This paper considers critically how school leadership in England has changed over the last decade to meet the ever-growing and changing demands of policy-makers and other stakeholders. Like many other education systems in Europe the constant factor has been the need to raise standards and continuously improve in an attempt to enhance the quality of the student learning experience. It is based around a series of research studies into school leadership published over the last decade. During that time, four large-scale studies of the general state of school leadership in Englandhave been funded by the National College for School Leadership and the Department for Education – those by Earley, et al, in 2002; Stevens, et al, in 2005; PriceWaterhouseCoopers, in 2007; and most recently, by Earley, Higham, et al, in 2012. These four research-based reviews of the state of the school leadership landscape inEngland, published between 2002 and 2012, are used to act as a benchmark or foundation to consider the changing landscape of schools and the implications for school leaders. Although the paper’s focus is on schools in England it clearly has wider significance and will be of interest to readers who work, study or research in other educational systems.

The ways in which school leadership and its practice has changed and developed in response to a rapidly changing educational scenario is the central focus.  For example, in 2007 the policy landscape was found to have changed considerably over the last decade ‘so that what leaders are expected to do now and in the future is significantly different from what it was even a few years ago’ (PWC, 2007, p.v). Empirical evidence is drawn from the above reviews, especially the most recent 2012 landscape study (Earley, Higham et al, 2012), to consider what has changed but also what has remained largely the same over the ten-year time period under review.

 In the course of the detailed reviews of the evolving school leadership landscape, the work of school leaders, the relation between leadership and student learning, professional learning and leadership for learning, accountability and the market, leadership and governance,leadership distribution, system leadership, and school autonomy and the self-improving system are all discussed. The various ways in which school leadership, and headship in particular, has undergone significant changes in the last decade, especially in the wake of ever increasing autonomy and devolved responsibility to the school site, are given consideration. The rapidly changing policy context over the last decade has brought with it increasing responsibilities and challenges for schools in particular within a framework that seeks to enhance quality of provision and student outcomes.

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