NEWSTEAD WOOD SCHOOL Avebury Road, Orpington, Kent BR6 9SA Teacher Performance Management Policy Review Body: Resources Committee Leadership Group Responsibility: Headteacher Type of Policy: Statutory Review Period: Annually Reviewed: Summer 2015 Next Review: Summer 2016 Purpose This policy sets out the framework for a clear and consistent assessment of the overall performance of teachers, including the head teacher, and for supporting their development within the context of the school s plan for improving educational provision and performance, and the standards expected of teachers. It also sets out the arrangements that will apply when teachers fall below the levels of competence that are expected of them. Application of the policy The policy applies to the head teacher and to all teachers employed by the school, except those on contracts of less than one term, those undergoing induction (ie NQTs) and those who are subject to capability. The policy also applies to support staff. Performance Management Performance management in this school will be a supportive and developmental process designed to ensure that all teachers have the skills and support they need to carry out their role effectively. It will help to ensure that teachers are able to continue to improve their professional practice and to develop as teachers. The Performance management period will run for twelve months from September to August.
Teachers who are employed on a fixed term contract of less than one year will have their performance managed in accordance with the principles underpinning this policy. The length of the period will be determined by the duration of their contract. There is flexibility to have a longer or shorter performance management period when teachers begin or end employment with a school or local authority or when unattached teachers change post within the same authority. Appointing Reviewers The head teacher s performance will be reviewed by the Governing Body, supported by a suitably skilled and/or experienced external adviser who has been appointed by the Governing Body for that purpose. In this school the task of reviewing the head teacher, including the setting of objectives, will be delegated to a sub-group consisting of three members of the Governing Body. The head teacher will decide who will review other teachers. Setting objectives The head teacher s objectives will be set by the Governing Body after consultation with the external adviser. Objectives for each teacher will be set before, or as soon as practicable after, the start of each performance management period. The objectives set for each teacher, will be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-bound and will be appropriate to the teacher s role and level of experience. The reviewer and teacher will seek to agree the objectives but, if that is not possible, the reviewer will determine the objectives. Objectives may be revised if circumstances change. In order to maintain consistency, objectives for all teaching staff should fall into the following categories as laid out in appendix one of this policy, namely: A Teaching and Learning Objective related to the School Development plan An Attainment and Progress objective A personal development objective in relation to the Teachers Standards and; For staff holding a TLR or Senior Leadership responsibility: One or more Leadership and Management objective(s). The objectives set for each teacher will, if achieved, contribute to the school s plans for improving the school s educational provision and performance and improving the education of students in the school. This will be ensured by quality assuring all objectives against the school improvement plan. Before, or as soon as practicable after, the start of each review period, each teacher will be informed of the standards against which that teacher s performance in that appraisal period will be assessed. All qualified teachers must be assessed against the Teachers Standards introduced in 2012. The head teacher or governing
body (as appropriate) will need to consider whether certain teachers should also be assessed against other sets of standards published by the Secretary of State that are relevant to them. Reviewing performance Observation This school believes that observation of classroom practice and other responsibilities is important both as a way of assessing teachers performance in order to identify any particular strengths and areas for development they may have and of gaining useful information which can inform school improvement more generally. All observation will be carried out in a supportive fashion. Please see the Performance Management Process for more details on how and when observations will be conducted. In this school teachers performance will be regularly observed but the amount and type of classroom observation will depend on the individual circumstances of the teacher and the overall needs of the school. Classroom observation will be carried out by those with QTS. In addition to formal observation, head teachers or other leaders with responsibility for teaching standards may drop in in order to evaluate the standards of teaching and to check that high standards of professional performance are established and maintained. The length and frequency of observations will vary depending on specific circumstances, for example as part of subject review, or a department s focus on one particular aspect of practice or as a follow-up to a training session. Teachers (including the head teacher) who have responsibilities outside the classroom should also expect to have their performance of those responsibilities observed and assessed. Development and support Performance management is a supportive process which will be used to inform continuing professional development. The school wishes to encourage a culture in which all teachers take responsibility for improving their teaching through appropriate professional development. Professional development will be linked to school improvement priorities and to the on-going professional development needs and priorities of individual teachers. Feedback Teachers will receive constructive feedback on their performance throughout the year and as soon as practicable after observation has taken place or other evidence has come to light. Feedback will highlight particular areas of strength as well as any areas that need attention. Where there are concerns about any aspects of the teacher s performance the reviewer will meet the teacher formally to:
give clear feedback to the teacher about the nature and seriousness of the concerns; give the teacher the opportunity to comment and discuss the concerns; agree any support (eg coaching, mentoring, structured observations), that will be provided to help address those specific concerns; make clear how, and by when, the reviewer will review progress (it may be appropriate to revise objectives, and it will be necessary to allow sufficient time for improvement. The amount of time is up to the school but should reflect the seriousness of the concerns); explain the implications and process if no or insufficient improvement is made. When progress is reviewed, if the reviewer is satisfied that the teacher has made, or is making, sufficient improvement, the performance management process will continue as normal, with any remaining issues continuing to be addressed through that process. Annual assessment Each teacher's performance will be formally assessed in respect of each review period. In assessing the performance of the head teacher, the Governing Body must consult the external adviser. This assessment is the end point to the annual appraisal process, but performance and development priorities will be reviewed and addressed on a regular basis throughout the year in interim meetings which will take place at the minimum level of one per term and then as required. The teacher will receive as soon as practicable following the end of each review period and have the opportunity to comment in writing on - a written performance management report. In this school, teachers will receive their written performance management reports by 31 October (31 December for the head teacher). The performance management report will include: details of the teacher s objectives for the review period in question; an assessment of the teacher s performance of their role and responsibilities against their objectives and the relevant standards using the Level one to four system; an assessment of the teacher s professional development needs and identification of any action that should be taken to address them; a recommendation on pay (pay recommendations need to be made by 31 December for head teachers and by 31 October for other teachers. See the school s Pay Policy for details of this process); the September personal review for the relevant performance management period; a review of their role as a form tutor as appropriate The assessment of performance and of professional development needs will inform the planning process for the following review period. Guidance for staff on the Performance Management Process is summarised in Appendix One of this document.
Relevant documents: Performance Management for Teachers Performance Management for Subject Leaders The Pay Policy 2013
APPENDIX 1 Performance Management Guidance Objectives of Teacher Performance Management Teacher performance management is a mechanism for improving teaching and learning. Teachers professional competence and conscientiousness are the keys to the delivery of quality education in schools. It is every member of staff s responsibility to participate in arrangements for their own appraisal. In a well-designed staff performance management system, the instruments and procedures can constitute valuable professional development for teachers and enable the school leadership to assess teachers performance. The teacher performance management system assists in recognising and encouraging good performance, identifying areas for development and improving overall performance of teachers. Appraisal at Newstead Wood School aims to be a supportive, developmental process designed to ensure that all teachers have the skills and support they need to carry out their role effectively. It should help to ensure that teachers continue to improve their professional practice throughout their careers and maintain the high expectations we have of all staff. The Performance Management Process 1. The Appraisal Cycle runs from September to August in each academic year. All staff self-assess against the Professional Standards for teachers, or the adapted standards for staff who hold posts such as Head of Department or Phase Leader, using a scale of 1-4: 1. very confident 2. confident 3. development required 4. considerable development required 2. This will identify areas of good practice and areas for development for individuals and suggest any adaptations that may need to be made to departmental or phase team development plans. The appraisee should contribute evidence/comment into the appropriate column in order to justify their self-assessment. This should be completed and dated. Evidence may take the following forms: References to lesson observations (including peer observations) References to work monitoring including students feedback Evidence of thoughtful lesson planning Improvements in EWL Patterns of progress Exam data The Professional Standards are the backbone of an effective Performance Management system. Therefore the completion of evidence and comments against the standards should be an ongoing process throughout the Appraisal Cycle. 3. There will be a day dedicated to beginning the Performance Management cycle within the CPD programme. This takes place at the end of September/ beginning of October and is crucial in allowing staff to set clear and measurable objectives which will allow them to progress in the
next appraisal cycle. Objectives should focus upon the priorities for an individual which have derived from the completion of the preparatory audit against the Teachers Standards. This meeting will involve discussion between appraisers and appraisees about; Previous objectives and the how well these were met Evidence already provided, particularly the Personal Review Self- assessment against the Teachers Standards ( for TLR holders and those who are already in the Upper Pay Range, the adapted standards and Upper Pay Range expectations should be referred to in order to reflect their responsibilities) The areas identified for development and progression Objectives for the new academic year which will allow the appraisee to develop and make progress and which stem from the audit against the Teachers Standards. Objectives should fall into the following categories: - A Teaching and Learning Objective related to the School Development plan - An Attainment and Progress objective - A personal development objective in relation to the Teachers Standards For staff holding a TLR or Senior Leadership responsibility: - One or more Leadership and Management objective(s). How these objectives will be measured and assessed by what success criteria? Any identified training needs 4. The expectation for staff wishing to access the Upper Pay Range or for staff already on the Upper Pay Range is that their evidence demonstrates that they are highly competent in all elements of the standards and that their contribution to the school is substantial and sustained. Please refer to the Pay Policy for an explanation of what these terms look like in practice in our school, and for details of how and when to apply to be paid within the Upper Pay Range. Objectives for those seeking to paid within the Upper Pay Range or staff already on the Upper Pay Range must be suitably challenging in order to demonstrate the necessary standard. 5. All objectives will be moderated at the beginning of the Appraisal Cycle by the Headteacher and Deputy Headteacher responsible for Professional Development to ensure fairness, consistency and appropriate challenge. 6. At a minimum, there should be an interim meeting at least once every term between appraisers and appraisees. During this meeting, there should be a discussion about: how the appraisee is progressing towards meeting their objectives any support the appraisee requires in order to meet their objectives the evidence they have which demonstrates their progress thus far in the Appraisal Cycle 7. The CPD/twilight calendar includes opportunities to reflect on aspects of performance at intervals throughout the year. Similarly, observations and other monitoring will take place at intervals. Parts of lessons may be observed to look at one particular aspect of practice by either peers or line managers from within or outside the department to develop practice (and also by HoD or a member of the Leadership Group on request). 8. Twice annually (once in the autumn term and once in the spring term) the line manager for each subject area (with the LG) undertakes a subject review (I. e. about 2/3 days per subject area per year). This involves joint observations of parts of lessons (LG and HoD). This is the formal aspect of lesson observation and builds the evidence base for assessing the quality of
teaching and learning across the whole school. It also provides more evidence for individuals and HoDS and helps to build a common understanding of standards across all subjects. 9. Tutor monitoring takes place at intervals in a similar way. 10. At the end of each appraisal cycle, line managers must make an assessment of performance against the standards and the objectives which result from these standards using the following judgements : Performance Outcomes Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Exceptional Objectives and performance relevant standards against objectives are all met securely and the relevant standards More than one pay increment between discretionary reference points on the scale will be considered. One pay increment between discretionary reference points on the scale will be awarded. Whilst some objectives and relevant standards are met, there is insufficient evidence to determine that all of the standards and objectives are met. Objectives and relative standards are clearly not met. In order for line managers to make a recommendation for pay progression, staff must be assessed at a minimum of Level 2. Recommendations for pay progression will then be assessed by the Headteacher 11. Performance management will be completed on line with access restricted to the member of staff and their immediate line manager. The Head teacher also has access to all the documentation. Each teacher should use this folder to build a portfolio of their achievements to track professional development over time.