Management Information Sheet
Teacher Appraisal and Capability
MI 131/12 gave details of revisions to the Appraisal arrangements for teachers, effective from 1st September 2012.
Schools were asked to await the outcome of consultations with the County Secretaries of the Trade Unions locally, in respect of revised Performance Management and Capability that were being drawn up, rather than adopting other versions that have been variously produced.
The consultations were completed by around the end of the Summer Term and please click here for access to Performance Management procedures and click here for access to Capability procedures for teachers. Both these procedures are now encompassed within SchoolsPeopleNet. In essence, these changes:
Remove the informal element from the Capability procedures and
Address serious concerns about performance by the use of the Performance Management procedures where, in a very small number of cases, these occur.
Whilst commending these procedures to your Governing Body for adoption, we need to inform you that although some amendments were agreed to the original drafts following consultation, the NASUWT, ATL and NUT representatives remain implacably opposed to the use of these new procedures. Equally, we understand that they have also voiced their objection to the revised Ofsted Framework which will became statutory from 1st September 2012.
The Local Authority approach has been to recognise that these changes are imminent and provide procedures that meet both the legislative framework and direction of travel. For instance, there are also revised national standards for teachers that were published in May 2012 and which will feature in performance management targets from the start of the next cycle in Autumn 2012. We are also aware of particular elements of the Ofsted School Inspection Handbook and Framework and it is felt that schools will wish to be as well versed in the standards that inspectors will expect.
In particular, schools will be judged in relation to the robustness of performance management and effectiveness of strategies for improving teaching, including the extent to which the school takes account of the 'Teachers' Standards' - this will be demonstrated through:
The robustness of procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and the extent to which underperformance is tackled
A strong link between performance management and appraisal and salary progression
The coherence and effectiveness of the programme of professional development, and the opportunities provided for promotion.
The accuracy with which best practice is identified and modelled.
The area of inspection on performance management and professional development has been strengthened by the requirement that inspectors will consider:-
analysis of the impact of professional development on teaching and on specific teachers;
Scrutiny of anonymised information on the performance management of teaching staff and its relationship to salary progression provided to those responsible for the governance of the school:
Information about the performance management of the headteacher;
Discussions with the headteacher, governors, senior and middle leaders, and other staff;
Scrutiny of the school's records of lesson observations;
Evidence of improvements in teaching over time and improvement in systems of tracking, monitoring and at analysing the impact of teaching on progress;
Scrutiny of the school's records on any evaluation of professional development; and
Evaluation of the support and development provided for newly qualified teachers and other teachers who are in the early stages of their careers.
For these reasons, having taken careful account of the views of NAS/UWT, ATL and NUT, on balance, our recommendation is that adopting these procedures and the practices they contain will provide the best means of protecting schools and teaching staff. More importantly, these practices if carried out effectively will help improve teaching and learning and therefore advance the opportunities for children.
As part of the launch of these procedures:-
Further training on the Implementation of the Revised Teachers Standards will be provided through the Advisory Service by Peter Simmonds - contact 01603 307791 for further details. www.cpd.norfolk.gov.uk/sdms (Activity Ref: EPLJ3).
Training for Appraisers, appraising under the new appraisal arrangements. www.cpd.norfolk.gov.uk/sdms (Activity Ref: EPLJ5)
A form to for recording individual appraisal outcomes
A form to record overall anonymised school appraisal data 'appraisal data capture form.'
A form to record training requirements arising from appraisal
Governor Services will be providing training for Governors in the Autumn Term. www.cpd.norfolk.gov.uk/sdms (Activity Refs: EGSP8 and EGST7)
Schools were asked to await the outcome of consultations with the County Secretaries of the Trade Unions locally, in respect of revised Performance Management and Capability that were being drawn up, rather than adopting other versions that have been variously produced.
The consultations were completed by around the end of the Summer Term and please click here for access to Performance Management procedures and click here for access to Capability procedures for teachers. Both these procedures are now encompassed within SchoolsPeopleNet. In essence, these changes:
Remove the informal element from the Capability procedures and
Address serious concerns about performance by the use of the Performance Management procedures where, in a very small number of cases, these occur.
Whilst commending these procedures to your Governing Body for adoption, we need to inform you that although some amendments were agreed to the original drafts following consultation, the NASUWT, ATL and NUT representatives remain implacably opposed to the use of these new procedures. Equally, we understand that they have also voiced their objection to the revised Ofsted Framework which will became statutory from 1st September 2012.
The Local Authority approach has been to recognise that these changes are imminent and provide procedures that meet both the legislative framework and direction of travel. For instance, there are also revised national standards for teachers that were published in May 2012 and which will feature in performance management targets from the start of the next cycle in Autumn 2012. We are also aware of particular elements of the Ofsted School Inspection Handbook and Framework and it is felt that schools will wish to be as well versed in the standards that inspectors will expect.
In particular, schools will be judged in relation to the robustness of performance management and effectiveness of strategies for improving teaching, including the extent to which the school takes account of the 'Teachers' Standards' - this will be demonstrated through:
The robustness of procedures for monitoring the quality of teaching and learning and the extent to which underperformance is tackled
A strong link between performance management and appraisal and salary progression
The coherence and effectiveness of the programme of professional development, and the opportunities provided for promotion.
The accuracy with which best practice is identified and modelled.
The area of inspection on performance management and professional development has been strengthened by the requirement that inspectors will consider:-
analysis of the impact of professional development on teaching and on specific teachers;
Scrutiny of anonymised information on the performance management of teaching staff and its relationship to salary progression provided to those responsible for the governance of the school:
Information about the performance management of the headteacher;
Discussions with the headteacher, governors, senior and middle leaders, and other staff;
Scrutiny of the school's records of lesson observations;
Evidence of improvements in teaching over time and improvement in systems of tracking, monitoring and at analysing the impact of teaching on progress;
Scrutiny of the school's records on any evaluation of professional development; and
Evaluation of the support and development provided for newly qualified teachers and other teachers who are in the early stages of their careers.
For these reasons, having taken careful account of the views of NAS/UWT, ATL and NUT, on balance, our recommendation is that adopting these procedures and the practices they contain will provide the best means of protecting schools and teaching staff. More importantly, these practices if carried out effectively will help improve teaching and learning and therefore advance the opportunities for children.
As part of the launch of these procedures:-
Further training on the Implementation of the Revised Teachers Standards will be provided through the Advisory Service by Peter Simmonds - contact 01603 307791 for further details. www.cpd.norfolk.gov.uk/sdms (Activity Ref: EPLJ3).
Training for Appraisers, appraising under the new appraisal arrangements. www.cpd.norfolk.gov.uk/sdms (Activity Ref: EPLJ5)
A form to for recording individual appraisal outcomes
A form to record overall anonymised school appraisal data 'appraisal data capture form.'
A form to record training requirements arising from appraisal
Governor Services will be providing training for Governors in the Autumn Term. www.cpd.norfolk.gov.uk/sdms (Activity Refs: EGSP8 and EGST7)