There are obvious areas, such as your teaching expertise, leadership and management experience and relationships with the different groups of adults that the head comes across. The balance of questions may differ depending on the size of the school and its location. Will you be a full-time classroom teacher with a bit of time off for the deputy role or is it a large school with a significant amount of non-teaching time? If the post carries responsibility for a particular age phase, or for the extended school day, you must expect questions about the leadership of those activities. Some questions may be couched in general terms, such as what current policies will have the most impact on primary schools over the next five years, or they may be quite specific. There are plenty of all-purpose books on how to succeed at interview, and a search of The TES website will reveal more specific advice from those who have been there. Remember, the head will once have been sitting where you are, and should understand how you feel.

If you have a question for John Howson, please email susan.young@tes.co.uk