Catherine Patterson

Leading change from the inside : a braided portrait

In giving voice to the experiences of leading educational change in a primary school, this paper frames a story of a change initiative told from multiple perspectives, those of Emma as a school leader and of Alma and Catherine as outsider facilitators. As well as highlighting Emma’s story alongside that of her university colleagues, the situated narrative uses a recognised theoretical framework for effective school improvement to examine key elements. The shared narrative unfolds over three years, deepening our understanding of crucial elements associated with educational change. It confirms the importance of multi-layered interactive approaches and of affective components in change initiatives. This portrait demonstrates that entertaining multiple perspectives and supporting distributed leadership can provide core components of educational change.