The interview was nearly complete. The candidate had interviewed well, even though he had seemed rather tense when he first arrived. We assumed that an interview with the head, deputy head and chair of governors would naturally make him nervous.

”Any questions that you would like to ask us?” I enquired, trying to sound as reassuring as possible. “No,” he replied in relieved tones. “This interview has been so much easier than my last one with your Year 7 and 8 pupils.”

Exchanges such as this have become increasingly common since 2001, when we first began to involve members of the school council in interviewing staff. Rather than ask interviewees to teach a sample lesson, a process that we had found to be artificial and often misleading, applicants are asked to spend half an hour being interviewed by members of the school council, drawn from Years 7 to 13.

The panel is chaired on an alternating basis among the year groups. Each council member asks the candidate two questions and there is then an opportunity for the candidate to ask the students questions.

Peter Kent
Published: 03 June 2005