Old DH Questions Flashcards
What has led you to apply for this job at this school?
- 6 years at EPHS
- set up and then ran Sixth Form
- then wider school focus on curriculum, assessment, T&L and behaviour
- new challenge
- educational philosophy of St.Marylebone (academic excellence, nurturing pastoral system, focus on wider development of girls, extra-curricular focus)
What do you do when a teacher disagrees with your leadership?
Example: homework policy
- listen - was it just how rather than what I communicated
- explain - go back to first principles
- work out what are the grounds for disagreement
- are they valid? have I got it wrong?
- reinforce expectations and reasons
- reflect, learn, improve
How would you ensure and promote a shared vision within the school?
Example: Vision for Sixth Form
- fit with school’s aspirations
- clarity of articulation
- working with staff to plan
- what does this mean in real terms
- curriculum, T&L, Extra-curric
- student culture & staff culture
- increase capacity and capability through professional development (INSET)
- small things matter
What do you see as the key issues facing school leaders in secondary schools today?
1) curriculum (KS3, qualifications: GCSEs and BTEC, A Levels)
2) assessment (what, how, monitoring, diversity across sector)
3) self-evaluation and school-led self-improvement
4) closing gaps
- careers advice & University
- hold fast to a broader conception of education
- development of staff
- development of partnerships
- core mission: Teaching and Learning
What are the attributes of an effective school leader?
Example: setting up Sixth Form
1) vision & principle
2) enthusiam and passion
3) attention to detail & keep eye on big picture
4) commitment to shared leadership & collaboration
- difficult conversations
- ability to listen
- data analysis
- self-evaluation and self-development
- loyalty
- willingness to act
- thoughtful and principled
If the headteacher introduced a policy with which you disagreed, what would your response be?
- listen & discuss privately & make my case
- once decision made, support it and put it into effect
What is your style of leadership
1) varies; adaptable; NB I’m not alone
2) collaborative; principled; transformational; practical
3) visible around school; accessible/listen - not look too busy (‘the swan’))
4) focus on T&L and student and staff culture
- purposeful (clarity of gaols)
- inclusive (goals shared by all)
- values-driven
- trust and verify
How could you ensure that leadership responsibilities are distributed fairly?
Example: Assist Year Leaders
- identify areas of leadership & potential leaders
- ensure clarity of aims and desired outcomes
- different levels of support
- trust but verify
From your current knowledge of the school, what would you say are the key challenges facing the school and the key strengths?
challenges:
- (Ofsted) Sixth Form induction and early warning systems
- (SIAMS) continue to develop Christian ethos
- improve results whilst retaining holistic vision (close gaps)
- improve consistency of self-evaluation
- raise standards of T&L
- plan for new qualifications
strengths:
- principles & ethos
- staff, students & parents
- location
- foundation subjects (Prog8)
- Teaching School
As a deputy headteacher, how you will contribute to raising whole-school performance levels?
Strategic level
-Identify strengths and weaknesses, against core principals
-Use self and others to develop staff, develop others ability to self-evaluate
- empower others - bring out their leadership and hold them to account
- Monitor and evaluate
- Day to day level
- Presence
- Own teaching
- Ear to ground - developing staff culture
- Feedback loop - data, student voice, parents voice, staff voice
Example: Marking & Feedback policy
How do you monitor standards?
Example: Line Management of Maths & MFL
- scrutinies data
- work with HoF - test their self-evaluation
- ear to the ground - be around the school
- be available and not look too busy
- review, assess against core principals, work with others to improve, monitor and evaluate standards
- curriculum review
How will you ensure that the curriculum is interesting and exciting and that it has a positive effect on behaviour and attitudes of the children?
Example: annual curriculum review
- annual review
- student and parental voice
- ear to the ground - be around school
- changes to performance measures and qualifications
- closing the gap (Booster, Nurture, Alt Provision)
How will you identify and address underperformance of staff?
- whole school self-evaluation
- use data (lesson obs, results, internal data)
- keeping ear to ground
- identify problems
- listen to staff
- relate back to school aims and ethos
- put support in place
- monitor and evaluate
- if support not working, why? is progress likley?
- work with Head and senior staff
Suppose one faculty department has a problem with results: you perceive a weakness in the faculty management. How would you approach this?
- scrutinise the data with the subject leader
- develop an action plan
- staff development
- curriculum
- T&L
- not alone: work with Head and others
Under your leadership where would you expect this school to be in three years, and how would you achieve this?
- gaps closed
- outstanding according to new performance measures
- results
- improved T&L
- greater security in self-evaluation and self- development
- parental feedback
- student voice (T&L, wider curriculum & opportunities)
How assessment can be used to raise attainment?
- assessment sets the standards and rigour
- how teachers and middle leaders use assessment
Example: assessment policy - aspirational in assessment
- assessment to modify curriculum and pedagogy
- what are you assessing and does your assessment assess what you want it to
- how use the assessment data
- short term to long term planning
- curriculum reviews
- students response to feedback
- parental response to assessment
What qualities do you look for in teachers you would seek to appoint to any future vacancy?
1) ability to teach
2) mindset
3) safeguarding and care for students and about students
- resilience
- use initiative and also take direction
What in your opinion would be an effective curriculum for a school like ours look like and aim to do?
Example: KS3 Curriculum & Sixth Form Curriculum
- breadth
- rigour
- pathways
- rich and relevant
- new performance measures
- opportunities to develop as leaders
- cultural capital
If you were observing a lesson, what would be the key indicators that showed that effective learning was taking place?
new Oftsed
- progress over time
- thirst for learning rather than just engagement
- low-level behaviour
- stretch and challenge and support
- timely interventions in class
- students acting on interventions and feedback
- what students are doing
- progress of all
- enthusiasm and interest of the teacher - willing to take risks
How would you move teaching in this school from beyond outstanding?
Example: Coaching model; staff development initiatives e.g. Book Club, TeachMeet
- identify whole-school areas which need developing
- individuals identify areas for development
- learning walks, lesson obs, data, student voice
- what is the St. Marylebone way of teaching - clear expectations
- subject self-evaluation
- how will we know when we have improved?
- monitor and evaluate
How to cater for those pupils with SEN or English as an additional language (EAL)
- know the student
- support
- challenge
- language development
Can you explain how you have used ICT in lessons?
- planning (use of data)
- professional development (Twitter, blogs, subject knowledge)
- teaching (IWB, flipped learning, apps, Airserve)
- learning (apps, internet, email)
- communications (students, parents, staff)
- whole school (SIMS, behaviour data, Edexcel)
- learning needs human interaction, internet and apps will never be enough by themselves, but can add tremendous amount
- problems of internet; students need training
What should be the role of handheld digital devices in school?
- can be strength
- what if a students does not have one?
- what if teacher relying on all students having their own (comparable to exercise book)
- can network manage so many connected to it
- security and viruses
- staff training (general apps better than specific)
- expectations
- students’ training for online and mobile phone use
- who pays for damages?
What are the key points of an effective assessment for learning process?
Example: assessment and feedback policy
- feedback and acting on feedback
- students need to know the point of lessons and the point of assessments
- teacher gathers information which is going to change what and how they teach
- timely
- personalised
- has impact
- subject specific
- literacy
How would you ensure that the safeguarding of pupils is managed effectively within the school?
Example: annual training (change it up each year); take a mid-term focus (e.g. bullying, eating problems, neglect)
- staff training
- clear CPO and Deputy
- single central record
- registers taken
- everyone has responsibility for being aware
- data protection
- use of internet and mobile devices
- record keeping
- safer recruitment
- fire alarms and practice
How would you expect pupils to treat you?
- thoughtfully
- as someone they could talk to and who would listen
- listen and try to understand, but may not agree
- wants the best for each of them
Can you tell us about a time when you had to deal with a concern about the safeguarding of a child?
- homeless in Sixth Form
- self-harming in KS3
- eating disorder
- LAC with bleach and grooming and running away
How would you expect staff to treat you?
- thoughtfully
- as someone they could talk to and who would listen
- work hard to show I am listening to them
- can forget what it is like to have full teaching load
- but realise have my eyes on big picture as well as the details
- listen and try to understand, but may not agree
- wants the best for the students and for staff
A telephone call from somebody claiming to be a reporter at the local newspaper is put through to your desk, apparently a parent has written to complain about bullying at the school and you are invited to comment. What would your response be?
- holding response - can I call them back and get official number
- speak to Head
- reiterate school’s policy
- ask for details
- invite parent in
- seek to resolve
How do you deal with naughty boys?
- clear boundaries
- consistency
How do you deal with naughty girls?
- clear boundaries
- reinforce that I like them
- find out good things about them
What is your approach to improving the general behaviour around the school and to reducing exclusions. What role would you wish to see support staff playing in this?
General behaviour around school - identify areas; what problems are; consult with staff on ways forward or tweaks Example: behaviour at break (positioning of staff; supporting staff in getting out on time; open back door of canteen so quicker through Hall) - consistency of staff - clear what and why our expectations - sweat the small stuff - staff training - observation of key times - Student Voice
Exclusions: - analysis of behaviour data - interventions - early warning systems - external agencies - identification of SEN Example: fell by 33% last year; looking reduce further
