For English primary schools, the framework of distributed leadership has been growing in status for a number of years and is now deemed to be the dominant model. However, the landscape has altered quite significantly for primary schools and their staff since the Coalition government took office in 2010, effecting fast-paced and wide-ranging reform. Therefore, it is a timely matter to consider whether a distributed model of leadership remains useful and appropriate for primary schools in 2014. In order to do so, this article identifies five defining features of the current context to use as a lens through which to scrutinise the distributed leadership model.