Applying for HT/DHT/AHT rolesA guide for school middle or senior leaders to aid self-review of applications for HT/AHT/DHT roles.

This document is to help middle leaders understand the application and selection process for HT/DHT/AHT roles from the perspective of governors, the recruiters. These are different from the processes middle leaders will have encountered.

Written by Martin Matthews

Illustrated by Kate Matthews

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Contents

Introduction 1

Written application: Target your application 2

Who are the governors? 3

Tailor your application: Person Specification 4

Tailor your application: The School 5

The application form 6

The application form: Leadership and Management 7

The application form: Deadlines 7

Visit to the School 8

The Interview 9

The Interview: Organisation 9

The Interview: Tasks 10

The Interview: Questions 11

The Interview: References 12

The Interview: Decision 12

Feedback 13

Further Guidance 14

Conclusion 14

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This guide is dedicated to Kate, her art work and support has enabled me to produce a better document. She’s not that bad for a teenage daughter :p

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Introduction

There are many discussions about supporting applications for leadership roles. As someone who has recruited numerous senior leaders I approached this guide with the intention of supporting applicants to show themselves in the best possible light.

All senior roles MUST be recruited by governors in maintained schools. I use the term “must” advisedly. Senior teacher recruitment (HT/DHT/AHT) is different from teacher recruitment and promotion which is conducted by the head teacher with delegated authority from the governing board.

This document is a summary of my personal experiences and many discussions elsewhere. Many thanks to all who have made suggestions to support applicants.

Governors only ever want the best candidate for their school. This is not necessarily the best interviewee; but rather the best person for the job.

We seek to encourage well-prepared applicants and will do our best to support them. That is why we use a variety of tasks and elements in the selection process to provide opportunities to show strengths in areas requiring a range of different skills.

Governors in most maintained schools are drawn from a wide range of stakeholders. There are no regulations which exclude any category of governor from being involved in some capacity in the head teacher recruitment process, except the existing head teacher.

Governors are human too and they understand that candidates are likely to be nervous. Having sat on both sides of the table, it may seem obvious to say relax and be yourself; but do try to regard the whole process as a series of different ways to showcase your experience, skills and abilities.

If you are applying for a DHT/AHT role then when the decision is made, the HT has one vote among the governors present.

Governors can ask to come and observe you in your current school. Please take this visit seriously and use it as an opportunity to show your quality as a classroom practitioner. I have seen many candidates who undervalue these visits.

Many governors are on more than one governing board. Do not be surprised to see the same governors in a different school context if you have more than one interview.

At the moment in some respects it is an applicant’s market. But do not be seduced by wanting that role anywhere. You need to be happy where you work. If at any stage you come to the decision that the school to which you have applied is not for you, withdraw your application. Being professional includes self-reflection in applications too.

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Written application

Target your application

Applicants for senior leadership often forget one of their strongest skill sets when writing their application. Teachers are very adept at targeting their delivery to pupils; so in the same way you should seek to target your application to the audience of governors who will read it.

Get to know the governors in your current school and it is likely that the governors at a school to which you are applying will be very similar. Understand their motivation and their role and you will see how they select the successful candidate.

If you are applying for a DHT/AHT post, do not write your application solely with the head teacher in post in mind. The governing board will always seek the advice of the head teacher when recruiting those crucial roles, but ultimately the decision is made collectively by all the governors.

Suggestion :

Remember that governors are the target audience.

Suggestion : Avoid excessive use of arcane education jargon

Suggestion : Be clear but not patronising

Suggestion : Avoid unnecessary acronyms

Suggestion : Spelling, grammar and punctuation errors are not acceptable

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Who are the governors?

Governing boards have one function: to ensure that each and every child in their school has the very best education. All other aspects flow from this. This single aim should be at the heart of what motivates people to volunteer as governors.

Governors will not appreciate anyone who is disparaging, disrespectful or patronising to them or their school.

When a new appointment is necessary the panel is set by the governing board. Three or more people are selected. If the school tells you which governors are on the panel, research may be interesting, but remember that the decision is collective.

Governors come from a range of stakeholder groups but they are not delegates, but rather representative of their respective groups. They do not ask their community how to vote.

When you are at the selection day(s) there will be other people present, such as an LA adviser, a Diocesan adviser and possibly an HR representative. They are solely in an advisory capacity and do not form any part of the actual decision making process.

Governing boards should not have any single group disproportionately represented. Ages range from 20s to 70s and governors are drawn from widely different backgrounds.

The role of chair is different from that of governor. Research into chairs shows an average chair is 40-50 years of age, male, professional/managerial and white British. That reflects the average English school and is

unsurprising. However there are many excellent chairs that are not from this group.

Chairs are very different from head teachers. They have to lead a committee of volunteers, none of whom they select and who may walk away if they choose. They have to work closely with the head teacher and understand the boundaries of responsibility. They may be deselected by their governing board at the next meeting!

Governors care about their school. The more you relate what you have to offer to their school the better. Mention what you have seen, any networking links you may have already through courses, colleagues or cluster events. Similarities between your current role and the challenges facing their school will be of interest.

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Tailor your application

Person Specification

Before the job advert is published, governors often spend considerable time discussing what should go into the person specification. They are likely to have put significant effort into agreeing the wording, so please take seriously the individual nuances for each school. If it says essential, it means essential and ignoring that may mean your application could fail.

Governors often start with a person specification template and amend it to meet the needs of their school.

Recycling a previous application statement may not work well unless you edit and adapt it carefully to address the specific criteria in the person specification and advert.

The person specification may indicate areas which appear as tasks/questions in the interview stage. This may help to clarify what the governors are seeking in the variety of tasks set.

Suggestion:

Match your application letter section by section to the person specification. Governors cross reference a matrix of essential and desirable aspects to decide who is interviewed. This is taken very seriously, so if the application is jumbled and out of sequence when measured against what is expected, an important part may be missed.

Sometimes applicants feel very strongly about a particular management style. There is nothing wrong with that but omitting any mention of “I have…” and always referring to “We have…” gives the impression the applicant hasn’t personally led anything.

Suggestion:

Vary what you say in answer to aspects of the person specification. Where you have led, state that and what impact resulted, both collectively and personally. Where you were part of a team that collectively achieved impact, explain how that worked. Both aspects are important.

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Suggestion:

Ask a person you trust to proof read your application to ensure clarity and variety of responses. It should aim to put forward the best impression of yourself.

Common myths

The length of the application will have a direct impact on who is interviewed

Word limits do not need to be observed

The details of a person specification are set nationally and never alter

The details in the person specification are open to interpretation by the applicant

The target audience understands all education abbreviations and jargon

Leadership and management are the same

The informal visit to school is unimportant

Observing you teach/lead assembly are only a minor part of selection

The School

Governors ideally want to employ someone who cares about their school and its pupils. Research the school and tailor your application to show you have taken the time to familiarise yourself with the school’s context and history. This equally applies to the interview and application form.

Suggestion:

Mention parallels between your current context and the context of the school to which you are applying.

Suggestion:

Mention successes you have had and the impact on school – draw parallels.

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The Application

The form

Every panel should have at least one person trained in safer recruitment. Safer recruitment training advises the rejection of an application if the form is altered.

The standard application form is designed to enable quick cross referencing and to make sure safeguarding checks are not missed. Changes made may be perfectly innocent but governors cannot go back to the person to check. Do not alter the form.

Spelling, punctuation and grammar mistakes often spoil a good application. It gives the impression of lack of attention to detail and of professionalism.

Suggestion:

Do not remove pages if they do not apply to you. Clearly state they are not applicable.

Suggestion:

Do not change fonts, resize or change the position of sections.

If you want to add more text just continue to type.

Suggestion:

Do not exceed the word count in your supporting statement.

Suggestion:

Do not save the form in a different type or format.

Governors may not be able to view alternative formats.

Suggestion:

Use actual examples of what you have recently achieved and state the measureable impact on progress and attainment.

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Leadership and Management

Governors strive for the very best, not the best locally or in their town, but the very best. Without compromise, every child deserves the best we can provide.

Governors may have worked outside education and these skills and experiences often enable them to see the difference between leadership and management quite clearly.

Ofsted views leadership and management as a separate area, so aim to exemplify these if possible in your application. Personal examples which show skills you have used demonstrating impact matter most. Of course it is understood that everyone is a team member at times and that working collaboratively is also important, so try to strike the right balance.

Suggestion:

Make explicit reference to where you have managed and where you have led.

Suggestion:

If you get the opportunity to show your style of leadership and management, you should do so.

Suggestion:

Impact on progress, attainment and achievement are very important. Demonstrate how you have achieved this.

Deadlines

Always aim to stick to deadlines; however, governors understand that applicants are human and sometimes life intervenes and an application may be late. If you have a genuine reason why your application is late, you should send it as soon as possible and explain why it is late; although this is not a guarantee that it will be accepted.

Be aware that often the initial application sift happens on the day the application closes, so it may not be possible to include a very late application.

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Visit to the School

Often candidates are encouraged to visit school. If at all possible, please take this up as an important aspect and opportunity.

The visit has a dual purpose; to enable the school to showcase itself to encourage your application; and for you to get a feel for the school to help you decide whether you see yourself working there.

Please remember any adult you meet may be a governor whom you will next meet during the interview. Parents, lunchtime staff, support staff and teachers may all be part of the recruitment process if in post as a governor. Similarly, the school council is often involved in the selection, so any child you meet may subsequently interview you.

A good candidate looks at displays, teaching styles, the behaviour of pupils, topics being studied, books and any other relevant aspects.

If after the visit you genuinely cannot see yourself working at that particular school, withdraw your application. No one will look on this in any other way than as the professional way to behave.

Suggestion:

If you see an effective display, mention it at interview.

Suggestion:

If you see a teaching style you can help develop mention that at interview.

Suggestion:

If you see an aspect of school in which you have successfully had impact in your current role, use it as an interview example.

Suggestion:

Listen to the whole school contribution made by the existing post holder. Can you offer a similar level of commitment? What might you be able to add?

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The Interview

Congratulations. If you are invited to interview it means the governing board sees you as a credible candidate whom they would potentially employ in their school as a senior leader. This is a significant compliment to you.

Governing boards sometimes choose to shortlist no one and to re-advertise. If the new advert does not state “previous applicants need not reapply” then it is up to you to amend your application and reapply if you so wish.

Governors would not presume to tell candidates to turn up looking and behaving in a professional manner. Neither do they have a preconceived idea of how someone should look.

The governing board may be made up of volunteers, but the decision making process should be professional. Thus, any remark which is inappropriate among governors should not be tolerated. There are high expectations of conduct, so anything inappropriate would be promptly checked. Should you have concerns about the conduct of governors, you would need to give serious consideration as to whether you would want to work with them.

Organisation

There is no proscribed list of tasks, interviews or procedures a governing board has to follow to select the successful candidate.

The process does have to be reasonable, and legal, offering equitable opportunities to all candidates, which is why there is LA, Diocesan and HR support.

Processes can range from one 30 minute interview to a two day selection programme.

The aim is to offer a range of opportunities for candidates to demonstrate the required skills. The style, format and focus of tasks should have sufficient variety.

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Tasks

The following is not by any means an exhaustive list, but tasks could include:

A lesson observation followed by feedback An act of collective worship led by the candidate A data task centred on an aspect of a school with concerns A letter of introduction to parents A letter to parents explaining a new initiative A smaller panel of governors asking in depth questions A presentation (seen or unseen) A formal interview A school council interview A workshop with pupils A role play task A pupil tracking task A staff discipline task A safeguarding task A pupil premium task A SEND task An Ofsted review task

Suggestion:

If you have a pre-prepared task, the expectation is that it will be of very high quality; so make sure it is the best you can offer. Often these tasks are open-ended to enable governors to see the personal philosophy of the candidate. Stick to the technology and time parameters set, trying not to rush at the end. If you are unsure, ring school and check in advance.

Suggestion:

If you have an unseen task, as a teacher this should be second nature to you and the content should already be familiar. These tasks again are designed to enable governors to see the personal philosophy of the candidate.

Suggestion:

If you have a written task and you are unsure, consult a friend. Any new senior leader has to know when to seek advice. This is not a weakness and governors would be reassured by your self-awareness and support network. Any new leader would not be expected to work in isolation and the interview is not a memory test.

Interview Questions

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There is no definitive list of questions to be used at interview. Any quick search online will reveal a standard set of questions about safeguarding, data, finance, progress, attainment, staff discipline etc. These are NOT agreed either locally or nationally and governors do not have to use any of them.

A good governing board selection panel will look at the skills they require and tailor the questions to allow the candidate to demonstrate these qualities. For example if they are looking for a person to lead school after a serious incident it may be a different skill set from that required to move a school from good to outstanding.

Sometimes governors will not ask a typical question because they assume any competent candidate will already have these skills. It shows faith in the candidates being interviewed.

Governors will have agreed which questions to use well in advance.

When governors write notes, it may be that you have provided relevant evidence or answered a key point of the question. This is not a key indicator, either positive or negative.

Suggestion:

If the panel asks a supplementary question, it is because they want you to expand on something you mentioned briefly. This is a chance to broaden and develop your answer.

Suggestion:

Panels expect candidates to be nervous. Do not see this as a disadvantage. Prepare by meeting the governors at your current school to help you feel more at ease.

Suggestion:

Do not assume either a short or lengthy interview is a good or bad sign.

Suggestion:

Learn answers to common questions – key words and phrases are important.

Suggestion:

If there has been publicity about school, the governors will expect you to know. Do not shy away from being honest if the situation arises. Consider questions to understand the challenges faced and how you might support the school to overcome these barriers.

References

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References are a vital part of the process. Frequently the governing board is the employer and has a duty of care to read all the relevant documents.

If you have the opportunity, you should discuss your references with your referees. Late, rushed, badly written and unintelligible references can disadvantage a candidate. They give the impression the referee does not value the process or the candidate.

Suggestion:

If at all possible, discuss your reference with your referee.

Decision

Governors do not have to use a set method to arrive at their decision.

The first question every time is “do we feel we have a candidate we can appoint?” If governors are not unanimous at that point the process will end there.

How governors arrive at their decision can be unique to that particular governing board. Some record task results on a matrix whereas others eliminate candidates one by one. Some have a discussion.

These days it is unlikely that an LA would put pressure on governors to appoint a particular candidate. The responsibility to sort out a bad appointment would rest with the governors, so the decision has to rest with them too. It is perfectly acceptable to ask the LA adviser to leave while the decision-making deliberations take place.

Any governing board which favours an internal candidate against the whole field of applicants is not doing the school justice. Internal candidates are not favoured by the selection process and they should receive the same information at the same time as everyone else to ensure a fair process. Governors should have the same expectations of an internal candidate as of every other applicant. They use the evidence presented to them at application and interview to make their decision and nothing more.

If you are an internal candidate, please treat the selection process with respect. Refer to governors as they are introduced. Take tasks seriously and expect the same level of expectation as every other candidate. Do not assume that that your contribution to the school is known; you have to demonstrate both in your application and during the interview that you are the best, which is the same for all candidates.

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Common myths:

The length of an interview is an indication of how well it went

Feedback from different governing boards is consistent

Internal candidates are automatically favoured

Governors have a set list of questions

Feedback

Always take up the offer of feedback as it could inform any future applications.

If you apply for more than one post and you receive contradictory feedback please do not be disheartened.

Governors can find it difficult to express why they have chosen one candidate over another.

The difference between one candidate and another can be marginal. Governors make what they feel is the best decision. That may not be the case, but the decision is made with the best interests of the school at heart.

If you require extensive feedback this is routinely provided by the LA or Diocesan adviser. Having been involved in the whole process, they will have observed the depth of discussion the governors have been through and as such are well placed to be able to explain how the decision was made.

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Further Guidance

The non-statutory guidance document National Standards of Excellence for Headteachers, (DfE January 2015) can be used to inform both the application and the interview.

The system leadership model has specialist groups on aspiring leaders, leadership applications and governors. Most contributors give freely of their time and will support you as much as they can.

The governor blogspot has examples of interview questions here

Conclusion

The recruitment process is not perfect and governors make the best decision they can on the day. It is extremely unlikely there will have been disagreements and split decisions behind the scenes; but if that was the case, would you really want to work there?

Internal applicants are not guaranteed an interview. They are judged in the same way as external applicants on the strength of their application. If the application is weak, it is a disservice to take an internal candidate through to interview.

If you are disappointed as an internal candidate, you need to be able to demonstrate professionalism both in the way you deal with this and in the way you subsequently work with the person appointed.

Do not lose heart if you are unsuccessful; but rather accept that most applications will inevitably be so as only one person can be appointed to the advertised post. Remember however that there are many other suitable schools in different contexts throughout the country; so with experience and perseverance, you will find the right one for you.

Congratulations if you are successful.

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