ABSTRACT
This chapter examines some of the claims made in the Chief Inspector's Report. It aims to propose a new approach to the study of heads and headship. The chapter considers the place of values and vision in the exercise of leadership and illustrates what this might mean for headship. It presents the relationship between the quality of leadership, particularly that of the headteacher, within secondary schools and the quality of schooling and pupil achievement. If the quality of teaching matters in determining levels of pupil achievement, it is often claimed that headship matters a great deal in determining the quality of a school and of the teaching which takes place within it. The headship has long attracted the attention of researchers within the UK. Research into the nature of contemporary heads and headship has grown apace. 'Education leadership' even correlates negatively now and then with educational achievement.
