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.
This PDF includes 5 key questions asked on pastoral interview and their answers in detail.
These are intended to support existing or new heads of year as well as being potential questions you may get asked on interview.
In this set I answer:
how do you deal with angry parent?
how do you support a student struggling to fit in?
how do you lead a team?
how do you deal with poor student behaviour?
do you monitor student progress?
These answers are suggestions – they are not necessarily definitive.
If preparing for interview, I always recommend you tailor your questions to the school you’re applying to and ensure you are giving specific examples of what you’re able to offer.
If in post, always remember the policies of your school.
You can also find Set 2 of this resource here: www.tes.com/teaching-resource/resource-12527827
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In these three PDFs, I answer 15 big pastoral questions.
These are intended to support existing or new heads of year as well as being potential questions you may get asked on interview.
This set includes questions like:
how do you create year group cohesion?
why are assemblies important?
what is included in a successful form time?
why is monitoring attendance important?
how do you improve the resilience of your year group?
what should you do with your failing FT?
why are form tutors important?
how do you deal with an angry parent?
how do you lead a team?
The answers to these questions are suggestions only – they are not necessarily definitive.
If preparing for interview, I always recommend you tailor your questions to the school you’re applying to and ensure you are giving specific examples of what you’re able to offer.
If in post, always remember the policies of your school.
UPDATED!
This assembly was designed after a series of fighting and physically violent incidents in my year group at the time.
The message is very clear about the potential fatal consequences of fighting and one punch kills. At the time, I could not find an assembly which fitted these purposes.
It includes:
statements students might hear in relation to violence; as aggressors and bystanders
information about why one punch kills are so dangerous
a list of potential injuries from punches
explanation of potential life long changes
3 news stories about fatal punches and a visual representation of the connection between people involved
The final slides also include an interview with one of the offenders about the impact of his decision on the rest of his life. Very powerful, very moving.
There is also a link to a police video on the dangers of one punch kills.
Please check it is appropriate your year group before using - sensitive content.
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This resource contains a 16 slide presentation for form tutors to use to introduce themselves and their expectations to their form during transition.
This includes:
a welcome slide
a ‘meet your form’ starter where students find out information about someone else
‘who am I?’ form tutor introduction slide
‘what does a form tutor do?’ discussion and slide
‘form rules and expectations’ slides
a ‘find someone who’ bingo get to know your form activity
an all about me worksheet task
a target task for students to set themselves 5 targets
a 5 minute embedded video from BBC about having a positive mindset
3 blank slides for information from your school
a form tutor checklist
a final task for students to share adjectives about themselves
This resource also includes a PDF of over 15 different ice breaker activities which form tutors can use to encourage their form to get to know each other.
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In this resource, I detail a guide to analysing data as a pastoral leader.
This is perfect for practice for an interview setting as data analyse if often given as an in tray excerise or great as CPD/support for a new head of year/head of house etc.
This resource is 4 detailed pages including:
a list of key terms often used in data analysis and their definitions - perfect for those new to data
a step by step guide to analysing data including what sub-groups to explore, what questions to ask of the data, what gaps to look for - especially from a pastoral perspective
a list of suggested actions for an action plan from a pastoral perspective
plenty of top tips on how to approach this task in an interview or in a new pastoral appointment
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UPDATED JULY 2025
This resource is a Head of Year application covering letter. It has been created using knowledge of the role and experience of previous pastoral applications.
This includes sections on:
attendance
behaviour
progress
using experience of being a form tutor and teacher
parent-carer partnerships
high expectations and behaviour management
student development/extra curricular/pastoral development
working with a team of tutors
reading data
working with external agencies
celebrating student achievement
This template is over 4 pages long and packed full of ideas to use!
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In this resource bundle, you will find:
a senior leadership role application/covering letter example
a set of 80 interview questions with follow up questions (no answers)
another set of almost 30 interview questions (no answers)
a guide to acing a student panel
15 questions to ask at the end of your formal interview
guidance on school tours for interview or application
guidance on goldfish bowl interview activities
guidance on how to ace a common in tray on leadership interview - the prioritisation task.
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This is an assembly focused on anti-bullying. It covers a variety of topics including:
a link to a starter video from Pixar which begins to explore the treatment of those different to ourselves
defines bullying
exploration of words closely linked to the definition and those which are most powerful linked to bullying
exploration of the different types of bullying and what they look like
exploration how bullying makes people feel and the impact on others
an activity used in the assembly to encourage students to recognise how bullying may feel
provides the case study of Felix Alexander - who took his own life after being bullied, including a video interview with his mum Lucy - a very powerful video.
facts about bullying
how we can stop bullying
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This resource is an example improvement planning document for Heads of Year and Pastoral Leaders. It is designed to identify specific strategies for improvement and suggested methods of improving tracking.
This document is designed for a focus on three key areas:
behaviour
attendance
attainment + homework
This would compliment well with my other improvement planning document on my shop The Teaching Coach.
If you like the resource please consider leaving a review or liking my page: www.facebook.com/teachcoach
This resource consists of a 33 page booklet of form time activities - the booklet itself contains 34 different form time style activities. Perfect for use in form time!
The booklet includes sections on:
literacy
numeracy
an introduction to careers (perfect for KS3!)
mindfulness activities
general activities like dingbats and creating a form coat of arms
The activities include:
maths colouring activities; requiring students to complete basic numeracy equations to colour using a key
wordsearches using career words, positive attributes of learners, confidence associated words and more
logo quizzes
a career quiz to get students thinking about the future
a career mind map for planning ideas on jobs
dingbats for challenge and encouraging creative thinking
word wheels for development of literacy skills
sudukos and basic maths for development of numeracy skills
gratitude activities to encourage mindfulness and calm
mindfulness colouring to help focus and calm students
positive quotes for boosting motivation and encouraging student wellbeing
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IMPROVED FOR 2024
This resource is an example application letter for the position of SENCo in a secondary school.
This letter should be developed by including your own examples of where you have completed the points referenced and the impact of that work as well as your learning from the work you have completed – using the spaces to help you do this. This letter is for guidance only and should not be used exclusively to apply for a SENCo role but instead used to support the writing of your own letter. Letters should always be tailored to the school you are applying to and your own experiences. This example includes more ideas than you may wish to include in your own letter and is intended to highlight a variety of content you could use.
This template is over 5 pages long and full of ideas which you could use or remove.
This resource is aimed a secondary school SENCo role, but could provide ideas for other stages of education also.
Please note: covering letters should not exceed 2 pages in length.
I never recommend sending blanket templates for prospective roles and always advise an application is tailored to you and the school.
This booklet contains 40 ideas for Heads of Year to improve attendance and behaviour/rewards for their year group, providing both quick suggestions and long term ideas for improving behaviour and attendance for your year group. It contains 45 pages and lots of great ideas.
You can also find my 2nd booklet of this series here: /teaching-resource/40-ideas-for-heads-of-year-leadership-in-and-out-of-school-booklet-resource-cpd-development-12396568. Booklet 2 focuses on ideas for leading your tutors, working across school and working externally.
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This spreadsheet is designed to be used to track attendance for a year group.
It is set up into three sheets.
The first is for tracking attendance year to date and tracking weekly attendance as well.
The second is set up to track the multiple interventions which you may use to try and raise attendance.
The final is for tracking attendance rewards to ensure your rewards are well distributed.
The first sheet is conditionally formatted - this means that the sheet will change colour depending on the % of attendance inputted. This will give you a visual overview of any students who are concern.
All of the sheets have been set up to filter - so you can easily find a student name or see who has had rewards etc.
Please leave a review if you find this useful.
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This assembly is ready to be used and consists of sections on:
why we should give to charity
the history of charities
how we can support charities
celebrity links with charities
It also includes 3 powerful videos which are designed to get students to reflect on their own views of charity and how they can move forward to support charities more or how they can be more giving themselves.
The assembly also contains a choice of slides for the opening - you can chose from a slide set up for ‘International Charity Day’ or you can chose a slide set up with ‘The Importance of Charity’. This means the assembly can be used for either occasion.
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Please leave a review if this is useful.
This resource is a PDF template for form time quality assurance.
It includes a tick box column for key aspects of form time including:
student behaviours
literacy and numeracy + speaking skills
behaviour and enviroment
student stretch and support
It also includes an area for strengths and areas for development as well as space for comments.
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Head of Sixth Form | Head of Post 16 | Example Supporting Application Covering Letter
This resource is a 2 page application letter for the role of Head of Sixth Form.
The letter uses the STAR technique to help demonstrate the impact of work undertaken.
The letter covers lots of ideas which you may want to use in your own letter including:
Enthusiasum about Head of Sixth Form role
Improving academic outcomes and student well-being
Creating support programmes and guiding university applications
Leadership expertise in pastoral care and team development
Commitment to holistic student success and strategic school improvement
Please remember the letter is NOT exhaustive and is just an example of what you might include.
NOTE: This letter assumes some experience of the role of Head of Sixth form (perhaps having been in the role already/being a deputy or supporting the role). If you are looking for a letter which better supports an application without direct experience of the role - there is an example 2 letter in my shop which can be used instead.
REFRESHED JUNE 2025
In this resource, you will find resources to help you prepare for a Head of Year or Pastoral Leader interview.
You can also find two smaller bundles here:
Pastoral Leader Interview Bundle 1: /teaching-resource/head-of-year-head-of-house-pastoral-role-interview-bundle-12348298
Pastoral Leader Interview Bundle 2: /teaching-resource/head-of-year-head-of-house-pastoral-role-interview-bundle-12425576
This ultimate bundle of resources contains 20 resources to help you prepare for almost every area of an interview!
This includes:
**Interview Questions:
**
3 x sets of pastoral interview questions - 45+ questions questions in total (no answers - just questions!)
set 1, set 2 and set 3 of my 5 big pastoral questions. These each include how to answer 5 common questions or scenarios posed in an interview (15 questions and answers total)
set 1 of my pastoral question and answers series - this details 15 questions with potential responses in bullet point form
NOTE: you may find some duplication of questions in the resources above - however, they are all designed to give you breadth and depth of understanding in relation to the questions you may face on interview and the answers you could provide!
**Data Analysis and Interpretation:
**
2 x progress data analysis prep tasks to help you hone your data skills - great for practicing data analysis as a pastoral leader
1 x attendance data analysis prep task to help practice analysing attendance data
a detailed guide to analysing progress data as a pastoral leader - full of top tips and hints for how to offer your best analysis from a pastoral perspective
a detailed guide to understanding and analysing attendance data as a pastoral leader and how to improve attendance within your year group
**Year Group Improvement:
**
an example year group planning and improvement planning document for you to read and be able to reference ideas from
two booklets to read before your interview ‘40 Ideas for…’
a) improving attendance and behaviour
b) working across school and leading a team
**Interview & In Tray Tasks:
**
guidance on the prioritisation in tray task
a 7 page PDF guide on getting ready for a pastoral leader interview including tips on what to expect, what skills you’ll need to show and what you can practice before the day!
a PDF on student panel guidance and how to ace a student panel - a task which has been included on every HOY interview I’ve attended
guidance on writing a response to a letter of concern from a parent - a common in tray task
A genuinely awesome bundle of resources to help prepare you for an interview. To aid these, there is also lots resources in my shop which you may want to consider adding to your prep!
This resource is an example form time rota which includes the daily tasks tutors should be completing and a reminder of expectations for tutors in each form time.
It should be used flexible and assembly can switched to a different day depending on your school.
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In this resource you will find 10 positive postcard templates, this includes the back and front of the postcard.
Each postcard includes a different design using phrases like:
congratulations
well done
you are amazing
you are capable of more than you know
today is full of possible
great work
you’re brilliant
These are designed to be used to promote and reward excellent student behaviour and to share this with home.
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In the role of head of year or head of house, perhaps one of the most confusing things I found was wrapping my head around the various different abbreviations and acronyms.
As such, I thought it would be useful to compile the ones that are most common into one PDF.
Please note, these are not exhaustive - they are the most commmon ones in my experience.
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