“For adults it’s easier to define, we think of teamwork, inspiration, vision,” said Clark. “But when children, when they are leading, what is it that they are leading? Do they know where they are going with their leadership actions? Are they creating an inspiring vision of their own future; are they expecting something to happen.

“I’m not sure if leadership for a child has anything to do with predicting the future – I think it’s more about living in the moment. They are not thinking ‘if I do this, then I’ll sit my exams, then go to university, then get a job’ – they are creating an experience in the present because that’s where they are. And the younger they are the more that is true.”

The older children get, the more support they will need in leading their own learning, through positive action. “Be supportive about their ideas – even if you don’t agree with them – and give them options.” said Clark. ” Be aware though that too many options may actually narrow down a child’s thinking and they will almost always choose the first or last thing you say. You can reframe and redirect their ideas, but always make the conversation a two-way thing and when possible, step back from your professional position, get into the conversation in an engaging way and explore with the child.

“The degree to which a child is able to share and express themselves often depends on the openness of the people they are expressing themselves to.

“Look at the things that enable children to lead their own learning and the freedom we give children to make choices,” he told the audience. A child who is free to make choices is taking the first step to learning self-discipline and independence. “They ask themselves ‘should I do this or should I do that?’, Clark said. “If you can make these choices, then you can have independence and therefore you have freedom.”

He went on to define what he meant by freedom and the types of ‘freedom’ that a nanny can give to her charges. Here are his paraphrased words of wisdom:

Freedom of time – it’s really important that there are not too may set times when children have to stop what they are doing arbitrarily (eating and going to bed are the obvious exceptions). If a child is busy and engaged with an activity, don’t stop them from doing it.

Advice: “Allow them the time to concentrate. If you don’t give them that time to show they have an amazing ability to focus, you’ll never know.”

Freedom of repetition – Let them do things again and again, even if it’s the same every time. They are doing it because of the joy they get of it and each time they do it, they are developing something within them, which may be strength, skill, self esteem.

Advice: “This also builds resilience. Give them the chance to be successful – keeping going is a good thing, however many times they get something wrong.”

Freedom to choose who to play with – Allow children to say ‘no’ to each other; don’t frown on it. Telling children they have to share is counterproductive. Truly sharing something can only come from the will to share, not from being forced to do it by someone more senior. Saying ‘no’ and ‘yes’ are equally valid choices, as long as it is done in a socially acceptable way; a child who says no has independence and that’s important to them.

Advice: “Give them control, because being out of control can be scary for early years children and we all know that a scared child reacts in a way of a scared child!”.

Freedom from interruption – Breaking a child’s concentration when they are engrossed in an activity is also counterproductive. Think what would happen if we leave them to explore what they are doing on their own. If we could suppress our need to intervene and stop them from doing what they are doing, we would stop “hijacking their learning”.

Advice: “Being allowed to concentrate gives them time to be calm and relaxed. Everyone needs some time to themselves when they can relax and that helps them to learn”.

Freedom of choice – It’s important that the choices children have in any setting are their own choices, rather than choices made for them in advance. There have to be realistic boundaries, but if children know that they will consistently have the same things in the same place available to them every day, they can make that choice. They may turn up in the morning having already planned their own learning for the day and it can be disconcerting for them if the resources they need are not there for them. If they have a choice and can get what they want, they have freedom – if they have to ask for it, they aren’t.

Advice: “This is vital for self-discipline. They can feel they are making things up, they have to make their own value judgements. Freedom can only exist within boundaries though – chaos is not a good thing when you have multiple children in your setting!”

The observations of each child’s response to having those freedoms can be very instructive, added Clark. Watching what they choose, where they choose to do it, who with, whether it is planned or spontaneous and how long they do it for are all good indications of their development. “The more choices you can give to children and the more time you have to observe and assess them making those choices, the better they will develop their self-discipline.

“Monitor whether the materials you have actually work for them and whether they understand the purpose of each activity they are doing. Have you modelled how to use your materials correctly and are they able to use them independently (are they allowed to)?

“Consistency is key, both from nannies and the setting. The professional knowledge of any people in your setting is very important as it underpins everything you do and makes you comfortable knowing what the children are doing. That way, you can make your plans to follow on from where they have led their own learning”.