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Original poster

Head Boy Interviews

12 replies

IloveJudgeJudy · 25/02/2012 23:17

DS1 has got through the first lot of interviews for Head Boy. He has been told that he and some others now have a second interview next week.

He has to come up with some details of how he would implement an idea that he put forward in his application letter. He also has some other ideas that he feels would benefit the school.

Does anyone/anyone's DS/DD have experience of this kind of interview for Head Boy/Girl that they would be willing to share, please?

I've also put a thread in Chat as I thought it would get more traffic, but have had no replies yet.

Many thanks.

OP posts:
webwiz · 26/02/2012 13:26

To be honest I would have thought any experience would be pretty school specific. When DD2 went for Head Girl they did an apprentice style thing with lots of tasks Hmm followed by a final individual interview.

Original poster
IloveJudgeJudy · 26/02/2012 15:01

Thank you for your reply. Very much appreciated.

OP posts:
senua · 26/02/2012 15:10

Well done to your DS in getting this far.
I don't know much about being HeadBoy/Girl but I always thought that they wanted a safe pair of hands - someone to look good in photos, to get respectable academic results, to lead the prefects, to organise some do-gooding, be able to do small-talk with visiting dignitaries, perhaps a quick speech at Prizegiving. I don't think that the SMT really want a firebrand telling them how to run the school better.
So: show management skills, yes; rock the boat, no.Grin

senua · 26/02/2012 15:13

I have googled and found a thread on TSR. Haven't read it all, hope it's suitable. (stopped when I got to "Dont bother mate. Every1 knows its guaranteed to go to 1) the kiss-arse 2) the teachers son/daughter or 3) a child with a parent in a high position, such as a professional or who is chair of governors or summat (maybe fourthly, someone who is *ing the teacher. do yourself a favour and do sumthing constructive with your time, everyone hates the to*ers who are head boy and girl anyway"Blush)

Kez100 · 26/02/2012 16:06

I wouldn't have been as forthright as that student, but was going to say, after so many years at the school I would think they know exactly who they want and the strengths they are looking for will be apparant on a daily basis; no interview required. Interviews, I suppose, are a good way of choosing in those years where there is more than one student in the running.

Great interview practice though and he may be a 'chosen' one! Good luck to him!

senua · 26/02/2012 17:27

Oh, and I forgot the blindingly obvious advice: speak to the person who sucessfully got through the process most recently i.e. the current Head Boy!

Original poster
IloveJudgeJudy · 27/02/2012 01:20

Thank you all so much for your comments. DS1 is putting a "cool" face on it, or was, until 10.30 tonight when he started feverishly going through the questions he thought they might ask. They definitely want ideas of different things for the school. His is a debating society which they don't have atm. I'll let you know how he got on.

Senua - He's not really supposed to let people know he's on the shortlist. He hasn't lied if anyone has asked him directly, but he's not supposed to tell anyone which is why he can't ask the present head boy. He has spoken to him when he first thought about replying, but not in any great detail as he didn't really expect to get this far!

OP posts:
complexnumber · 27/02/2012 12:44

I would be suprised if the school does not have a pretty good idea before they interview. I mean, they see him everyday, it is not as if a complete stranger is coming for a job interview.

Still, it will be a very valuable experience for him.

Migsy1 · 27/02/2012 19:28

Good luck to him. In my day the head girl was just voted for by her peers.

Original poster
IloveJudgeJudy · 01/03/2012 11:45

Well, he didn't get it in the end Sad. In the second interview he was asked more detail about what he would want to do at the school, how he would deal with his peers.

I couldn't ask him too much about being told he didn't get it as he wouldn't admit that he was upset, but he did go out for a big run last night and hardly spoke at all.

It's been a big learning curve for him. Tbf I'm not surprised he didn't get it as he hasn't always been a model pupil and so he obviously wasn't what they wanted. They did say he would have been second Deputy Head Boy if they'd had two Deputies as they had last year, but they couldn't have them this year as there weren't enough good Head Girl candidates. The Headteacher did say that his HoY wanted him as Head Boy, but ultimately it's the Headteacher's decision.

OP posts:
webwiz · 01/03/2012 12:17

Oh well never mind - I'm sure he's upset now but he will feel better about it soon. Although I won't say he'll forget as I have a friend who still thinks that the head girl process was flawed when she applied and that was 20 years ago!

senua · 01/03/2012 12:33

He did well to get as far as he did, with a call-back and vote of confidence from HoY.
It may be for the best. It must be quite time-consuming to be HeadBoy, it's a distraction from A2 and you have to be on best behaviour at all times!

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