How can children receive individualized learning?
What is your understanding of the Healthy Schools initiative?
How would you monitor the standards throughout the curriculum?
Where would you start with a new curriculum initiative?
How would you raise attainment?
What are the pros and cons of PPA?
How can governors support the school?
What values can you bring to the role of the DH?
How could you involve the whole community in a school initiative?
Define/how do you see the role of a DHT
Describe your style of leadership.
Give an example of effective leadership.
Children should make smooth and continuous progress. How do you ensure this is happening?
How would you contribute to school improvement? How have you done this at your current school?
How do you ensure that pupils have high expectations of themselves and their work?
How do you keep teachers happy and motivated at your present school?
What role does the SSER play in raising achievement?
How would you lead change in an improving school?
What role does assessment play in raising achievement?
What strengths could you bring to this school?
How have you/could you contribute to the School Development Plan?
How do you ensure that all teachers receive the support they need to meet their individual needs?
How would you address a curriculum that does not fully meet the needs of all pupils?
What are the benefits of a topic based as opposed subject based curriculum?
Describe your recent experience of leading a whole school initiative?
How have you set about implementing the Teaching and Learning Policy? What were the outcomes of this?
How do you monitor the assessment policy? How are targets set and how are they monitored?
What strategies would you use to support a member of staff not achieving a satisfactory level of performance?
Give some key points of successful behaviour management?
How would you achieve successful parental partnership?
How do we know children make progress with their learning from one year to the next?
How would you go about raising staff, pupil and parents expectations?
What is the most important thing you have learned while a member of the SMT at your current school?
Give examples of two recent legislations, one you feel positive about and the other negative. Give reasons.
How would you support the HT in managing the school budget?
How would you ensure consistent curriculum coverage?
What is your understanding of the term Inclusion?
Give an example of how you manage your time effectively.
From your experience, what steps are needed to turn a policy on paper into effective practice?
Tell us about an initiative you have developed through the school that was successful
Tell us about an initiative that was less successful and what you learned from it.
What makes a good teacher?
Do you think supporting a struggling member of staff who was an NQT would be the same as supporting experienced teacher?
What are the characteristics of an effective school? How would you ensure that this school is effective?
How would you motivate staff and encourage them to feel excited about their work when the burden of responsibility often appears overwhelming? Give an example
How will you ensure that the role of deputy is more than just that of ‘dogsbody’?
You feel uncomfortable with a decision that has been made by the Headteacher. How would you raise & discuss the matter?
Perceptions
Why have you applied for the post?
What have you heard about the school/what are your impressions of us?
What at this stage do you see as our strengths?
What do you consider to be areas that need development/improvement?
What do you consider makes for successful School Development/Improvement Planning?
Management Skills
In three words, how would your current colleagues describe you?
Describe your style of management? What decisions do you find difficult?
What do you see as the ideal management team within a school?
What has been the most important learning experience for you as a manager?
Performance Management and Appraisal of Staff
What are the keys to successful performance management of staff?
How would you deal with a member of staff resistant to change?
How about one whose performance is unsatisfactory?
What kind of people do you enjoy/find it difficult to work with?
Dealing with Parents
How and when would you plan to first meet parents? What would you say?
How would you run the open mornings for prospective parents and pupils?
How would you achieve successful partnership with parents?
What would you say to a parent who makes a complaint about a teacher?
Dealing with Pupils
How and when would you plan to first meet the pupils? What would you say?
How would you get to know each child? How many lessons should you teach?
Bullying is liable to occur in any school. How would you deal with it?
What are your views on rewards/sanctions/behaviour/discipline?
Curriculum
What do you consider to be the key features of a balanced curriculum?
What is your approach to constructing the timetable?
How important is ICT and how should it be taught in the school?
What are your views on academic setting?
Assessment
How should a child’s progress be monitored?
What information should teachers record?
What are the key features of an effective reporting process?
What in your view is the difference between assessment and testing?
Knowledge of Current Debate and Future Trends in Education
How do you keep up to date with educational developments?
What are the current key challenges for our type of school?
What is it that successful schools do well?
Professional Development and Training
How would you establish professional development priorities for staff?
When should professional development take place?
If you could choose an area of professional development for yourself what would it be and why?
Summary Questions
What particular aspects of the job appeal to you?
What is your main strength?
What is your weakness?
Which 3 things would you not compromise on if appointed?