Responding to a challenge posed by state and independent school leaders, Ian Wigston put together a team of experienced leaders from business, the public sector and the military to enable nearly a hundred women to explore their potential for school leadership.

The Magic in the Space Between explores how mentoring, in tandem with a variety of innovative community projects undertaken by the women, provided a platform for each of them to develop a range of skills which saw more than a quarter achieve promotion within two years.

As well as telling the stories of individual success, frequently challenging their own assumptions, the book includes contributions from former Schools Minister David Laws, actor Juliet Stevenson and Commodore Mel Robinson, one of the most senior women in the Navy.

The book concludes with proposals to address the continuing problem of building a pipeline of future women’s leadership in education.