In this paper, I discuss principals’ perspectives on the priority given to, the place in the curriculum of, and the supporting practices related to health education and promotion in schools in Denmark (for pupils aged 6-16). The study is situated within the discourses about critical health education and health promoting schools. The research draws on the literature on school leadership challenges, linked to global neoliberal trends in educational reform. The context of the study is the latest comprehensive school reform in Denmark. The data were generated through an online survey of principals in Denmark (n=118). The findings show that although the principals view school as an important arena for health education and promotion, their actual support lags behind. Health education is prioritized but characterized by insufficient attention to teachers’ professional development and the low prioritization of collaboration within the school and between the school and community actors. Acknowledging the contradicting demands that principals face in the context of the reform, we argue for reconnecting the concept of leadership with the wider purposes of schooling and for providing space for an emergent, whole-school curriculum that addresses health and wellbeing issues.

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