This article reports the findings from interviews with six headteachers of Roman Catholic primary schools on the composition and responsibilities of their senior management teams in the light of the 1998 Green Paper Teachers: Meeting the Challenge of Change. These heads were selected because their schools had figured well in the ‘Performance Tables 1999: Key Stage 2 Test Results’ and so should demonstrate exemplary practice. The schools’ OFSTED Inspection Reports provide further contextual information to inform the research. The findings explore the reasons for the schools’ success and, in particular, the centrality of the Catholic faith and the practice of the senior management teams.
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