The Leadership Challenge: Headteachers’ impact on pupil outcomes.

This paper will report on Phase One of a national research project into the impact of leadership on pupil outcomes. The complexity of the area of study warrants a mixed method approach, combining case studies and qualitative data gathering and analysis, with quantitative (affective, social behavioural and cognitive) measures to increase the understanding of the impacts of and links between leadership and pupil learning. This paper will summarise the relevant literature, research design, and outcomes of analyses of various national datasets which fed directly into the selection of primary and secondary headteachers for the initial questionnaire. The paper will conclude with an overview of emergent themes from the questionnaire, and an outline the next phase of the study.