This book is about hope, and how it is sustained by the personal spirituality of school leaders. Defining this not only in religious terms but using a concept of ‘secular spirituality,’ it shows that leadership actions must rest on the foundation of a personal value system, demonstrated as ‘a lived faith in action.’

Drawing on interviews with 150 headteachers and capturing their authentic voices, it uses the metaphor of ‘reservoirs of hope’ to promote practitioner reflection on the value systems, leadership styles and sustainability strategies of headteachers, as they act as...