Bizarre interview brief..

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A friend of mine has an interview very soon. It's in a First school that's soon going through the motions to become primary/secondary. The position is for deputy head. The thing is, although they've confirmed she's got the interview, they have deliberately not told her what she'll be expected to do. All she knows is "be there for a 9am start and be prepared to be there all day."
What on earth could they expect of her? So far I'm guessing - observation with broad objectives, school council, presentation, book scrutiny data task...

Anyone work at this school and willing to give me the heads up got any more ideas?!

I don't know what you mean by First school (are you outside England?) but I wonder if they are expecting her to do some crisis management/in box tasks. You know: an angry parent is in reception, the roof has suddenly started leaking and the head of Maths has unexpectedly resigned. Which do you deal with first, how and why?

Seriously, anything you can think of is possible! The recruitment process is utterly crazy at the moment. Jumping naked through burning hoops whilst balancing a tower of children on your nose is a fairly likely prospect.

Not outside England but in the NE - we still have schools in the 3 tier system, so first schools are up to year 4. Thanks for the tips though - that crisis management sounds horrific!
And funnily enough asleep it's not that dire around here - a few schools in the authorities near me have been begging for experienced teachers but can't fill the posts!

Could be anything.

Off the cuff assembly, in tray task, observation followed by giving feedback, all the usuals. Or jumping through a burning hoop whilst juggling a class of 30 kids? Auditioning for the Xfactor?

X posts Finola!
The crisis management things are quite easy. I'm dreading the six hundred lesson observations, student interview, group discussion, fight off the competition (who you've just bonded with over coffee) with sharpened pencils on a high wire...

Assembly! Yes! Hadn't thought of that. And neither have any of the panels I've encountered yet...

I'm half expecting 'write my head's report to governors' and 'just produce a SEF during your lunch break' this week...

Balancing the annual budget, prioritising urgent tasks, letter to parents.

Mine are class teacher posts, not SMT!

teaching interviews are always all day

Weirdly

My second one of this week has said they'll be sending unsuccessful people away during the day. I'm half hoping that means I get the afternoon off to pack for my holiday after week from hell!

asleep two of mine have been like that too!
one for pt-time N - teaching obs, continuous provision trawl with written report, additional written task, lunch with kids and staff and - if lucky - interview!

maybe looking at raise online and being able to understand data on it?

Won't it be over two days, for those that go through, a topic for a presentation will be given to prepare overnight

Strange if there is no teaching task though - that would be given beforehand so she could prepare

coconutty that would be a clever move from SLT, wouldn't it - throw the candidates to the real lions to wear them out!

My ds school has just been through deputy head interviews and as he is head boy, he "interviewed" 3 potential candidates. He spent days coming up with questions for them and had to give his decision to the head!

I know someone who was asked to tell school a joke as part of DH interview

That will be Northumberland then! I went through the 3 tier system as a child but the town where I was brought up has now moved to the 2 tier system. I hadn't realised that the county was also preparing schools elsewhere for the transition.
I would expect everything you suggest. I also think that the candidates will be expected to lunch with the children and their interactions with children will be scrutinised. Meet the staff? Popular when. We have looked for head teachers and we have had two as well as assistant head candidates. Data tracking definitely. Maybe a presentation at the end of the day. My child's local school is telling HT candidates about a topic of presentation they have to present for the NEXT day.
However if the school is transitioning, why is your friend going for the job? The first schools in the other town have usually closed and moved to the middle schools whereas one moved into anther first school building and with the middle and first schools merging, in effect, there will be senior leaders having to reapply for jobs surely?
It wouldn't be a job I would go for with so much uncertainty with the move to a two tier system. I know the town of 'C' was a bit of an upheaval!

Thanks so much everyone - we had a good chat about the possibilties mentioned here (apart from the fire related ones!) and she seems fairly positive.
Masking LOL you're dead right about the county and I suspect the C town! From what I hear, C town learning village has just had a dreadful OFSTED report as well. I get your point about existing SLT applying for this post and have to admit, i didn't ask her about that. She's actually been busy to day interviewing candidates for a new teacher at our school. Ironically, I asked what the brief had been for our post and she said "observation of an unknown topic and data task. We haven't told them this though."