The history of leadership in educational settings that has a principal focus on student learning is one dominated by Western cultures, particularly those in the USA; also, it has developed two near-identical models of leadership commonly known as "instructional" or "learning-centred". This paper explores the relevance of these models in the context of the twenty-first century. Arguments are put forward that in order to create communities of leadership and practice in educational contexts, the concept of learning-centred leadership needs to be examined, given that it is a limited model focusing on outputs and outcomes. The authors argue that the episteme of pedagogy is of greater relevance to leaders in education in an age where the promotion of effective learning involves more than merely ensuring that the relationship between teachers and learners is satisfactory or good. The paper is divided into four sections. In the first section a brief explanation of the historical developments in learning-centred leadership provides the foundation for the second section, which discusses the advantages and limitations of learning-centred leadership. The third section argues that in education leadership and management there is a need to consider pedagogy as an episteme, with the implications for pedagogical leadership being discussed in the final section.