Leadership in the digital age: Examining school websites as a window into educational practices

Abstract

 This study examines the relationship between leadership models and school improvement in two outstanding primary schools in West London, with a particular focus on the period leading up to and including the Covid-19 pandemic. A qualitative case study methodology was employed, using semi-structured interviews with school leaders, headteachers, and teachers. In the subsequent phase, school websites were analyzed to determine whether their online representations aligned with leadership practices identified in the initial study. The findings indicate that the academy school followed New Public Management (NPM) principles, characterized by a hierarchical structure, restricted teacher autonomy, standardized teaching approaches, and a competitive environment. In contrast, the community-maintained school adopted a distributed and transformational leadership model, fostering collaboration, teacher agency, and broad professional engagement. The analysis of school websites during the pandemic confirmed these findings, demonstrating that the academy school’s website reflected its managerial approach, whereas the community-maintained school’s website highlighted its collaborative and innovative culture. The study underscores that school websites serve as reliable representations of leadership models and institutional culture. The consistency between interview findings and website analysis suggests that online platforms effectively convey leadership priorities and organizational ethos. These findings emphasize the importance of digital representation in educational leadership, suggesting that schools should strategically utilize their websites to reflect their leadership practices and core values. The study also provides insights for policymakers and school leaders on aligning online communication with institutional identity and improvement strategies.