Leading policy-aligned sport in high-pressure systems: Distributed–transformational leadership, programme quality and student outcomes in secondary schools

High-pressure Chinese secondary schools often operate under intense examination accountability, which can marginalise school sport despite policy commitments to holistic development. Leadership research has limited evidence on how distributed–transformational leadership supports sports programme quality and inclusivity in these contexts and how this relates to student outcomes. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, we surveyed school leaders and students in 80 public secondary schools across three Chinese provinces, estimated a multilevel structural equation model and conducted paired urban and rural case studies to explain the quantitative pathway. Distributed–transformational leadership predicted higher programme quality and inclusivity, and programme quality mediated associations with student well-being, inclusion and academic achievement, while interviews showed how examination pressure, resources and school leader well-being shaped enactment. The study positions programme quality and inclusivity as the proximal mechanism linking leadership to holistic outcomes in high-pressure Chinese schooling and offers implications for leadership development and policy implementation.