Rethinking educational leadership to transform pedagogical practice to help improve the attainment of minority ethnic pupils: the need for leadership dialogue

This study aims to explore how leaders are helping to close gaps of attainment for minority ethnic pupils in English schools, and in particular those pupils who have English as an Additional Language (EAL) in the primary and secondary sector. This is a comparative study across selected schools using qualitative approaches to help gain an insight into current good practice embedded by leaders, to identify the future needs of EAL pupils and to show how this practice is helping to close the gap. The findings suggest that school leaders are making a difference in raising standards for pupils. However, we argue that schools need to do even more to close the gap, in particular for EAL pupils. Our conclusion is that leaders need to critique their own practice through effective dialogue to accelerate these pupils’ progress. Therefore the need for moral courage and conviction to challenge the norm is even more imperative.