An effective staff appraisal process in schools, colleges and other education establishments provides ongoing opportunities to recognise your teachers’ and support staff members’ successes and to give them constructive feedback on their performance.

Here are our 5 top tips to help with reviewing your team’s development.

1. Set the date

Decide when, where and how often you are going to meet to review progress, and stick to it! All review meetings should typically take place before 31st October for teachers and 31st December for Leadership staff. Remember that all reviews should be completed before any pay decisions are taken and the cycle is repeated.

2. Find a quiet space

The focus should be on the appraisee, with no distractions. Turn off phones and ideally find a venue away from your office, where you are less likely to be disturbed. Review meetings are confidential and should only be attended by the appraiser and appraisee. If your appraisee has a different line manager, ensure that you allocate time to speak before meeting to discuss the staff members’ progress.

3. It’s all in the prep!

Make sure that your staff are prompted about how to prepare for their review meetings in advance. Advise them to follow these simple steps.

• Ensure they have looked carefully at the objectives that were set at the start of the appraisal process. 
• They should consider how they have performed against these objectives. 
• They may wish to note down examples of how they think they have met particular objectives. 
• They may also wish to consider what evidence they have to show they have met their objectives - get them to bring this with them! 
• They should review the feedback given to them following any classroom observation either by you or any other member of the management team. 
• They should list their successes throughout the year even if these do not directly relate to their objectives. For example, this could include training they have received or given or projects they have participated in. 
• They should also consider what they wish to achieve during the upcoming year and what support, if any, they need to achieve their goals or aspirations. They should feel confident they can improve in areas where you believe they need improvement and consider how the school can help. 

4. What to do if the appraisee has not met an objective?

Of course, you’ll both have to analyse the reasons why an objective has not been met. Ask yourself:

• Were they given the time or resources needed?
• Have the priorities changed since the objective was set? Have the goalposts been moved?
• Did they raise concerns earlier about this objective? Is there any evidence?
• Has their class changed since the starting point?

5. Find a system to manage the evidence portfolio

A great portfolio of evidence can not only illustrate that staff have met their targets, but also highlight that staff have met the high standards required. The evidence is essential to back up pay progression decisions and a good system will involve many key stakeholders too. 

SchooliP provides a robust framework for staff appraisal and development and tracks the dialogue between the appraisee and appraiser. It’s easily accessible through both web and mobile app too!