being perfect; it’s about reflecting and adjusting.
We gathered photos, plans, and feedback as evidence. It’s mad how one small activity can show so many learning outcomes – from Aistear themes to Síolta standards. Every reflection had to show how theory met practice, and how the practice met Tusla regs. It sounds like paperwork, but after a while, it just becomes a habit.
Anyway, the skills demo pushes you to link every action to inclusion, partnership, and rights. It’s hands-on, sometimes messy, but that’s exactly how you grow into a professional.
When I first began this module, I didn’t really get how policy filters down to the tiny things we do in a crèche. After a few classes and a bit of reading, it slowly clicked that every rule on the wall or form we fill is linked to someone’s right being protected. It’s strange how you don’t see it until you start looking for it.
The big one is the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989). Ireland signed it years back, and it’s basically saying every child should be safe, listened to and supported to grow. In our preschool in Ballincollig, we try to let the children have a say – like choosing songs or snack fruit – which, to be fair, is their right to participate in small decisions.
Then there’s the Children First Act 2015 and the Child Care Act 1991. They’re the backbone of child protection here. I still remember my first safeguarding briefing; I was nervous I’d forget something. One morning I noticed a child had come in unusually quiet with a mark on the arm. I wasn’t sure what to do, but I checked our policy folder and spoke to the Designated Liaison Person. She thanked me for following the step properly. That showed me the system actually works when we trust it.
Social policies shape families too. The National Childcare Scheme 2019 helps parents cover fees, otherwise half of our group mightn’t attend. One mum told me the subsidy meant she could go back to her QQI course. That conversation stuck with me because it linked policy to someone’s real life, not just paperwork.
We also rely on equality laws – the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018 and Disability Act 2005 – to remind us inclusion isn’t optional. In our room we’ve a mix of cultures, so we keep dual-language labels and picture timetables. One little boy from Poland started using English words faster once his home language was respected. It made me smile; that’s policy in action again.
The theory that ties it all up for me is Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems idea. A child’s world is built from tiny circles – family, preschool, community, government – all nudging each other. So if a parent loses a job, it ripples right into the child’s behaviour at playtime. Seeing that helps me pause before judging.
Still, some things feel messy. Forms pile up, parents get lost in the jargon, and we’re short on hours to sit with them properly. Sometimes I just pull up a spare chair at the desk and help fill the form out. It takes five minutes but calms everyone down.
Looking back, I think respecting rights isn’t only quoting acts; it’s the quiet choices we make in the room. Listening instead of rushing. Writing a concern even when unsure. Saying “you can choose” to a child. Those bits add up. I suppose that’s what the Level 6 standard is trying to get us to see – policies are only real when they show in how we treat people every day.
Inclusion, to me, is about making sure every child feels they belong the minute they walk in. During placement, I worked with a small group that included a boy with mild ASD and another with asthma. At first I panicked about managing both, but the room leader reminded me to look at Aistear’s theme of Well-being and Síolta Standard 8 – Planning and Evaluation. We adjusted the routine – quiet corners, shorter transitions, clear picture cues. It wasn’t perfect, but it worked.
Physical health came down to small habits – hand-washing songs, outdoor play, healthy snacks. We followed the Tusla 2016 Health and Safety Regulations, but it didn’t feel like ticking boxes; it was more about keeping everyone well. For mental health, I leaned on Erikson’s stages. Building trust and autonomy matters. I found giving children small responsibilities – passing cups, wiping tables – boosted their confidence no end.
We also used cultural inclusion as part of emotional health. Parents shared family recipes and stories, and we made a “World Wall” of photos. One parent said it helped her child talk more about home. That kind of link between family and centre makes everyone feel settled.
By the end, I saw that inclusive practice isn’t an add-on; it’s the base of good care. It’s watching, adjusting, and trying again till each child can join in without stress. That’s the bit I’ll carry into my next setting.
Working with others used to make me nervous. I liked doing my own thing in the room, but Level 6 made me realise nothing works alone. In the Dublin Montessori, where I did part of my hours, we worked with parents, SNAs, and a speech therapist for one child who had delayed language. My job was to record observations and share them at the weekly check-in. I learned to keep notes factual and store them safely – GDPR rules are strict but fair.
Sometimes collaboration meant just listening. A parent once got defensive about the word “delay.” We paused, had tea, and talked through her worries. After that, she started sharing home updates that helped our planning. It showed me that partnership grows slowly, through trust more than forms.
The Children First guidelines and Síolta Standard 9 – Health and Welfare remind us that ethical work means safeguarding first and gossip never. I caught myself once nearly mentioning a case in the staffroom and stopped mid-sentence. It’s those small checks that matter.
Collaboration is messy sometimes – emails missed, people busy – but when it clicks, the child benefits most. As I move forward, I’d like to build confidence in leading those meetings instead of just sitting in them.
At first, the theory side felt a bit abstract, but once I saw it in the room, it made sense. Piaget’s stages helped me notice how three-year-olds test ideas by touching everything, while Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development” reminded me that children learn faster when another person nudges them along. During free play in our Limerick community preschool, I sat beside a child stacking blocks and simply asked, “How tall do you think it’ll go?” He guessed, laughed when it fell, and tried again. That’s learning through interaction right there.
From a sociological angle, Bronfenbrenner and Maslow blend well together for me. Children don’t grow in a bubble. Their home life, culture, and even the local economy shape their behaviour. One child in our group started showing anxiety after her dad lost work. Knowing that social context stopped us mislabelling her as “clingy.”
We also looked at Erikson’s psychosocial stages — especially autonomy versus shame. Giving children chances to do things themselves, even small bits like pouring milk, protects their self-esteem. In Ireland’s ELC settings that’s part of Aistear’s idea of building confidence and belonging.
All the same, I’ve learned the trick is balance. Too much focus on theory can make you over-analyse every move. In practice, it’s about knowing enough to notice patterns, not to control them. For me, that’s the heart of reflective practice at Level 6.
This task was about stepping up — leading instead of just following. During placement in Galway, I had to design a weekly plan that met Aistear’s four themes and showed both child-led and adult-initiated play. At first I thought “leadership” meant standing in front, but my tutor said it’s more about listening, then guiding gently.
We held a short staff meeting and agreed on a loose daily flow: outdoor play before snack, small-group storytelling after rest. I encouraged the team to link observations straight to the planning sheet, so nothing was wasted. It took a few messy weeks, but it started working.
Child-led planning came alive when we followed the group’s sudden interest in rain. We brought out containers, rain gauges and umbrellas. The children led the questions: “Why does it stop?” “Can we catch it?” I just added vocabulary and gentle scaffolding. That’s inclusive pedagogy — respecting curiosity rather than forcing content.
Regulation-wise, I kept Tusla 2016 standards in mind, especially environment safety and ratio checks. I also reviewed our room against Síolta Standard 7 – Curriculum and noted where we needed more multicultural materials. We later ordered books showing different family types, including same-sex parents, to reflect diversity honestly.
Leading at this level isn’t about being the boss; it’s about linking frameworks, team voices and children’s interests into one smooth plan. I used to think leadership was paperwork; now I know it’s communication.
The final task tied everything together — policy, compliance and reflection. Our manager in the Cork preschool asked me to help review the Health & Safety and Equality policies before inspection. Reading them line by line was dry work, to be fair, but it showed how detailed Tusla’s regs are. We updated our nappy-changing area checklist and added a line about hand-drying for adults, which inspectors actually noticed later.
I also drafted a short inclusion statement. I wrote that every child, regardless of background or ability, has equal access to learning opportunities, and that staff commit to cultural respect. It sounded formal, but it was real to us — we’d already been living it day to day.
Afterwards, I carried out a small internal review using Síolta Standard 10 – Organisation. I asked staff what parts of the policy were unclear. A few said they didn’t know where to find updates, so we pinned a summary on the noticeboard. Sometimes the simplest step makes policy visible.
Reflecting on it later, I saw how policy isn’t just for inspection folders; it’s the bones of good care. The review taught me to read with purpose and feed back in plain English so everyone understands. That, I think, is what Level 6 leadership looks like — turning regulation into everyday sense.
Looking across the six tasks, what stands out to me is growth. At the start I was anxious about doing everything “right.” Now I’m more focused on doing what’s right for the child and proving it through reflection and evidence. Every theory, policy and framework finally fits together — Aistear, Síolta, Tusla, and the rights of the child all pointing in the same direction: quality and respect. I still make mistakes, but I know how to pause, check guidance, and try again. That’s the learning Level 6 is meant to build.
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Aoife Kelly is a skilled academic writer and subject expert at IrelandAssignmentHelper.ie, contributing since 2015. She holds a Master’s degree in Health and Social Care Management from Dublin City University and brings over a decade of experience in healthcare and social sciences. Aoife specializes in supporting students across a range of disciplines, including Healthcare, Childcare, Nursing, Psychology, and Elder Care. Her practical understanding of these fields, combined with strong academic writing expertise, helps students craft well-researched essays, reports, case studies, and dissertations that meet Irish academic standards.
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