This article draws on research undertaken in Scotland as part of an International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP). The study is designed to address the question "How useful are principal preparation programmes to novice headteachers?" Drawing on the research data from Scotland, the authors examine how novice headteachers navigate…

This article examines how novice principals reflect on the adequacy or otherwise of their preparation. It looks at data drawn from the International Study of Principal Preparation (ISPP), and in particular a questionnaire of principals up to three years in post, in Scotland. The principals find much about their preparation has helped them gain…

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the extent to which the programme for principal preparation in Scotland relates to what is expected of principals once they are in post and what it is that they actually do. Design/methodology/approach: The paper analyses the professional experience of five relatively new elementary school principals reported in…