ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the leadership of community/heritage languages schools including some of the professional challenges that the leaders of these schools face, how they deal with them and what this contributes to the understanding of educational leadership. The chapter contributes to pan overview of the community/heritage languages school sector by presenting research concerned by their leadership, governance and management as well as suggesting what research these findings may imply for the future sustainability of the sector including how public organisations and policy makers could support them and their work. Little is known about how these schools are led and the practice of leadership within them. While the issues and challenges confronting these schools are sometimes similar to those faced by public/mainstream state and private school leaders, there are significant differences in the context that influence how leaders of community/heritage languages schools experience them. These schools tend to be financially fragile due to a lack of resources in education systems and are vulnerable in terms of staff recruitment and turnover. Yet these schools contribute to the educational, social and cultural needs for children, young people and families and have important insights and examples of good practice that other school sectors could learn from.
