The evolution of leadership in the educational sector has become a well-researched phenomenon. School leadership primarily refers to the way in which decisions within schools are made, and how they are implemented and executed. An often-overlooked element of this phenomenon is the effect school leadership has on the school’s primary stakeholders, its pupils. While leadership is harnessed in students as well, especially through positions bestowed on them, such as prefect ship, schools often ignore the ways in which school management and leadership affects students’ happiness and satisfaction, as well as how it influences students’ perception of leadership at large. In particular, moral and ethical leadership, such as honour, quality decision making and collaboration have a strong impact on student well-being. To evaluate these effects of school leaderships on young learners, data was gathered using semi-structured interviews with secondary school teachers in Colombo who hold leadership positions in order to understand school leadership strategies. Additionally, focus groups were conducted with recent graduates of secondary schools in Colombo to understand their perceptions of these leadership strategies on their understanding and practice of leadership. Over the years, school leadership has developed from hierarchical to collaborative strategies. Yet this study finds a hybridisation of leadership strategies at present among schools in Colombo. The findings of this study direct us towards the understanding that school leadership strategies have a large impact on young learners’ perceptions of leadership and their overall attitude towards education.