Leadership in improving schools: a qualitative perspective

This paper presents findings from the first year of school-based case studies investigating the ‘Impact of School Leadership on Pupil Outcomes’. The case study component of this study involved twenty schools (ten primary and ten secondary), all of which were selected on the basis of their sustained improvement (over at least three consecutive years) in terms of pupil outcomes. Interviews were conducted with 20 headteachers, 70 key staff and 40 colleagues during each of three terms between autumn 2006 and summer 2007. Analysis of the interview data was carried out on each data source and across common themes that were identified through the coding process. In this paper, data are presented which focus on perceptions of the leadership factors that directly and indirectly affect pupil outcomes in these improving schools, and early findings suggest patterns with regard to the leadership practices across the twenty case study schools.