Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine teacher leadership in six private secondary schools in Mauritius and establish the extent to which teachers are taking up leadership roles at schools' level. Design/methodology/approach: This study focusses on three high-performing and three less-performing private secondary schools in Mauritius. An interview was carried out with the six rectors (heads) of the selected schools. Findings: Teacher leadership is an emerging phenomenon in the Mauritian educational context. The outcomes of this research have significance in providing guidance for policy development in this area concerning Mauritian education. Research limitations/implications: Time and resources were the constraining factors. It was a survey of heads only and different responses could have been received if students and teachers had been included in this study. The ideal would have been to have a wider coverage of the survey. Practical implications: This study shows how teacher leadership can impact schools in a positive manner. Results from this study confirm that the success of teacher leaders depends largely on the rector's philosophy of power sharing in the setting in which they work. Originality/value: This paper is a pioneer research paper focussing on teacher leadership in six private secondary schools in Mauritius. This original and unique piece of work offers the international audience a clear understanding of the teacher leadership phenomenon in Mauritius.