Preparing for senior leadership: what to expect in an interview

Do your research 

You’ll need to demonstrate that you’ve found out more about the school between submitting your application and attending your interview. 

They’ll likely ask you about the school’s priorities  

Scrutinise their:

• School improvement plan (SIP)
• Latest Ofsted report (if it's from the last few years)  
• Any other development plans or priorities you can find on the school website 

Prepare to comment broadly and critically on these. Think about: 

• Which areas relate directly to the role you're applying for 
• If there's anything missing and if so, how you can demonstrate that you can help them fill the gap 

However, be sensitive when approaching topics such as poor results – you want to show that you can be part of the solution. 

Understand and demonstrate the school’s ethos 

Learn what the school stands for, and plan how you can clearly embody these principles at the interview. For example:

Find out who’ll be involved in the interview(s)

Expect to meet many people throughout the day. Exactly who this is will depend on the role you're applying for, and the size and type of school. 

It’s likely at least 1 governor will be present – get to know who they are and who or what they’ll be representing, so you can make sure your answers speak to their interests too. 

Maintained schools: there might also be a representative from the local authority (LA).

Academies: if it's a multi academy trust (MAT), you may meet someone from the trust, or they may have delegated this locally (depending on their set-up).

Find out the format of the interview

Try to get a rough idea of the length and style of the interview itself, and what will happen on the day of the interview. This will help you focus on presenting yourself well, rather than worrying about what to expect.

Make sure you ask for any reasonable adjustments or accommodations that you need ahead of time.

 

Plan when you’ll ask which questions 

Time your questions according to:

• What you’ll want to know about the school as you’re being shown around 
• What you’ll want to ask a pupil, if possible 
• What you’ll want to ask in the interview to demonstrate what you’ve learned about the school during the day 
• Areas of the school’s priorities that you’ll be able to help them deliver 

Reflect on how your experience fits the role  

Show that you're ready to make the jump from middle to senior leadership 

You’ll need to demonstrate that you can think beyond a subject area or year group, and are ready to embrace a whole-school perspective. Think about how you’ll strike a balance between your individual areas of responsibility and the collective leadership of the school. 

For example, if you're applying for a role that involves taking ownership of the school's curriculum, think about how this responsibility fits alongside the rest of the school's priorities. 

Demonstrate how you'll complement the leadership that’s already there 

Prepare to show:

• Eagerness to learn about the senior leadership team's (SLT's) leadership style – use the SIP to get a basic understanding of this 
• How your style will support it
• What you’ve learned about the school and what you can bring to improve it 

Be confident in bringing your ideas to the table – the panel is looking for someone creative who can help the school move forward.

Back up your answers with good, accountable examples 

Fair recruitment practices often involve scoring a candidate's evidence for each question.

Note down your evidence in the answer space on our sample question list below. Look at these examples before you go into your interview, and keep them in mind when answering questions.

Don’t undersell yourself – use “I” rather than “we” or “us” when demonstrating the role you played in different scenarios. 

Bring the '3 Es' to your interview 

The panel is looking for energy, experience and expertise to help their school improve – make sure all of these come across in your interview.  

Be ready to accept the role 

By the end of the day, make sure you're ready to commit. Take the opportunity throughout the day to talk honestly and proactively about concerns you may have – don't wait until they ask you. 

Leadership CPD from The Key

If your school has access to The Key CPD, take a look at our live, deeply practical leadership courses, including:

• Survive and thrive as a new assistant headteacher
• Survive and thrive as a new deputy headteacher
• Aspiring to headship: ace the interview

More courses for senior leaders are coming soon – register your interest.

Download our sample interview questions to help you prepare

We've indicated what each question is looking for and included space for you to plan your answers. Our template covers: 

• What you specifically can bring to the role  
• Your leadership and management style 
• Your relationship with colleagues and the wider school community
• Teaching and learning 
• Behaviour and safeguarding 
• Integrity and resilience 

Know how to impress at every stage of the process 

Use feedback constructively

If you're unsuccessful this time around, ask for honest feedback about why you didn't get the job. It might reveal an area that you didn't demonstrate enough experience in. You can then work on your answers to better highlight your skills and experience, or try and get more training or experience so you have more to talk about in that area next time.

If you're unsuccessful for an internal position, ask for targeted CPD in the areas you need to improve on.

Sometimes feedback can be unhelpful or vague, for example "we don't feel like you're the right fit for our school's culture". This can be frustrating, but try to think positively – there's a good chance that it was the wrong job or school for you, and that you will be far better suited somewhere else.

Your feedback may also include the things that you did well – you can play to these strengths in the future.