. One of the main findings sees a r

. One of the main findings sees a return to the bureaucratic-rational conception of the role of the head of school, with the head being first and foremost an administrator, ensuring that mandates, policies and procedures decided at ELC level are implemented. So, whilst historically this was a thing of the past – up to say the mid-1980s – now we are seeing a move towards formal authority – mainly emanating from the centre. The reform helps to confirm that leadership is contextual, that, as Gardner argues ‘Acts of leadership take place in an unimaginable variety of settings, and the setting does much to determine the kinds of leaders that emerge and how they play their roles’ (2000: 8).