Past ExamsRwanda ICT preparation

Headteacher practice questions with answers

Updated 17 September 2026 · 2 min read

These questions come from the school leadership material in this bank, including items from the real Deputy Headteacher in Charge of Studies paper, which tests the same judgement a head needs. Read each one as a situation in your own school, decide what you would do first, and only then open the explanation.

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.

The guide deliberately states no salaries, grades, pass marks or exam dates. Those change, and they could not be checked here, so take them from the advert itself.

This site is independent and is not affiliated with MIFOTRA or any employer.

Practice questions

  1. One of the key document that a school should have is an SIP. What does this stand for in full?

    1. Strategic improvement plan
    2. School improvement planning
    3. School improvement plan
    4. School improvement profile
    Show the answer

    C. School improvement plan

    SIP is the School Improvement Plan - the document itself. 'School improvement planning' names the process that produces it, not the document.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  2. After a lesson observation, you will tell the teacher that to increase the learners' motivation, s/he should use the following strategies ...

    1. Give a descriptive feedback
    2. All strategies in A, B & C
    3. Empathize and build
    4. Remember the learner's identity
    Show the answer

    B. All strategies in A, B & C

    Empathy, recognising the learner as an individual and descriptive rather than evaluative feedback all raise motivation, and they work together rather than in competition.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  3. Which of the following would you refer to as a component of professional capital that can guide you in matters related to the quality of teachers in the school.

    1. Human capital
    2. Social capital
    3. Decisional capital
    4. Working capital
    Show the answer

    A. Human capital

    Professional capital is human plus social plus decisional capital. Human capital is the component that refers to the knowledge and skill of individual teachers, which is what 'quality of teachers' names. Working capital is a finance term and not part of the model.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  4. If, in a professional learning community session, a school leader asks you to explain the meaning of managerial leadership, which of the following would you not give as an answer?

    1. It is characterised by the involvement of stakeholders in decision making and decision implementation.
    2. It is based on formal relations, between school leaders and teachers, between teachers and learners.
    3. It focuses on a hierarchical structure of authority, clearly identifying the role of each position
    4. It is characterized by a clear division of labour, with staff having well described tasks and clear rules.
    Show the answer

    A. It is characterised by the involvement of stakeholders in decision making and decision implementation.

    Hierarchy, division of labour and formal relations all describe managerial leadership. Involving stakeholders in decisions describes participative leadership, which is a different model.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  5. Peer coaching can be the most suitable professional development strategy that a school leader can use. In which of the following situations would be applied?

    1. Teachers have identified a problem in a specific area of instruction and are ready to develop a plan to address the need.
    2. Teachers have received training on a new instructional strategy and are ready to implement it in their classrooms.
    3. Teachers from several schools in the district have been reassigned to teach at a newly built school.
    4. Teachers as a group wish to learn more about the benefits and limitations of a particular instructional strategy.
    Show the answer

    A. Teachers have identified a problem in a specific area of instruction and are ready to develop a plan to address the need.

    Peer coaching fits a specific, teacher-identified instructional problem that a pair can work on together. A suits follow-up support after training, B suits a study group, and D is a staffing matter.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  6. If you become a deputy head teacher, which of practices would you demonstrate as an effective leader?

    1. Plan what to teach annually, termly, monthly, weekly and daily
    2. Assess and provide feedback reports on learner's performance;
    3. Plan solely for learning improvement in collaboration with teachers and parents
    4. Cultivate a range of partnerships with parents and the community
    Show the answer

    D. Cultivate a range of partnerships with parents and the community

    Building partnerships with parents and the wider community is a leadership standard. A is limited by 'solely', B and C describe teacher duties rather than leadership practice.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  7. A school community member in charge of catering for psychological, emotional and social needs of the learner is ...

    1. Class teacher
    2. School head teacher
    3. Educational counsellor
    4. Deputy head teacher in charge of studies
    Show the answer

    C. Educational counsellor

    The educational counsellor holds specific responsibility for learners' psychological, emotional and social welfare. The other roles carry it only incidentally.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

  8. One of the following is not correct about the school leadership styles. Indicate it.

    1. At supporting level of development, the leader allows the team(s) to create their goals but works closely with them.
    2. At the Directing stage team members have much knowledge of the task and they are able to direct their fellows
    3. At the stage of Coaching team members still need a lot of direction from the leader.
    4. Delegating leadership style indicates that team is well functioning and is highly competent with the task at hand.
    Show the answer

    B. At the Directing stage team members have much knowledge of the task and they are able to direct their fellows

    Directing is used precisely because members lack competence and confidence in the task. If they already had that knowledge, delegating would apply instead.

    Real past-paper question; the source had no key, so the answer was reasoned from the question. Open this question

Decide who acts before deciding what to do

In a school with deputies and heads of department, the right answer often involves someone other than the head. Ask who owns this problem, what the head must decide personally, and what the head should follow up rather than do. Questions reward heads who use their structure instead of absorbing every task.

Watch for the learner in the question

Behind every staffing, timetable or money question sits a class that is either learning or not. When two options both look defensible, prefer the one that protects teaching time and learner welfare.

Note the size of the school in the question

A scenario set in a small rural school with one deputy calls for different delegation from the same problem in a large urban school with several. Where a question gives you that detail, it is usually there to be used.

After this set

More school leadership questions from the full bank follow this page. Work through them in short sittings and note any question where your instinct differed from the explanation, because those are the areas to think through before the test.

Common questions

Why do some questions have no published answer?

A few items in the real paper turn on policy figures the source did not key. Rather than guess, this site shows the reasoning and leaves the answer open.

These questions are for a deputy post. Are they still useful?

Yes. The deputy in charge of studies leads teaching and learning, which is the core of a head's accountability, so the judgement being tested is much the same.

More Headteacher guides

The same guide for related positions