Critical reflection is more than "that went well." It is the deliberate habit of looking at a practice, a routine or a decision and asking why it is done that way, whose voice is missing, and what a different approach might give the children. Element 1.3.2 describes it as educators thinking about the program, the ideas that guide them, and the outcomes for children, and letting that thinking shape what they plan next.
Reflection is easy to leave to chance and easy to shrink into a template. The leader's work is to make it ordinary: a question raised in a team meeting, a moment noticed on the floor, a room's routine looked at again. The regulator describes the educational leader supporting educators to become more thoughtful and to analyse their own practice, rather than being told what to change.
The shift that matters is from "what did we do" to "why, and what next."
When an educator is stuck, a starter helps them past the summary:
An educational leader notices the team writing warm observations but rarely saying what they will do next. Rather than asking for more writing, she puts one question on the table each fortnight: what did you change because of what you saw? Within a term the documentation starts to show the planning cycle turning, not because a form demanded it, but because the question became a habit.
The leader's reflections are the leader's own. A private reflection stays private; what can travel is a change to practice that came from it. Reflection is not a performance for a visit. See the guide to educational leader evidence.
Critical reflection is honestly examining why you practise the way you do, whose perspective is missing, and what you might change, then letting that thinking shape what you plan next. It sits in NQS Element 1.3.2.
There is no set frequency in the regulations. Reflection works best as an ongoing habit woven into everyday practice and team conversations, rather than a task done before a visit.
A strong example shows a change: what you noticed, what you did differently, and what shifted for the children or the team as a result. "I used to think... and now I think... because..." is a useful shape.
Written by the Ask ECE editorial team and checked against ACECQA guidance and the Education and Care Services National Regulations. Last reviewed September 2026. Ask ECE links to the source and does not reproduce it.