Leading All-Through schools – the same or different?

In many countries, the idea of an All-Through school is relatively unfamiliar, as schooling tends to follow the traditional division between primary/elementary schools and secondary/high schools. Yet in some education systems, the notion of All-Through schooling is gaining momentum for a wide range of reasons, including greater cost efficiencies and the absence of distinct transition phases which can be disruptive for students (Symonds 2015). Being able to achieve greater cost effectiveness through the sharing of resources in a variety of ways is a perceived strength of an All-Through school. Undoubtedly, there are economies of scale that can be achieved through combining phases and resources i.e. the provision of staff facilities, catering, repair and maintenance, health and safety, etc. Essentially, All-Through or All-Age schools, as they are called in some systems, combine at least primary and secondary stages of education, and can also incorporate nursery and sixth forms within a single, overarching institution. This is one school comprising all or multiple phases of education overseen by one governing body. An AllThrough school often occupies a single site or will have joined its previously separate school campuses into one. Working in an All-Through institution provides the unique opportunity to make significant changes to the continuity, progression, and relevance of the curriculum. An All-Through school can also provide opportunities to enhance all aspects of community development, both within and beyond the boundaries of the school. All-Through schooling is a model reflected most clearly in the international-schools sector where combining phases is the established way of working. The literature on international schools concerns itself largely with describing and analysing the structures, processes and practices reflected within international schools. This research base, however, lacks a critical mass of robust empirical studies which makes navigating the literature difficult. While some writers touch upon the leadership of international schools (Cravens 2018), the existing evidence base on this topic is neither extensive nor conclusive. Outside the international-schools sector, this joined-up model of schooling has been adopted by many countries, to different degrees. In Iceland, all schools operate on an All-Through basis and in Spain more All Through schools are currently being established. An All-Through model of schooling is also reflected in England with All-Through Academies (Hodgson 2011) and increasingly, there are growing numbers of All-Age schools in Wales which has prompted two major, contemporary research projects. Most typically, in All-Through schools-