Possible Questions for Headteacher Interviews

  • These questions are intended as examples for discussion for Governors to draw up their own list (Final interview of 45 mins needs about 8 questions).
  • Some of these could be rephrased as a scenario.
  • Always look for some questions prompting concise answers, as sometimes you need a HT to do this, and others enabling the interviewee to expand further, showing more depth of knowledge and understanding.
  • Ask the same questions to each candidate, but you may ask subsidiaries to encourage the candidate to a more considered answer.
  • These questions could be used in preparation for the panels and final interview.

Leadership and Management

  1. From your information/knowledge of this school, what one feature would you retain and what one thing would you improve?(And ifyou could explain why)
  2. We would like you to give us one example of your involvement in writing an element of a development/improvement plan, how you monitored it and what impact it had on (school) performance?
  3. What strengths in leadership of a team would you bring to this school?
  4. How have you used performance management to raise standards?
  5. Could you take us through how you implemented a major development project in your present school and how you evaluated the impact that it had? (you may want to ask a supplementary question about staff developing at different paces or reluctant to change and how these were accounted for)
  6. How would you develop your senior leadership team to be more effective?
  7. How would you broker and use external support and influence in improving this school?
  8. How could this school’s successes be used to influence other schools?
  9. What key principles have you used for effective staff development? (you may ask them to describe an example)
  10. What is the most difficult decision you have made in your current post and how did you overcome barriers?
  11. What do you think would be the main elements of a successful Head’s partnership with Governors?
  12. How will you make this the school of choice for parents?
  13. As Headteacher, how do you prepare staff and governors for an Ofsted inspection? What was the main thing you learnt about handling inspection from your present school?
  14. Can you give us an example of being responsible for creating or revisingpolicies and how you monitored the success of its implementation?
  15. Resources are always limited, particularly at a time of budget restraint. Can you give us an example of how you have made sure that a school’s limited resources gave best value?
  16. What do you consider the role of monitoring and evaluation is for leadership and can you give us an example of when you have used it to raise standards?
  17. Describe what I would find in this school under your leadership if I went away and came back after two/three years
  18. How would you approach the issue of a member of staff who is under-performing
  19. How would you ensure that the needs of ethnic minority/EAL pupils and their parents are met here?
  20. How have you used comparative data to raise awareness of staff and governors about standards of performance in the school? What was the impact?
  21. How would you seek to develop the roles of tutors and heads of year if appointed?
  22. How have you line managed a head of department/literacy co-ordinator so they are effective?
  23. Give an example when you have used coaching to improve teacher or leadership performance and how did you know it improved the person’s skills?

Curriculum and assessment

  1. What is involved for you in the role of the Headteacher as curriculum leader?
  2. Can you give us an example when your leadership of a curriculum area has enabled children to become more successful learners?
  3. When you visit a classroom, what evidence do you look for to persuade you that effective learning is taking place?
  4. In a school with mixed aged and mixed ability classes, how have you ensured that all pupils are challenged to perform highly?
  5. What do you look for to show the extent in how assessment informs the planning and teaching of lessons?
  6. Describe a situation where you have initiated interventions that have improved pupil performance?
  7. How would you implement Government changes to the curriculum/examinations?
  8. What is the roll of setting in raising attainment?
  9. Give us an example where you have been responsible for tracking pupil performance in raising standards? (need to also enquire about groups of pupils)
  10. How would you look to enrich the curriculum in this school?
  11. What do you look for to assess whether appropriate curriculum differentiation is taking place in a classroom in order to meet the needs of all the pupils in the class?
  12. How would you know whether a curriculum was appropriate for all learners’?
  13. Describe an important curriculum development for which you have been responsible and what impact it had for the pupils/learners?
  14. How would you set about accelerating the progress made by vulnerable groups/FSM pupils/pupil premium learners?
  15. What would you do to address a sudden drop in attainment in one subject area?
  16. How would you ensure that progress in subjects beyond English and mathematics was good/outstanding?
  17. Describe a situation where you have raised the standards of lesson planning? (could be department, subject or individual)

Community, parents and governance

  1. This school is an important part of the community. In your experience, what have you found to be important links with the wider community, and how would you develop them here?
  2. Describe a situation where you have ensured that parents are genuinely involved in the school and how you made sure they were well-informed about their children’s education?
  3. What practical steps have you taken to reach out to parents who do not communicate with school staff at all and what happened?
  4. What would you do to ensure that the teaching force and governing body reflect the cultural diversity of the school’s catchment area?
  5. Can you give some examples of how you have developed community cohesion in your current school?
  6. What are your impressions of our community and how would you behave as a community leader within it?
  7. What are the key ingredients of a successful relationship between Headteacher and governors?
  8. How would you lead the governing body to changing policy on school uniform?

Children, behaviour and safety

(Those targeting safer recruitment considerations have been labelled)

  1. How should bullying be dealt with?
  2. There has been an incident of sexist/homophobic/racial harassment against a pupil. What would you do? (or describe an example where you have had to deal with such an incident).
  3. Please give us an example of how you presently set and maintain high standards of behaviour. (safer recruitment)
  4. What have you seen in the school site that you would want to change and why?
  5. What experience would you bring to this school in creatinga culture where behaviour is positive and children feel safe to learn? (safer recruitment)
  6. What are the important features you would check first to ensure that the school’s safeguarding was compliant and effective? (safer recruitment)
  7. What is your list of considerations when you are at the point of excluding a student/pupil
  8. There is frequently national debate as to whether the amount of paper work needed for school trips makes it worth organising them, where do you stand?
  9. In what matters would you wish to consult students/children and how would you do this? (safer recruitment)
  10. Describe a situation in which you have acted to protect a child, please be anonymous of the child. (safer recruitment)
  11. How would you deal with a situation whereby a concern has been brought to your attention that a child is becoming too attached to a new teacher? (safer recruitment)
  12. What is the role of listening to children in your Headship? (safer recruitment)
  13. How does a school create time to listen to children?
  14. Can you describe a situation where you have lead on celebrating success in your school? What impact did it have?

Interview questions list