The English government's education policy has been characterised by four themes: a determination to raise educational standards; a mission to undertake the modernisation of educational systems, structures and practices; a commitment to choice and diversity within education; and a preoccupation with the culture of performance (Phillips and Harper-Jones (2003). However, what differentiates the Labour government from its predecessors is its broad commitment to equity and social inclusion in and through education.However, despite the Government's apparent commitment to social inclusion, we know that:o A significant proportion of children and young people are not achieving acceptable outcomes as a result of their participation (or, in some instances, non-participation) in the education system; o The gap between the most successful and least successful learners has increased; and o School attendance rates and disciplinary exclusions remain at a worrying level, particularly in schools that serve economically deprived areas. It seems, then, that the sharp, individual accountability framework that kick-started improvement efforts in the 1990s now poses an obstacle to the development of the sense of collective accountability which would best serve the needs of vulnerable pupils. Consequently, there is an urgent need for new policies and practices that will link improvement with equity, and support for children and families with strategies to address underlying disadvantage. All of this raises important questions about the forms of leadership that are necessary in order to take this agenda forward. Issues includeo How are school leaders addressing the challenge of social inclusion? o What forms of leadership practice are proving to be effective? o To what extent do these practices lead to improvements in respect to the presence, participation and achievement of vulnerable groups of learners? o What are the implications for leadership development programmes? In order for us to gain a better understanding of these issues the University of Manchester was contracted to carry out a series of qualitative case studies on leadership for social inclusion.The six case studies (3 primary and 3 secondary) are embedded in an ongoing longitudinal study the centre is undertaking in three areas showing high levels of socio-economic disadvantage. Statistical evidence has been used to create detailed profiles of each of these districts, and these data have been analysed to create an overview of patterns of inequity. At the same time, qualitative data have been generated that explore resident learners' interactions with the education system. Educational practitioners, policymakers and community leaders have also been interviewed to provide further insights into issues of social exclusion manifest in the area, and the education system's potential to respond to these. For this study, we will revisit all the districts and conduct qualitative interviews specifically regarding the research questions of importance to this study (see above). Qualitative evidence will be collected within each of the schools, based on interviews and focus groups with students, staff, local authority officers and families. The focus will be on the nature of leadership practice, how it has developed within each of the schools and extended into the community. we will interview a cross section of leaders, including- The Headteacher - Two members of the Senior Management Team - Two middle level leaders - Two teacher-leaders As well as this group we intend to interview a focus group of parents and a focus group of pupils in this site, in order to get a fuller picture of inclusive education in the sample schools. We will conduct further statistical analyses, focussing on analysis of data on at-risk student groups.In this paper, we will present findings from this study which will be completed by end March 2007