The day had started well I had slept well the night before and hadn't woken to far ahead of my alarm which was set for 5.40am. I had got up eaten breakfast and was on the road by 6.40am. I'd driven my second routes choice as the A14 was choc-o-block even at that time in the morning. I arrived in good time and sat outside before going in. When I got in I was eventually shown to the 'holding room' where there was a man and a women already seated at the table. A few minutes later a second man arrived. We did the necessary small talk and found out from where we had each travelled. Shortly afterwards the headteacher and two Governors appeared. We were introduced and the day started. My first task was in two parts:The first to look at some foundation stage data and analyse it and answer a list of questions related to it. (At first it was just a sea of numbers and I felt a panic rise in side me but I gulped it down and took my time to read the data and begin to process it.) The second part was to write down all the things I would do after a whole of incidents occurred. These are quite typical for these types of interviews. The types of incidents are along the line of: the headteacher is in a meeting with ofsted, at 8:45am the Y6 says she's had a phone call from her husband and needs to see the headteacher, 8:46am a parent says that they have heard a child boasting in the playground that they are going to truant and has since left the school grounds, 8:47am a TA arrives late for 4th time that week etc. Basically it's the morning from hell and you have to write down what you would do, showing your ability to prioritise and delegate etc. We had a hour in which to complete both tasks and I manged to complete them within the time.
My next task was to 'have coffee in the staffroom' always an interesting one. Again though, having been on a few of these, I knew that talking to staff was the bit that if anyone was watching was the important bit. So I duly struck up a conversation with some TAs who were in there. In fact it was mostly TAs as the teachers were conspicuous by their absences. Straight after that I had to teach.
Usually for deputy post you need to demonstrate that you are an outstanding teacher by teaching a whole class. But this only required me to teach a group of 5 children. However, when I was setting up in the classroom a few children came flying into the classroom and laid on the floor, jumped on each other it was really bizarre. At first I wasn't sure whether this was part of the task, so I duly asked the children to sit up and attempted to engage them. However after a few minutes it was clear that I had a whole class descending on me not my little group of 5 children. Fortunately the headteacher appeared ( as the Governors just looked away as if to leave me to it!) and took out the 20 children who were not meant to be with me and I was left with 5. The lesson was okay. The children were fairly enthusiastic but not very well focused and found it extremely hard to stay on task. I had to work very hard to keep them with me. However we achieved what I had set out and I had stuck to my time and then it was over. All the way through the 3 observers didn't smile at all- it was most bizarre! After this I had a bit of free time so I wandered a round the classrooms and it seemed like no one really wanted to have me in. Not a happy staff would be how I described the atmosphere.
Fortunately I got the first interview spot at 12:30 so before that we were treated to 'lunch' which was sandwiches and quiche.
At 12.30 the head teacher came into the room and told us that the afternoon was about to start and that after our interviews we were free to leave but they would let us know the result by 4pm.
I was shown into the headteacher's office and invited to sit down. There seemed to be loads of questions which I did my very best to answer to the best of my ability using the structure that I had worked out at the weekend. I felt confident and I answered in a non waffly way !!
So having jumped all the hurdles I got in my car and drove home. I got home at 2:45pm and waited for the telephone call. And waited and waited. 4 o'clock came and went. 5 o'clock came and went and went. 6pm came and went at 5 past 6 the phone rang "on this occasion you weren't successful. You were a very strong candidate and we've been deliberating from just after 3pm and have only just made our decision. I know you will get a deputy position. Your interview was very good, your lesson was lovely, you did extremely well on the data task and gained a lot of information in such a short period of time and your references were very very good. There's nothing I can say that you need to do there is no reason why you can't get a deputy head position but on this occasion the candidate who got the job just had something extra on the day." I asked who had got the job - one of the men! The one who came of the data task and said well I had no idea what that was about! Who also said that he didn't complete his lesson plan. I'm guessing he really did have something that I didn't have on the day, or any other day for that matter!
To feel that I must have caused a bit of a discussion is a positive! I must have done a bloody good job and for that I am pleased as that it what I set out to do!
I've just got to find a job where they don't need a man!!
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