Performance Management

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

RATIONALE

ROLES

RESPONSIBILITY FOR REVIEWS

TIMING OF REVIEWS

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE

LINKS BETWEEN PAY, CAREER STAGES AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

MANAGING WEAK PERFORMANCE

CONFIDENTIALITY

ACCESS TO OUTCOMES

COMPLAINTS

EVALUATION OF THE POLICY

PRO FORMAS FOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

CONTENTS

Contents
1. Introduction

2. Rationale - explains the value of performance management

3. Roles - introduces the roles of different people in the performance management process

4. Responsibility for reviews - recommends careful planning to make sure the review process is manageable and to ensure all teachers know who will be responsible for their reviews

5. Timing of reviews - explains the timing of the school?s review cycle taking into account the statutory requirements for setting objectives and the length of review cycles

6. Performance management cycle - explains the cycle of planning, monitoring and reviewing performance as it will operate in the school

7. Links between pay, career stages and performance management - explains links between the performance management system and other policies

8. Managing weak performance - explains that the performance management process does not form part of any formal disciplinary or capability processes but may inform
certain decisions or recommendations

9. Confidentiality - sets out clearly the confidential nature of performance management documents and the need to keep them in a secure place

10. Access to outcomes - shows the statutory position about who can have access to review statements or information contained in them

11. Complaints - sets out the statutory process to follow if a complaint is made about the annual review

12. Evaluation of the policy - brings out the school?s commitment to review the effectiveness of the review process each year

13. Standardised documentation - Annex A summarises the statutory requirements of the new Regulations. Annex B gives pro-formas for use in the process Back to top

INTRODUCTION

In this school we are committed to performance management to develop all staff and improve teaching and to raise standards of achievement for all children. This policy covers all teachers except teachers on contracts of less than one year and those in their induction year. All teachers have been consulted in developing this policy. It sets a framework for all staff to agree and review priorities and objectives within the context of the school?s improvement plan and their own professional needs. Back to top

RATIONALE

Performance management means a shared commitment to high performance. It helps to focus attention on more effective teaching and monitoring to raise the quality of teaching and to benefit pupils, teachers and the school. It means providing appropriate and effective personal training and development to ensure job satisfaction, a high level of expertise and progression of staff in their chosen profession.

We want to improve school performance by developing the effectiveness of teachers, both as individuals and as teams. The evidence is that standards rise when schools and individual teachers are clear about what they expect pupils to achieve. That is why performance management is important.

We will implement our performance management arrangements on the basis of:

i. Fairness. We all need to be aware of the potential for unconscious discrimination and to avoid assumptions about individuals based on stereotypes; and

ii. Equal Opportunity. All teachers should be encouraged and supported to achieve their potential through agreeing objectives, undertaking development and having their performance assessed. Back to top

ROLES

Performance management is a shared responsibility. The Governing Body has a strategic role in agreeing the school?s performance management policy, ensuring that performance of teachers at the school is regularly reviewed and for monitoring the Performance Management process. The Chair is responsible for implementing the school?s performance management policy and ensuring that performance management reviews take place.

Performance management involves both the Headteacher and the teacher working together to ensure that objectives are discussed and agreed; regular and objective feedback is given; adequate coaching, training and development is provided and that the performance review takes place. An External Adviser will provide advice to the Governing Body?s representatives on the setting of performance objectives for the Head and will support them in reviewing performance at the end of the review cycle. A more detailed breakdown of statutory roles and responsibilities is included in the summary of the Regulations at Annex A. Back to top

RESPONSIBILITY FOR REVIEWS

We have carefully considered the practical arrangements for performance management in the school. We have appointed two governors to carry out the Head?s performance management review. The Headteacher will be responsible for the reviews of all other members of Staff.

6. Performance Management Cycle

7. Links between pay, career stages and performance management.

Induction - the final review meeting of the induction period will be used to agree objectives and professional development opportunities as the first stage of the teacher?s subsequent performance management cycle; (Circular No: 5/99 The Induction Period for Newly Qualified Teachers para 58.)

Information from the performance review statement can be used to inform aspects of the new pay structure.

? Up to the Threshold - teachers can expect an annual increment if they are performing satisfactorily. Double increments for exceptional performance would need to be justified by review outcomes.

? Threshold - teachers who want to move to the upper pay spine should fill out the application form provided by the DfEE. Evidence from reviews will be used to inform applications by teachers and assessment by Heads.

? Performance Pay Points above the threshold, Advanced Skills Teachers and teachers in the leadership group - performance reviews will form part of the evidence which schools can use to make decisions about awarding performance pay points to eligible teachers. Back to top

TIMING OF REVIEWS

The one year performance management cycle links with our planning for school management and target-setting.

Our timetable is shown below:

(a) Objectives set in the Spring Term

These will inform and support our school management policies for the next financial year. We will take account of professional development objectives in setting the school?s overall priorities for staff development.

(b) Monitoring and Feedback

This section explains the school?s arrangements for review, including at least 1 classroom observation for each teacher.







(c) Formal Reviews Spring Term

During the formal reviews we will set new objectives and discuss future professional development activities. A new individual plan will be completed for each teacher. Results from NFER tests and QCA tests may be considered if appropriate.

The review process will inform the School Improvement Plan for future financial and academic years.

(d) The process outlined in (a) to (c) above continues annually. Back to top

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT CYCLE

Performance Management is set in the context of our school?s plans for development, against the background of the local education development plan (EDP), national and local initiatives on improving teaching and any recent OFSTED report for the school.

Performance Management is an ongoing cycle, not an event, involving 3 stages of planning,
monitoring performance and reviewing performance. The end of year review and Stage 1 may happen at the same time.



Stage 1: Planning

Each teacher will discuss and agree objectives with the Headteacher and record these in an individual plan (an example of a blank individual plan is attached at Annex B). Objectives should be challenging but realistic and take account of a teacher?s job description and their existing skill and knowledge base.

Teacher objectives will cover a whole school initiative, pupil progress and an objective which will further the teacher's professional practice.

Agreeing objectives will not mean itemising every activity but picking out key expectations and yardsticks. The range of objectives should match the nature of the job, including leadership or management areas as appropriate.
The aim is to ensure a high standard of classroom teaching. To enable this to occur the following criteria will be consistently applied and inform the objectives agreed for each teacher.

The criteria used to inform the objectives will be:

? lesson preparation and planning;
? subject knowledge;
? lesson presentation and teaching methods;
? communication and motivational skills;
? discipline;
? marking, assessment and monitoring of pupils? work and progress;
? effective use of homework;
? classroom organisation;
? implementation of school policies;
? additional responsibilities.

The Headteacher will record the objectives which will apply for the review period. These will be jointly agreed if possible. If there are any differences of opinion about the objectives, the teacher may add comments to the written record of objectives.

Stage 2 - Monitoring Progress

The Headteacher will undertake classroom observation sufficient to make an informed judgement. It is reasonable to set a maximum of three hours for lesson observations for all aspects of appraisal (and Performance Management) throughout the year. However, in exceptional circumstances, where an OFSTED report declares the school either to be in need of special measures or suffering from serious weaknesses, or in the case of an
individual teacher becoming subject to capability procedures, additional observation may be necessary.

There needs to be a balanced selection of lessons to be observed to reflect the range of the teacher?s work. The teacher should be informed in good time.
If the Headteacher requires further information, written or oral, relevant to the teacher?s performance from other people, the teacher will be consulted before the information is sought.

Stage 3 - Reviewing Performance

There will be an annual review meeting between the teacher and the Headteacher . The meeting will use the recorded objectives as a focus to discuss achievements and to identify any development needs.


A written review statement will be prepared by the Headteacher at the review meeting recording the main points made and the conclusions reached, including any identified development needs. If it is not possible to complete the statement at the meeting, it must be prepared by the Headteacher within 10 working days of the meeting. The teacher will be provided with a copy and may, within 10 working days of first having access to the copy, add to it comments in writing.

There will only be two copies of the review statement - one held by the teacher and another held by the Headteacher on a central file, to which
the Headteacher or governors responsible for making decisions regarding pay could request access.

All review statements will be kept on the central file for at least three years.
The training and development needs from the review statement may be given to the person responsible for training and development.

Leadership Group

The Headteacher?s objectives will cover school leadership and management as well as pupil progress. If the Headteacher and governing body representatives are unable to agree objectives, the governors appointed to review the performance of the Headteacher should set and record objectives. The Headteacher may add comments to the written record of objectives.

A copy of the Headteacher?s review statement will go to the Chair of Governors.

A summary of the performance assessment section of the Headteacher?s review statement will be provided by the Chair of Governors to the CEO on request.
Annex 2 Back to top

LINKS BETWEEN PAY, CAREER STAGES AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

Induction - the final review meeting of the induction period will be used to agree objectives and professional development opportunities as the first stage of the teacher?s subsequent performance management cycle; (Circular No: 5/99 The Induction Period for Newly Qualified Teachers para 58.)

Information from the performance review statement can be used to inform aspects of the new pay structure.

? Up to the Threshold - teachers can expect an annual increment if they are performing satisfactorily. Double increments for exceptional performance would need to be justified by review outcomes.

? Threshold - teachers who want to move to the upper pay spine should fill out the application form provided by the DfEE. Evidence from reviews will be used to inform applications by teachers and assessment by Heads.

Performance Pay Points above the threshold, Advanced Skills Teachers and teachers in the leadership group - performance reviews will form part of the evidence which schools can use to make decisions about awarding performance pay points to eligible teachers. Back to top

MANAGING WEAK PERFORMANCE

Good management, with clear expectations and appropriate support, will go a long way towards identifying and handling weaknesses in performance.

The review meeting and review statement do not form part of any formal disciplinary or capability procedures, where this occurs. However, relevant information from review statements may be taken into account by those who have access to them in making decisions, and in advising those responsible for taking decisions, or making recommendations about performance, pay, promotion, dismissal or disciplinary matters. Back to top

CONFIDENTIALITY

The individual plan and the review statement are personal and confidential documents and should be kept in a secure place. The principles and provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 should be followed at all times by those who have access to the documents. Back to top

ACCESS TO OUTCOMES

There will only be two copies of the review statement - one held by the teacher and another held by the Headteacher on a central file, to which the Headteacher or Governors responsible for making decisions regarding pay could request access. A copy of the Headteacher?s review statement should go to the Chair of Governors.

Information about performance reviews should be made available as listed below:

? the Headteacher should ensure that individual training and development needs are reflected in the school improvement plan and the programme for professional development;

? the Headteacher should ensure that training and development needs from the review statement are given to the person responsible for training and development at the school;

? the Headteacher should report annually to the governing body on performance management in the school, including the effectiveness of the performance management procedures in the school, and the training and development needs of teachers;

? the CEO can request from the Chair of Governors a summary of the performance assessment section of the Headteacher?s review statement.

The Headteacher should keep review statements for at least three years. Back to top

COMPLAINTS

Complaints should be raised wiithin 10 days of receiving the review statement:

Teachers can record their dissatisfaction with aspects of the review on the review statement. Where these cannot be resolved with the Headteacher as Team Leader, , the teacher can raise the issue with the Chair of Governors.

Headteachers can record their dissatisfaction with aspects of the review on the review statement. Where these cannot be resolved with the appointed governors, they can raise their concerns with the Chair of Governors. Where the Chair of Governors has been involved in the review process, the governing body should appoint one or more governors who have not participated in the Headteacher?s review to act as review officer. No governor who is a teacher or staff member can be involved in performance review.

The review officer (who could be the Headteacher, the Chair of Governors or the governors appointed by the governing body) will investigate the complaint and take account of comments made by the job holder. The review officer should conduct a review of the complaint within 10 working days of referral. S/he may decide that the review statement should remain unchanged or may add any observations of his/her own. The review officer may decide, with the agreement of the person responsible for carrying out the initial review, or in the Headteacher?s case all the appointed governors, to amend the review statement; or declare that the review statement is void and order a new review or part of the review to be repeated. Where a new review is ordered new governors will be appointed to carry out the review of the Headteacher. For teachers, the Headteacher will appoint a new Headteacher. Any new review or part review ordered should be conducted within a further 15 days. Back to top

EVALUATION OF THE POLICY

The Headteacher shall provide an annual report to the Governing Body on how effective the performance management procedures have been.

As a school committed to ensuring that individual teachers, teams and the school continues to improve, the Governing Body and the Headteacher will check that effective and challenging objectives are set, that all reviews are completed on time and the assessment of performance is consistently applied in the school. We will evaluate the effectiveness of the policy in helping to improve standards of teaching and learning.

As part of our ongoing commitment the Governing Body and the Headteacher will update and amend the documentation and the process as required, after consultation with all staff, to incorporate any major changes introduced either by the DfEE or the school, to ensure that the policy is up-to-date and effective in our school. Back to top

PRO FORMAS FOR PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT

PLANNING RECORD

Teacher:______________ Headteacher________________

Date of meeting:_____________________


Objectives:

1.




2.





3.






Development and training





Resources to support the objectives




Teacher?s comments





Teacher _________________ Head __________

Date ____________________________
MONITORING PROGRESS: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CHECKLIST

Date of observation: __________ Class:_____________

1. Lesson preparation and planning
? The lesson was appropriately structured
? It was part of a sequence and planned programme
? The aims of the lesson were clear
? Adequate and suitable resources were available
? The material was differentiated as appropriate
2. Subject knowledge
? The teacher displayed a good command of the subject
material
3. Lesson presentation and teaching methods
? Suitable approaches were chosen from the options
available
? The material was well presented
? The pace was appropriate
? The teacher adapted the approach where necessary
4. Communication and motivation skill
? The teacher?s language was appropriate to the pupils?
ability
? The pupils were actively involved and on task
5. Discipline
? The teacher displayed a positive approach,
encouraging and rewarding good behaviour
? Where pupil behaviour was inappropriate, the teacher
dealt with the situation effectively
6. Effective use of homework
? Homework was set and marked in accordance with
the school?s homework policy
? Appropriate feedback on homework was given
7. Classroom organisation
? The classroom was well organised
? Materials were well presented
? An appropriate environment conducive to learning
was created
8. The teacher?s objectives for pupils? learning were met

OVERALL COMMENT:









CLASSROOM OBSERVATION FEEDBACK RECORD


Date of feedback: __________________

Date of observation: ________________

Class observed:_____________________


Strengths










Areas for development









Teacher?s comments






Observer: __________________________________________


Teacher: ___________________________________________


ANNUAL REVIEW STATEMENT


Date of Review Meeting:__________________

Teacher:_______________________________

Headteacher:______________________________

Objectives:

1.


2.



3.


Areas of particular strength (specify)




Areas to be developed




Support and resources to be provided by school (specify)




Teacher?s comments


The content of this record has been agreed by:

Teacher:_______________________

Headteacher:____________________

Date:________ Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top

  Back to top