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Abstract
The consequence of legislation implemented in the 1980s for school management can been described as a growing dichotomy between the head as ‘chief executive’ and as ‘leading professional’ that reflects wider political change from social democratic discourse to a political economy one (Hughes, 1976). The research set out here provides an insight into the values of the sampled headteachers and how these values are realised in the contingent environment of school life. The data were obtained using online research journals kept by the headteachers over two four-week periods during the school year. The findings highlight that government policy of improving school leadership as an instrument for raising standards is seriously compromised by pressures of the educational market. As a result, many heads revert to a leadership style of contingency management, (Bush, 1995) coping with day-to-day contingencies, with more complex issues falling to the background of managing the school.