This article provides an interim report on a two-phase study of curriculum innovation in primary schools in England during one of the most significant periods of change for the last two decades. More specifically, the study addresses the challenges to school leaders created by the Rose Review of the primary curriculum. This article presents and analyses the data from Phase 1 of the project and is based on 12 interviews conducted in three successful primary schools. The main finding of Phase 1 of the study was that in order to be successful in curriculum innovation school leaders need to create a clear ethos for change.