Headteacher key topics and quick reference
Headship rests on a small set of ideas used constantly: how learning is planned and measured, how teaching is supervised, and how a school accounts for itself. The reference tables on this page cover the assessment and curriculum vocabulary you will need. The notes below show how those ideas appear in a head's decisions.
How this guide was made
Written for this site with AI assistance, then checked automatically before publishing. The topic table, sample questions, worked examples and study plan are generated from this site’s question bank: each worked example is recalculated by separate code, and each sample answer says where it came from.
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Where to spend your study time
The suggested emphasis reflects what this position works with day to day. It is a study guide, not a published exam blueprint.
| Area | Suggested emphasis | Questions in the bank | Practise |
|---|---|---|---|
| School leadership, curriculum and assessment | 100% | 50 | Deputy Headteacher (DOS) |
Assessment is management information
For a head, assessment is not only about learners. It tells you which subjects and classes need support, whether marking standards are consistent, and whether the curriculum is being covered. Know the difference between diagnostic, formative and summative assessment, and expect to explain how each should be used across a school.
Quick reference
Types of assessment
| Type | When | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Diagnostic | Before teaching | Find what learners already know |
| Formative | During learning | Adjust teaching; assessment for learning |
| Summative | At the end of a unit or term | Judge achievement; assessment of learning |
| Self and peer | Throughout | Build learners’ own judgement; assessment as learning |
Bloom’s taxonomy (revised)
| Level | The learner can… | Question verbs |
|---|---|---|
| Remember | Recall facts | List, name, define |
| Understand | Explain ideas in their own words | Describe, summarise, explain |
| Apply | Use knowledge in a new situation | Calculate, demonstrate, solve |
| Analyse | Break something into parts and relationships | Compare, classify, examine |
| Evaluate | Judge against criteria | Justify, assess, recommend |
| Create | Produce something new | Design, plan, compose |
Levels of thinking show teaching quality
When you observe a lesson or review a test paper, the levels of thinking being asked for reveal a great deal. A paper that only requires recall will produce learners who cannot apply what they know. Being able to name the levels and spot them in practice makes lesson observation and moderation far more useful.
Connecting the two in school improvement
A school improvement plan connects evidence to action: results and observation identify a weakness, a target sets what better looks like, support is arranged, and the next round of assessment tests whether it worked. Heads who can describe that cycle clearly tend to lead schools that actually improve.
Be able to explain in a sentence
- The difference between formative and summative assessment.
- How you would check that the syllabus is being covered.
- What makes lesson observation feedback useful rather than threatening.
- Why results analysis by class and subject beats a single school average.
- What a school improvement plan should contain.
Common questions
How much assessment theory does a head need?
Enough to set standards, moderate practice and interpret results, and to explain to teachers why a change is being asked for.
Should I learn the curriculum for every subject?
No. Know the framework and the structure, and rely on heads of department for subject depth while asking them the right questions.
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