This book explores the development of educational leadership within
difficult contexts via the lens of a previously failing English
secondary school in an area of urban poverty. Based on extensive
interview data from 2012-2016, the authors demonstrate that the
fundamental ethos underpinning the school's improvement is a desire to
meet the needs of young people in disadvantaged communities in order to
equip them with the skills to allow them to transcend their situation.
The authors posit that this school embodies the 'comprehensive ideal' of
secondary education in England: that education should not be
disadvantaged by background, and that the state should provide free and
high quality education for all. This book will appeal to students and
scholars of comprehensive education and schools in difficult contexts.