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Interactive whole-class teaching is championed by the English National Curriculum and the accompanying National Literacy and National Numeracy Strategies. Inspection of the related literature, however, reveals no corresponding pedagogy, which is also lacking in earlier 'interactive' initiatives. The paper considers how traditional 'hierarchical' perceptions have undermined the 'practical' prescriptions given and neglected attitudinal influences. It argues that this practical deficit, aspects of teacher education and institutional leadership/culture have historically made it difficult for teachers to fully 'unlearn' authoritarian 'transmission' practices which the UK Government recognizes work against inclusion and performance at all education levels. Research undertaken in the 1970s provides a practical model of inclusive interactive teaching, training and leadership and this is considered to be one of three related requirements necessary to overcome the reported implementation failure of an interactive approach. Finally, the paper considers the example of a headteacher whose collaborative 'interactive' attitudes enabled an inclusive learning ethos, increasing accessibility and pioneering routes to widen participation for the traditionally excluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]