This book is based on the largest and most extensive empirical study of contemporary leadership in primary and secondary schools in England. The results demonstrate that heads of successful schools improve the quality of student learning and achievement through who they are – their values, virtues, dispositions and competencies – as well as their timely use of change and improvement strategies.

Successful School Leadership provides a comprehensive analysis of the values and qualities of head teachers. It assesses the strategies they use and how they adapt these to their particular school context in order to ensure positive increases in the learning, well being and achievement of their students. The authors:

• Identify a basic set of leadership practices resulting from their findings
• Analyse and describe the leadership values, qualities and behaviours related to different phases in schools’ improvement journeys
• Provide illustrative case studies of primary and secondary schools that highlight context sensitive strategies
• Provide a contemporary overview of international research and thinking about successful school leadership
• Recognize similar and distinguishing features between schools in different socio-economic groups

This book is valuable reading for…school leaders and senior teachers, educational policy makers and advisors, as well as anyone involved or interested in education and its leadership.