LEADING THE WAY

A TECHNICAL GUIDE FOR SCHOOL OWNERS

WHEN RECRUITING NEW PRINCIPAL
Knowledge and Human Development Authority in Dubai
CONTENT
FOREWORD 3

ROLES, REQUIREMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES 5

THE OWNER 5

THE PRINCIPAL 7

PRINCIPAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIRMENTS 8

APPLICATIONS, DUE DILIGENCE AND INTERVIEWS 9

ADVERTISING THE POSITION 10

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 11

DUE DILIGENCE CHECK 12

SHORTLISTING AND INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES FOR PRINICIPAL 12

THE SCHOOL INTERVIEW PROCESS 12

KHDA APPROVAL - THE PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT PORTFOLIO (PAP) 13

PRESENTING A CANDIDATE - THE PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT PORTFOLIO (PAP) 13

KHDA REVIEW 14

APPROVAL 14

APPEALING A PRINCIPAL REJECTION 14

KHDA’S ROLE IN MONITORING THE IMPACT OF THE PRINCIPAL AND REVOCATION OF APPROVALS 15

REVOCATION OF APPROVAL PRINCIPAL APPROVAL REVOCATION 15

APPENDICES 17

APPENDIX 1: GUIDANCE - ADVERTISING, SHORTLISTING, INTERVIEWING AND SUPPORTING 18

APPENDIX 2: GUIDANCE - CANDIDATE LETTER IN SUPPORT OF APPLICATION 27

APPENDIX 3: GUIDANCE - SCHOOL OWNER’S RATIONALE FOR PRESENTING CANDIDATE 28

APPENDIX 4: PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT CHECKLIST (PAC) 29

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 ½ FOREWORD The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA)
maintains a close relationship with private schools, recognising their
leaders as key partners in enhancing the quality of education across
Dubai.

The principal and leadership team are responsible for transforming

the school owner’s1 vision into strong, practical, and effective actions.
Such actions address safety, safeguarding, pupil achievement,
curriculum implementation, teaching and assessment development,
staff recruitment, and performance management. They also prioritise
well-being, inclusion, and stakeholder engagement. The owner and
their approved principal must work collaboratively to ensure that
promises made to parents, as well as the school's mission outlined in
the KHDA-approved education plan, are fully realised.

In today’s rapidly changing world, school leaders must also lead

innovation and education reform effectively. Research consistently
shows that principals and their leadership teams play a central role in
school improvement. KHDA has long recognised this by establishing a
strong correlation between the quality of school leadership and
overall quality of the school...

It is essential for school principals to be suitably qualified, possessing

the appropriate personal and professional attributes, as well as a
breadth of teaching and strategic and operational leadership
experience. In today’s world, it would also be advantageous for them
to embody a spirit of innovation and a commitment to well-
researched, evidence-based practices.

1
Owners typically share or delegate oversight of principal recruitment to a multi-stakeholder governing body, or advisory board.

3
The owner must therefore embrace their responsibility to identify and
recruit the most capable principal candidate for their school, ensuring
the process is rigorous, fair, and transparent. In turn, KHDA highlights
its role in overseeing this process, approving appointments, and
continuing to monitor and report on leadership standards within
Dubai’s private school sector.

The selection, appointment and approval procedures set out in this

technical guide are designed to support owners in identifying and
selecting a world class leader for their school. Followed robustly by
the school owner, it is hoped that these procedures will streamline
KHDA's approval of their chosen candidate on the first attempt.

The document first explains what the owner needs to know and do
when recruiting a principal, serving also as a guide for potential
applicants by outlining the process. It clarifies the minimum
requirements owners must respond to and specifies what they must
include in their appointment proposal submission to KHDA.

Finally, it details the KHDA approval process for the proposed

principal designate.

4
½ ROLES, REQUIREMENTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

½ THE OWNER
The recruitment and appointment of a principal is one of the most critical responsibilities of the owner of a
private school.

Adhering to the overarching requirements and expectations set by KHDA, the owner must ensure the
appointed principal is fully qualified and sufficiently experienced to lead across educational, administrative,
financial, and operational areas.

Key points that must be u All private schools must always have an appointed and approved
considered include the following: principal, with overarching accountability for educational,
administrative, financial, and operational matters.
u Any candidate for the role must possess prior experience as a
successful principal or senior leader (e.g., vice or assistant
principal reporting directly to the principal). Middle leaders,
without recent senior leadership experience, would not qualify as
a candidate.
u The owner must ensure a fair, transparent and rigorous
recruitment process, and be able to provide evidence of thorough
interviews and robust due diligence having taken place.
u A principal’s appointment is only legally valid after KHDA issues
an official appointment letter.
u The school owner can only inform parents or publicly announce a
principal’s appointment once they have received KHDA’s
appointment letter.
u After receiving the KHDA appointment letter, the school owner
may proceed with signing a legally valid contract with the
principal.
u The appointed principal, named on the school’s permit, is the only
person authorised to act on behalf of the school’s owner.

These requirements must also be upheld when a principal transfers from one school to another in Dubai.

5
The school owner, supported by educational experts as required, plays an essential role in designing job
descriptions, person specifications, and selection criteria, creating a transparent and rigorous recruitment
process and adequately supporting the newly appointed principal.

In addition to this, they must hold u Implement the vision and mission outlined in the KHDA -
the principal to account to approved education plan
confidently and capably carry out u Oversee the school’s commitment to quality education and
the following: continuous improvement
u Meet the needs of all students, including Emirati students,
students of determination, and high performing students
u Promote Arabic language and Emirati heritage within the school
culture
u Implement key policies and procedures in admissions, health and
safety, inclusion, wellbeing, safeguarding, curriculum, assessment,
teaching, and official complaints
u Manage all human resource policies, including performance
management, disciplinary actions, managing allegations against
members of staff, and grievance procedures
u Recruit and appoint suitably qualified staff, including vice
principals and heads of departments, adhering to standards set
by KHDA, curriculum requirements, and other relevant agencies
u Ensure compliance with KHDA and other regulatory
requirements
u Ensure all school records are updated, accurate, and available to
KHDA upon request

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 The effective oversight of the u Setting the school’s strategic direction, aligned with its vision and
school’s owner and their delegated ethos
authorities involves more than u Ensuring the premises are safe and secure, infrastructure and
appointing the right principal; it resources are optimised, and robust business continuity plans are
includes: in place
u Holding senior leadership accountable for daily operations and
meeting the school’s promises to parents
u Recruiting a principal designate and presenting their case to
KHDA for approval
u Overseeing and improving school standards through the
principal’s leadership
u Overseeing financial performance, including budgeting, setting
fees, and achieving financial goals

Where the owner has put a board in place, members serve as “critical friends,” consistently setting high
expectations, supporting stakeholders, and challenging the status quo to foster continuous improvement.
Effective governance, put in place by the owner, strongly correlates with higher student achievement, while
poor governance can contribute to school failure.

½ THE PRINCIPAL
As outlined in the Executive Council Resolution No. 2 (2017), the principal is responsible for the management
of the school, and his/her duties and responsibilities will be determined according to the relevant rules
approved by KHDA.

The principal serves as a central point for all communication and visits from KHDA, including matters of
compliance and inspection. (S)he is the person ultimately accountable for the school’s health, safety, well-being,
standards and performance.

As such, the principal is the person named on the KHDA Educational Services Permit of the approved school
although in the school itself, (s)he may hold one of a range of possible titles, e.g., director, superintendent,
headteacher, principal, headmaster, headmistress, CEO etc.

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½ PRINCIPAL QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS
Before conducting a full interview process, when shortlisting candidates, the school owner must ensure that
candidates meet minimum requirements for qualifications and experience. For a school principal, the
qualifications and experience requirements set out in the following table must be in place.

Where a licensed curriculum arises from a jurisdiction that requires a higher, more stringent set of
qualifications and/or experience for a principal position, the home country qualification and experience
requirements for that curriculum should also be met.

ESSENTIAL MINIMUM HIGHLY DESIRABLE

u DEGREE Bachelor’s equivalent [QFEmirates Level 6]2 in any Master’s equivalent [QFEmirates Level 7] in
subject or in education leadership education and/or school leadership - or
actively working towards this

u TEACHING A QFEmirates Level 6 qualification which includes A post-graduate [QFEmirates Level 7+]
QUALIFICATION education elements to confer qualified teacher status in qualification [e.g., M.Ed]
the jurisdiction of origin [E.g., B.Ed] or a post-graduate
[QFEmirates Level 7+] qualification conferring qualified
teacher status to a teacher with a non-teaching degree
in the jurisdiction of origin.
[E.g., PGCE, PGDE]

u TEACHING 3+ years 5+ years

EXPERIENCE

u SENIOR 3+ years in any recognised curriculum 3+ years in curriculum of the school

LEADERSHIP
EXPERIENCE3

u LEADERSHIP Not a requirement QFEmirates Level 6+

QUALIFICATION Post-graduate qualification in school
leadership (E.g., NPQH)

2
QFEmirates levels have been updated in 2023 and are now in line with international (ISCED) levels e.g., Level 6 Bachelor, Level 7 Masters
3
Principal/headteacher/superintendent, vice principal, assistant principal, - NOT simply a middle leadership role e.g., subject, grade-level leader

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½ APPLICATIONS, DUE DILIGENCE AND INTERVIEWS

½ ADVERTISING THE POSITION

The school owner must u That the previous principal has resigned or has left/is leaving the
immediately notify KHDA of the school for any reason without providing sufficient notice.
following: u What measures they propose to put in place for the appointment
of an ‘acting’ principal. The school must take into account KHDA
requirements in terms of how long an ‘acting’ principal can
remain in the post without incurring penalties.
u Why the vacancy has arisen and from when; and whether they
have already identified candidate(s), or plan to advertise.
u Departing principals must also be directed to complete the KHDA
exit survey.

Prospective candidates may be identified through various approaches and channels, including national or
international advertisements, referrals, social media, recruitment agencies, or as internal applicants.

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½ APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants for the position of u A full curriculum vitae and the names and contact details of at
principal at a school must submit least two professional referees, one of whom must be their most
to the school, as a minimum: recent employer. The owner must ensure that they receive and
review these references before deciding to call a candidate for
interview.
u A supporting letter of application4 related to the job specification
and their vision for the school.
u It is recognised that governors may already have a preferred
format for this - or wish to encourage creative submissions.
This is acceptable, but the owner must ensure that
candidate(s) are guided to address all the elements set out
in Appendix 2 of this document.
u A copy of a valid passport
u Copies of academic, professional, and vocational qualifications,
and transcripts, attested as required, and legally translated into
Arabic or English for qualifications issued in other languages
u National and international police clearance certificate and
safeguarding documentation (where appropriate) – if (s)he has
taught or held a leadership position in more than one jurisdiction
in the past five years, the school owner must obtain clearance
from all relevant jurisdictions.

4
This could also be in the form of a portfolio, presentation, with audio and/or video elements.

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½ DUE DILIGENCE CHECKS
To ensure that best practice in ‘safer recruitment’ is adopted, prior to any interview process, the owner is now
required to conduct, document, and file all due diligence checks.

Such checks must include the u The Deregistration List to be held by KHDA5
following as a minimum: u At least two written, professional references, one of which must
be from their most recent employer
u The school should request references that at least provide
detailed reflections on the candidate’s leadership skills,
stakeholder engagement, impact/achievements, and
possible areas for development. Additionally, the references
should include a clear statement confirming that the
candidate is safe to work with children and that no concerns
(capability or disciplinary) have arisen during their tenure.
u Safeguarding and criminal checks [across multiple jurisdictions if
employed there within the previous five years]
u Review of the candidate’s reputational risk, for example through a
check of their online and social media presence6
u Accuracy checks of CV - including explaining any gaps
u Attestation of the candidate’s qualifications

Once the school owner has selected a candidate they wish to appoint, they must compile and submit to KHDA
a Principal Appointment Portfolio (PAP).

This comprises a series of required documents, alongside a completed Principal Appointment Checklist (PAC)
for submission to KHDA (outlined in the next section).

5
The KHDA Deregistration List will include all former education staff who are now barred from working in education settings. Once the KHDA
Deregistration Policy and List is launched, school owners will be informed.
6
There exist companies that specialise in online/social media digital screening who could be deployed

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½ SHORTLISTING AND INTERVIEWING CANDIDATES FOR PRINCIPAL

Through robust shortlisting, due u are fully competent, of good conduct, declared safe to work with
diligence and interviewing, it is the children7, and should not have been sentenced for a criminal
responsibility of the owner to offence in any jurisdiction, locally or globally
ensure that all candidates: u are suitably qualified, having relevant, successful experience
and/or training in the relevant school curriculum and, ideally, for
a new school, are recruited from outside the UAE, and
u are fully knowledgeable about the KHDA principal appointment
process and the fact that an appointment is contingent upon
KHDA’s approval.

½ THE SCHOOL INTERVIEW PROCESS

A carefully designed, rigorous principal interview process must be conducted by the school owner.8

The interview process, along with all paperwork submitted by applicants and generated during interviews, must be
thoroughly documented and securely filed in case KHDA requests a detailed review at a later date.

This interview process must u A full, formal panel, face-to-face interview with the owner8,
include as a minimum, the accompanied by a qualified, experienced educational expert9
following: u At least one separate, stakeholder interview with existing senior
and/or middle leaders of the school

In case of unsuitable candidates

Following the interview, the school must decide whether to present the candidate for KHDA approval.
If the owners’ interview panel are not confident in the suitability of a candidate for KHDA approval, they should
under no circumstances present them to KHDA for approval.
In such a case, they should notify KHDA that due process has been followed and that they are to begin the
search/shortlisting process again in an endeavour to ensure the appointment of a qualified principal within the
required KHDA timeline.

7
This must include clearance from the home country if new to Dubai and police clearance from Dubai
8
The owner and/or their delegated board of governors - A supportive guide to help the school set up an interview process is found in Appendix 1
9
If there is no-one appropriate who already serves on the relevant Board, the owner must seek the support of an expert who has ideally been in post as a
successful principal for the relevant curriculum.

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½ KHDA APPROVAL - THE PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT PORTFOLIO (PAP)
Item 3 of Article 4 of the Executive Council Resolution no. (2) of 2017 ‘Regulating Private Schools
in the Emirate of Dubai’ outlines the following:
For the purpose of achieving the objectives of this resolution, KHDA will have the duties and powers
to…approve the appointment or replacement of principals and school staff of private schools in
accordance with the conditions and rules adopted by KHDA in this respect.

The “conditions and rules adopted by KHDA in this respect” include holding the owner to account for rigour and
due diligence in principal selection, interview and proposal.

KHDA will regulate the quality of the recruitment process through secure approval processes and follow-up
monitoring of the impact of the new principal during regular, routine quality assurance visits (inspections/new
school visits etc.,).

½ PRESENTING A CANDIDATE - THE PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT PORTFOLIO (PAP)

Once the aforementioned selection and interview processes have been completed and documented by the
owner, if a successful candidate is to be presented to KHDA for approval, the board will submit the required
documentation to KHDA.

This submission to KHDA will u Advert: The original advertisement [if generated]
include the following and will u Specifications: The principal job description and person
typically be sufficient to lead to specification
the issuance of an approval: u Curriculum vitae: The principal designate’s curriculum vitae (CV)
or completed application form
u Letter of application: The candidate’s original letter of
application as indicated earlier [Minimum requirements for this
are set out in Appendix 2]
u References: Two references received by the owner including one
from the candidate’s most recent employer
u Biographies: Biographies of members of the decision-making
interview panel - including the education expert(s)

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In addition to the above documentation, the owner will also need to complete a Principal Appointment
Checklist (PAC), which will be made available through a link.
The PAC also incorporates the owner’s rationale for their selected appointment - [Appendix 3]

Under normal circumstances, KHDA will no longer meet with/interview any candidate prior to approval.
However, should any significant queries or concerns arise out of a desktop review of the PAP and PAC, a meeting with
the owner/governor representative and/or the candidate, instructed by the Director General, may be required prior to
an approval decision being made.

½ KHDA REVIEW
Once the Principal Appointment Portfolio (PAP) documents and the completed checklist (PAC) are submitted,
KHDA will conduct a thorough risk analysis of the documentation using an independent version of the PAC.

If, at any time prior to approval being issued, KHDA has any concern about the choice of candidate and/or the
owner’s diligence in recruitment, it reserves the right to intervene. Such an intervention might include a
meeting with the owner, governing board and/or the principal designate.

½ APPROVAL
Whether the candidate is approved or rejected, the school board/owner will receive a letter to this effect within
10 working days of submitting the candidate’s documentation for consideration.

If the candidate is approved, a meeting will be set up between the principal and a KHDA representative to
discuss expectations once they take up the post. In the case of a principal new to Dubai, this meeting will
double up as an orientation.

In the case of a new school, yet to be opened by an investor new to Dubai, a governor/owner/investor may
also be invited to meet with KHDA representatives on the same day.

½ APPEALING A PRINCIPAL REJECTION

In the event of a rejection, the affected party may submit a written grievance to the Director General against
the decisions, procedures, and measures taken against them within 30 days of being notified of the contested
decision, procedure, or measure.

The grievance will be determined, within 60 days from the date of its submission, by a committee formed by
the Director General for this purpose, and the decision on the grievance will be final.

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½ KHDA’S ROLE IN MONITORING THE IMPACT OF THE PRINCIPAL AND REVOCATION OF
APPROVALS
The primary role of KHDA is to ensure that the owner has followed the requirements set out in this document
and to approve or reject the appointment. Subsequently, KHDA will review the quality of work of the new
principal during normal visits to the school (e.g., full inspections and new school visits).

In Appendix 1 you will find helpful recruitment guidance that includes KHDA’s expectations regarding the
responsibilities of the owner to ensure the effective induction and performance management of the approved
principal.

½ PRINCIPAL APPROVAL REVOCATION

At any time, KHDA reserves the right to launch a full review of the work of the principal, should significant
concerns come to light.

Under extreme circumstances, this can lead to a revocation of the principal approval and a requirement for a
governing body to launch a new recruitment process.

Such a revocation would only occur following a thorough investigation into any such concern raised with KHDA
following a visit to the school, or by stakeholder complaint, safety or safeguarding disclosure or whistleblowing.
Once the approval is revoked, the details of the former principal will be added to the deregistration list should
the conditions for deregistration be met.

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Triggers for such concerns include u The school is rated as “weak” or “very weak” in a full inspection
the following (not an exhaustive u Serious complaints or accusations against the school or principal
list): that the owner/governing body has failed to address
appropriately, in line with their approved complaints policy
u Recurring incidents indicating inadequate child protection
measures
u Repeated non-compliance with staff qualifications, licensing, or
reporting standards
u High staff turnover or dissatisfaction linked to leadership issues
or a toxic work environment
u Rising behaviour incidents, absenteeism, or negative feedback
from stakeholders or the local community
u Repeated non-implementation of improvement plans, curriculum
updates, or policies
u Evidence of conflicts of interest, favouritism, or discriminatory
practices
u Discrepancies between public statements and internal practices,
such as curriculum delivery or performance data
u Issues raised by educational authorities, accreditation bodies, or
other partners

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½ APPENDICES

½ APPENDIX 1 GUIDANCE: ADVERTISING, SHORTLISTING, INTERVIEWING AND SUPPORTING

A supportive recruitment guide for principals advertising, shortlisting and interviewing candidates. We
understand that the school owner and boards of school groups may well have their own tried-and-tested,
well-documented procedures.

½ APPENDIX 2 CANDIDATE LETTER IN SUPPORT OF THEIR APPLICATION GUIDE

As part of the Principal Appointment Portfolio (PAP), the owner is required to submit a letter or
presentation created by the candidates themselves, to accompany their CV in support of their application.

½ APPENDIX 3 SCHOOL OWNER’S RATIONALE GUIDE

As part of the Principal Appointment Portfolio, via the PAC, the owner will outline their rationale for
appointment.

½ APPENDIX 4 PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT CHECKLIST (PAC)

This is signposted to the owner by KHDA in the form of an online form (and accompanying uploading
facility to submit required documentation).

The PAC supports the owner in deciding whether to put the interviewed candidate forward for approval.

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½ APPENDIX 1
½ GUIDANCE: ADVERTISING, SHORTLISTING, INTERVIEWING AND SUPPORTING

½ INTRODUCTION
Recruiting the right principal is crucial for the success and development of any school. This short guide offers
practical suggestions on how to approach the key elements in the process, from advertising the position,
through interviewing and leading up to making an offer and submitting the successful candidate for approval
by KHDA.

It is understood that, particularly for well-established school groups, many owners, governing bodies or
corporate boards will already have robust and rigorous processes in place. The aim of this guidance is not to be
prescriptive nor to establish requirements. It is simply to provide some direction for those who might find it
helpful whilst allowing flexibility to adapt to specific needs and contexts, as diverse as they are in the private
school landscape of Dubai.

½ ADVERTISING THE POSITION

A well-crafted job advertisement is the first step in attracting high-quality candidates. This section provides
guidance on highlighting the school's unique selling points, defining the ideal candidate, and describing key
responsibilities. It also suggests effective channels for advertising the position to reach a broad and diverse
pool of potential applicants.

Creating an attractive job u Highlight the school’s unique selling points: Emphasises the
advertisement: school’s vision, mission, values, and unique features. If the school
is not yet open or is still very young, an advertisement (or
applicants’ pack) should include a link to download either the full,
approved education plan, or a useful summary of the same.

u Define the ideal candidate: Outline the qualifications,

experience, and personal attributes essential and desirable in a
candidate. Consider the curriculum as well - it is desirable for the
principal candidate have at least led in a school following the
curriculum in question. The candidates must at least have had
experience in senior leadership - assistant or vice principal for
example - if they have not already been a demonstrably
successful principal somewhere else. It may also help that they
have had international experience in the Middle East.

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 u Describe key responsibilities: Provide a brief overview of the
principal’s role and expectations. This may be set out clearly in a
formal job description. You might include the existing leadership
and governance structure for context.

u Application process: Clearly explain how to apply, what

documents are required, and the application deadline.

Where to advertise: u Online job sites: Use platforms that target educational
professionals globally. For new schools, it is ideal that the
successful candidate is not drawn from an existing UAE private
school.

u Professional networks: Leverage international educational

organisations and associations.

u Social media: Utilise LinkedIn, X, and relevant Facebook groups.

u School website: Feature the job opening prominently on the

school’s career page.

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½ SHORTLISTING AND INTERVIEWING

½ SHORTLISTING CANDIDATES
Shortlisting candidates involves careful evaluation to ensure only the most qualified and suitable individuals
progress to the interview stage. This section outlines one approach to this initial screening process, including
setting clear criteria and forming a diverse review panel. It also offers strategies for narrowing down the list to
the top candidates, emphasising collaborative decision-making. It is recognised that there may be both internal
candidates and candidates that are sourced through means other than their response to a formal
advertisement, at the shortlisting stage, however, all such prospects should be treated equitably.

Initial screening u Set clear criteria: Establish qualifications and experience and
(creating a longlist) desirable attributes for initial screening
u Panel review: Form a diverse panel (e.g., HR manager, governors,
leaders, teachers, appointed educational expert(s)) to review
applications and create a longlist

It would not typically be the case that the incumbent principal was
involved in this screening panel.

Narrowing down the list u Detailed evaluation: Consider using a rubric or scoring system
(creating a shortlist) to evaluate candidates against specific criteria. Some settings
anonymise the candidates at this point to ensure that the
application of the rubric is impartial.
u Collaborative decision making: Engage the panel in discussions
to narrow the list to no fewer than three (3) candidates for
interviews.

½ INTERVIEW PROCESS
The interview process assesses candidates’ leadership capabilities, experience in leadership, strategic vision, and
alignment with the school’s values. This section suggests various interview formats, such as owner and
stakeholder panels, and includes practical tasks and scenarios to evaluate skills in data analysis, budgeting, and
curriculum development. Use a common question set for all candidates, with some tailored to individual CVs.

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½ OWNER’S PANEL INTERVIEW

KHDA advises to have the u Personnel: the owner, the chair, plus at least one other governor
following as a minimum and an appointed consultant educational expert10 with
requirement when interviewing successful principalship experience in a similar school,
candidates: implementing the same curriculum
u Purpose: assess the candidate’s qualifications and experience,
alongside their leadership vision, strategic thinking, and
alignment with the school’s values (or in the case of a new
school, alignment with the approved academic plan)
u Suggested topics: vision for the school, strategic goals,
leadership philosophy, and experiences that have prepared them
for this role
u Presentation: this is often the panel interview where the
candidates respond to a presentation brief, often giving a short
presentation to a title followed by questions from the panel.

Candidates' presentations can u Notice and props: candidates are often given at least 24 hours’
offer insights into their leadership notice to present their vision for the school and how they would
style, their educational philosophy, achieve it. This could be a series of presentation slides or more
their response to the owners’ creatively - with just a side of writing, a flip chart or no props at
vision for the school and both all.
their strategic thinking and u No notice; no props: in some cases, they are given very little or
operational styles. They can take no notice to also assess how the candidate can respond to
different forms, such as: unexpected challenges.

Suggested titles for presentations:

these can be general, e.g., "Future pathways: leading the
school to Outstanding"; "Innovative leadership in a school”;
"A five-year strategic vision for the school”; or more school
specific “Improving inclusive education in the school”;
“Developing assessment strategies in the school”;
“Improving Arabic” etc.

10
It is a KHDA requirement that governors appoint an educational expert for this process. Well established school groups may have such a person in
place (e.g., improvement partner).

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½ STAKEHOLDER PANELS

To conduct at least a governor u Involve various stakeholders: It is good practice to include

panel and one other panel of panels of parents, teachers, older students, and senior leaders in
leaders is a requirement. Best the principal interview process to get diverse perspectives.
practice, however, might include u Focus area panels: You can also approach this by addressing
other panels and the following different aspects such as curriculum development, inclusive
should be considered: education practices, and community engagement.
u Mixed panel: Some approaches opt to bring together one or two
representatives from a range of stakeholders into one panel and
establish the questions to be asked by each, prior to a single
interview of around 45-60 minutes per candidate.
u Separate panels: other approaches have separate panels e.g.,
senior leaders, middle leaders, parents, students (with a single
teacher in attendance). Such interview panels are often shorter
(20-30 minutes).

½ TASK AND SCENARIOS

These can bring more practical challenges to allow the evaluation of elements of a principal’s work in a far more
meaningful way than a panel interview.

Some examples are given below, u Assessment data analysis: Provide candidates with sample data
but this list is not exhaustive: sets (e.g., cognitive assessments, internal/external/ standardised
assessment data) and ask them to present their insights and
action plans - at cohort or student-level
u Budgeting exercise: Have candidates review and propose a
budget, demonstrating financial acumen
u Role playing: Ask candidates to present a short assembly to a
theme or to lead a senior student council meeting around a
hypothetical theme(s) e.g., well-being, use of AI, bullying

22
 u Monitoring quality of teaching: Have candidates review and
present their take on the standards of learning and teaching in a
video or real classroom scenario.
u Leading leaders: If candidates are being interviewed on the
same day, provide each one with a discussion to lead with the
remaining candidates for 10 minutes - review their ability to get
a useful discussion underway in a leadership team meeting role
play.
u Leading teams: have the candidate hold a meeting with the
inclusive education team to establish their knowledge,
understanding and strategic intent around inclusive education
provision (or any other team - Arabic/Islamic education, early
years etc.)

½ INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
Effective interview questions are key to eliciting deep, thoughtful responses from candidates. This section
provides examples of questions that explore candidates' leadership vision, experiences, preparation for the role,
and understanding of the school and community.

They should be pre-decided and the same for all candidates (except for questions relating to the individual’s
curriculum vitae and letter of application). Panel members can (and often should) ask follow-up supplementary
questions during the interview. Some of these questions may be unique to each candidate to ensure that the
panel understands what the candidate is endeavouring to communicate.

They should be relevant to the panel member asking them (student, owner, governor, parent, leader, teacher
etc.).

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They should almost all be ‘open’ questions to promote extended answers - they should be doing most of the
talking; the panel should be listening and taking notes. There should be questions that thoroughly test a
candidate’s higher-order thinking (application, analysis, evaluation, synthesis).

A handful of examples are given u How will the school be different in two years’ time as a result of
below to exemplify this: your leadership? [Synthesis]
u Highlight one significant leadership challenge you faced in the
past, and how you successfully addressed it? [Evaluation]
u Why have you chosen this school? How have your experiences
prepared you for the principal position at our school?
[Application]
u What do you know about our school and community, and how
would you tailor your approach to fit our context? [Analysis]
u What will you do in your first 100 days in post? [Synthesis]

In some settings, where resources allow, once the evaluations have come through from the various panels and
tasks/scenarios and the school has arrived at two to three prospects, a final panel interview is held - usually,
again, with the owner/governing board.

If you do this, you may be in a stronger position to have a selected reserve candidate to follow up, should the
chosen candidate not accept an offer, is not approved by KHDA, or should later withdraw.

All panel interviews and tasks/scenarios must be documented and kept on file at the school until approval.

KHDA might, at any time prior to approval, ask to see copies of both the summary notes taken and the evaluation
processes that led to a decision to appoint a candidate.

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½ POST APPROVAL
Once KHDA has approved a principal and (s)he has taken up the post, the owner/governing board plays a
pivotal role in ensuring effective leadership through a structured framework of support and accountability.

Owner’s/governing boards are u Induction and onboarding

expected to engage the principal A structured induction programme should be initiated within the
in the following ways: first month of the principal’s appointment. This process should
last for a minimum of one term, including regular (ideally weekly)
meetings with the Chair of Governors during the first four to six
weeks.

Key areas such as school policies, strategic goals, and key

operational procedures should be covered. A formal review of the
induction process should take place at the end of the term to
assess progress and identify any further support required.

u Support and development

Scheduled support meetings should occur at least monthly
during the principal’s first year in post, transitioning to a
minimum of quarterly meetings thereafter. These meetings
should focus on strategic discussions, professional development
opportunities, and problem-solving around emerging challenges.

The owner/governing board should facilitate access to relevant

professional development and for those for whom this is their
first principalship, ensure a support network, such as mentoring
by an experienced principal, is available.

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 u Performance management and key performance indicators
(KPIs)
A formal principal performance management framework should
be established within the first two months of the principal’s
appointment, with clear KPIs agreed upon.

An initial performance review should be conducted no later than

three months from the principal start date to provide early
feedback and adjust KPIs as necessary. Formal performance
evaluations should be scheduled twice a year: mid-year and end-
of-year, with ongoing informal reviews as needed.

u Challenge and accountability

The governing board should meet with the principal regularly and
include performance review meetings. These meetings should be
documented and focus on monitoring progress against KPIs,
discussing strategic initiatives, and providing constructive
feedback.

In cases where concerns arise, additional meetings may be

necessary to address specific issues in a timely manner.

By adhering to these expectations and timelines, the owner/governing board can effectively support and hold
principals accountable, ensuring alignment with the school’s vision and KHDA’s standards for leadership in
Dubai’s private schools.

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½ APPENDIX 2
½ CANDIDATE LETTER IN SUPPORT OF THEIR APPLICATION GUIDE
As part of the updated requirements, the owner must now ask the candidate to present a written or audio-
visual statement, presentation or portfolio.

Owners/governors should guide u Why?

the candidate(s) so that their A clear indication from the candidate as to why they are applying
letter addresses at least the for this role, in this particular school at this time in their career,
following six elements: and how their educational vision and mission align with school
owner’s value and objectives.
u Understanding of context
A clear indication that the candidate understands the context of
the school, its strengths and areas for improvement, and begins
to explore how (s)he might address the latter.
u Educational values
The candidate’s values and vision for education - and the extent
to which they have kept themselves up to date on modern
research and evidence-based thinking around pedagogy,
assessment, use of technology, inclusion, well-being etc., Also
within this, their response to the Dubai vision for education -
E33.
u Leadership philosophy
What drives them as leaders? How they will lead, and most
importantly, how they go about building highly effective teams of
leaders, teachers and other staff?
u Leadership transference
Specificity around how the candidate plans to bring to bear their
recent experience in leadership to address the challenges of the
school (e.g., previous experience improving teaching, assessment,
achievement in Arabic, inclusive education practices etc.,).
u Emirati commitment
u Where the school has an Emirati population (of any proportion),
the candidate’s plans to improve leadership, parental
engagement, provision and outcomes for those students.

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½ APPENDIX 3
½ SCHOOL OWNER’S RATIONALE GUIDE
Included in the PAC, owner’s/governors are required to set out their rationale for recommending the
appointment of a specific candidate.

The rationale must include the u Checks on relevant qualifications and experience of the principal
following: designate
u An appraisal through interview of their leadership and
management skills
u The candidate’s understanding of the Dubai context and, in
relevant curricula, promoting Emirati achievement
u Their school contextual knowledge and experience: their vision
and values and alignment with the school, experience of a similar
school context, knowledge of education plan and/or inspection
recommendations
u Their core business acumen: teaching, learning, assessment, the
curriculum, inclusion, well-being, technology, Arabic and Islamic
studies
u Their articulated approaches to quality assurance: approaches to
monitoring, review, and evaluation, and school improvement
planning

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½ APPENDIX 4
½ PRINCIPAL APPOINTMENT CHECKLIST (PAC)
Once the school owner’s/governors have completed their due diligence and interview processes, they must
compile the required documents (PAP) to submit to KHDA.

They must also complete and submit the online principal appointment checklist (PAC).

The PAC form has five sections u Candidate details

with 40 questions, where u Curriculum vitae/application form
owner’s/governors provide u Candidate’s letter (or equivalent) in support of their application
responses after reviewing the u The two references received (including the one from their most
following: recent employer)
u Due diligence, owner/governor rationale and interview process

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