This support then can be removed progressively as the novice leader’s competences increase. In the case of very challenging school environments, support for school leaders may need to be sustained over time. Different forms of networks can support and contribute to the improvement of schools in challenging circumstances (Hadfield and Jopling, 2006). Networking appears as a positive and non-punitive way to achieve durable change in practices and therefore, sustainable improvement and culture change. It allows the dissemination of good practices across the systems through shared purpose and pooled resources, and the consolidation of a professional identity (Morgan and Hawkins, 2004). The different words used to describe these groupings - networks, clusters, partnerships - reflect the variety and dynamism of collaboration, but the main message is that schools facing exceptionally challenging circumstances can learn very directly from one another (McBeath et al.,