The Teaching Coach is a platform to help teachers, leaders and support staff by providing a range of quality pastoral, teaching and career resources.
You will find a host of resources here from form times and assemblies through to interview prep, application letters, professional development and guidance. Not to mention, lessons, schemes of work and learning resources.
If you can't see what you need, you can email me at: theteachingcoach@hotmail.com.
The Teaching Coach is a platform to help teachers, leaders and support staff by providing a range of quality pastoral, teaching and career resources.
You will find a host of resources here from form times and assemblies through to interview prep, application letters, professional development and guidance. Not to mention, lessons, schemes of work and learning resources.
If you can't see what you need, you can email me at: theteachingcoach@hotmail.com.
In this resource, I list 45 questions you could be asked on a teaching interview.
Some of these questions may feel similar or you may feel like you are repeating yourself answering them.
However, remember you are only likely to be asked 10-15 questions in an interview.
Therefore, you should use these to help practice rather than consider learning a response to each question.
UPDATED FOR 2025
In this resource you will find guidance on prioritisation in tray task. This guidance goes through the purpose of an in tray like this, including why they’re used, how to ace them and things to avoid!
This document also provides an example prioritisation task for you to practice prior to the interview and an example of answers including justifications for the order they have been placed in.
This resource also contains some bonus content in the form of advice on how to ace prioritisation questions in your formal interview!
In this resource you will find a 2 page example letter of application for an assistant principal.
This resource includes many ideas you could include your own letter as well as providing you a useful structure for organising your own application or supporting statement. This is intended to be a starting structure only and should be developed using your own ideas.
Head of Year Pastoral Progress Data Analysis - In Tray Interview Practice - Whole Year Group Set 2
This resource is a 2nd practice data task for Heads of Year/Pastoral Leaders preparing for interview. The resource provides a fictionalised set of progress/attainment data from a fictionalised year group, space to analyse the data yourself and to come up with your three priorities. NOTE: This resource gives you hints on what to write but does not provide a full analysis.
This task prepares you to handle whole year group data.
This is the great way to practice your data analysis skills for interview from a pastoral perspective. This resource goes well with my other resources on raising attainment and analysing data as a pastoral leader.
How to analyse data as Head of Year: /teaching-resource/how-to-analyse-data-pastoral-leader-interview-cpd-data-analysis-and-progress-achievement-12436735
How to raise attainment as Head of Year: /teaching-resource/how-to-raise-attainment-secure-progress-head-of-year-house-pastoral-role-interview-cpd-12425572
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In this resource, you will find a set of approx. 15 questions which you might be asked on a Head of Year interview and, for each question, a set of bullet points which detail ideas for responses.
These are perfect for getting yourself ready for Head of Year/pastoral interviews!
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In this 2 page resource, I cover the goldfish bowl activity.
This is an activity you may come across in a leadership interview.
Specifically, the resource explores what a goldfish bowl activity is, why interviewers use this activity, what types of questions you might see come up and top tips on how to succeed at this activity in an interview situation.
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In this resource, I detail 18 teaching interview questions and their answers. This resource is intended to help teachers preparing for interviews and is perfect for new teachers.
Example questions include:
how would manage students with different abilities in class?
how do young people learn?
name three qualities valuable for teaching
I would always recommend answers are backed up with examples from your experience as well as the information which I have detailed in this resource.
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In this resource you will find a 1 page personal statement template for use when completing an application to NPQSL.
This resource details multiple reasons for the desire to want to complete NPQSL as well as current roles and responsibilities and how you want to develop these.
This resource does not contain advice about completing your statement - it is an example statement.
In this bundle, you will find 11 resources centred around anti bullying, looking after each other, positivity and confidence.
This bundles includes:
**Assemblies/form time sessions:
**
I recommend chosing the first as your whole year group assembly, then others can be used easily during form time or PSHE
Anti bullying assembly - ‘choose respect’
Charity awareness - ‘kindness to others’
Choice and Consequences
Confidence and self esteem
Random Acts of Kindness
**Form time resources:
**
Emotional check in worksheet - reflection on worries/fears
Inspiration cards set 1-3
5 x positive thinking posters
Student Concern Log Cards - for staff to log concerns about students
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This resource is designed to provide detailed guidance on preparing for a pastoral leader (Head of Year/Head of KS3/Pastoral Assistant) interview.
The 6 page PDF includes guidance and advice on:
how the day will be organised
what tasks you can expect, including detailed advice on each type of task you might face including in tray tasks
how to stand out at interview
what you can practice before the interview to best prepare
what skills the school will be looking for you to demonstrate and the best place to demonstrate those skills throughout the day
This is a great document to read as you get ready for your interview!
In this bundle you will find 5 resources:
an assistant SENDCo application letter/covering letter
2 sets of questions which may be asked at a SENCo interview
SENCo specific guidance on a prioritisation task in tray, including lots of top tips and an example for practice for a common task on interview
a general document on acing student panels (non-specific)
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In this bundle, you will find:
an application letter/supporting statement letter for Assistant/Deputy Head of Department to help you write your perfect letter
3 sets of interview questions for a department leadership role including 40+ questions you may be asked in the formal interview
Head of Department specific student panel guide
This resource is an assistant or deputy SENCo application covering letter or supporting statement.
This template is 4 pages long and full of ideas which you could use. Please note: covering letters should not exceed 2 pages in length. This once is designed to be used as an example and should be edited to suit your specific post and the job description sent to you for your application.
I never recommend sending blanket templates for prospective roles and always advise an application is tailored to you and the school.
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This resource is an example a Second in Department/Curriculum Area Lead application covering letter which can be used to create your own letter of application or supporting statement! It includes headings for guidance on topics to include also.
This template is 3 pages long as is full of ideas which you could use or remove!
Please note, covering letters should not exceed 2 pages in length. This once is designed to be used as an example and should be edited to suit your specific post and the job description sent to you for your application.
I never recommend sending blanket templates for prospective roles and always advise an application is tailored to you and the school.
Please leave a review if this resource is useful to you.
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UPDATED 2024
In this first BACK TO SCHOOL bundle, you will find resources perfect for return to lessons and the new academic year.
This includes:
10 positive postcards; back and front and using motivational and rewarding quotes
2 x sets of ‘little inspiration cards’ to motivate and inspire both yourself and students
1 x colourful weekly desk organiser page
a CPD tracker for tracking your professional development and learning
a lesson plan and evaluation pro forma
4 assessment for learning plenaries
a class tracker including sheets for class data,
detentions, assessment, interventions and homework
10 colourful classroom labels for your storage and trays
a set of ice breaker activities for meeting new groups on your timetable
a 6 page PDF of guidance for meeting a new group
a bank of 60 easy use plenaries
a reward stamper for positive student behaviour
a success lesson for setting expectations
a guide to making your own reward scratch cards to use in your lessons
3 x PDFs of collated links to free CPD opportunities ready to help you develop professionally!
1 x loyalty stamper to use with student attending interventions/extra support
In this resource, you will find 5 pages of guidance on writing supporting statements for teaching applications!
This includes:
Information on what the applications look like/why your supporting statement is important
10 detailed top tips on writing an amazing supporting statement
A 1.5 page template/example to help you write an amazing supporting statement
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This resource contains a 1 page literacy audit designed to be used by literacy leads or literacy co-ordinator to ‘assess’ and gain understanding of staff confidence in developing literacy, including speaking and listening, in their own subject area.
This audit is designed to give leads of literacy a clearer understanding of what staff need and how they would like to develop professionally.
This audit should then be used to direct appropriate professional development and literacy skill support.
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In this bundle you will find the following resources:
a covering letter/supporting statement example for the role of deputy HOY
a 6 page PDF with guidance and advice for assistant heads of year including how you can make the most from the role, top tips and lots of FAQs
5 Big Pastoral Questions and Their Answers - Set 1, 2 and 3 - detailed answers to 15 pastoral questions like ‘how do I build relationships with parents?’
Pastoral role interview questions Set 1, 2 and 3 - over 40 questions you might get asked on a HOY interview
pastoral interview questions and their answers - 15 questions and answers for supporting your prep
a list of common pastoral abbreviations - great to start to wrap your head around the common acronyms used!
40 Ideas for year group attendance, behaviour and rewards
40 Ideas fror Leading a Team and Working Across School
New to HOY role advice and tips resource - full of ideas to help you consider how you’ll make the most out of the role
To help you prepare even further for your interview, you may also want to consider my pastoral interview in tray bundle! This will help you get ready for even more tasks on the day! You can find it here: /teaching-resource/resource-12472317
In this 6 page PDF, I cover the responsibilities that an assistant Head of Year might take on to support a Head of Year.
We also cover top tips and guidance for how to be most effective in this role and advice for using this role to gain the experience needed to step up the role of Head of Year full time.
It also contains answers to frequently asked questions which you may be thinking about and lists the things you should do to learn the most from your experience.
This is a great resource for new and existing Deputy/Assistant Heads of Year.
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In this resource you will find guidance on a Senior Leadership prioritisation in tray task. This guidance goes through the purpose of an in tray like this, including why they’re used, how to ace them and things to avoid!
This document also provides an example prioritisation task for you to practice prior to the interview.
This is a great way to prepare for a very popular in tray task on an assistant principal/SLT interview.
Please note: this resource DOES NOT include a worked example of the answers - this is because there is no correct answers for a priorisation task - you only need to make informed and educated decisions and justify your answers clearly.
