ABSTRACT
This chapter traces the cultural and historical antecedents of leadership in English schools by drawing upon recent research and analyses of headship. Having identified some of the cultural traditions that underpin current policy making, I will argue that
School leadership in England continues to be preoccupied with organizational power relations;
These relations tend to sustain the domination of leaders in “their” schools; and
Such a configuration of authority has implications not only for schooling, but also democracy
