Performance Management

What it means to teachers right now:

A: What should have happened already:

Targets/Objectives should have been set last year under the old scheme

There should have been consultation with staff on a new Performance Management Policy and a new Classroom Observation Protocol

The headteacher will have decided who is to be your reviewer (this must be a qualified teacher and a person who has some line management responsibility for you)

A calendar should have been issued to all staff setting out the deadlines for the review statement and observations to be completed.

B. What should be happening NOW:

Complete the current year's cycle
Performance Management for the last 12 months should be under the school's previous PM system.
There must be a "Review Meeting" with your line manager in July or September.
The Review Meeting should review performance and progress towards targets set 12 months earlier and complete the documentation. Under the old policy, the headteacher should use these outcomes, with other information, to decide on any pay increases if the person is eligible.
Start the new PM arrangements (if there is to be a new line manager, that new line manager must do this part of the process
The reviewee has a right to request a different reviewer, but only for professional reasons (i.e. that the proposed reviewer does not have sufficient experience, skills or knowledge to be able to assess your performance and undertake the professional duties of being your reviewer.
The PM process begins with a planning meeting (this should follow on from the PM review for the previous 12 months). Sufficient time needs to be devoted to this planning meeting, which should take part in time set aside during the school day (not PPA time, or during lunch/after school). The purpose of this part of the meeting is to agree the planning and review statement.
Process and Timings for agreeing the planning meeting statement:
Day 1 The Planning Meeting

Day 2-5
Reviewer prepares Draft planning and review statement.
Copy passed to reviewee

Day 5-10
Reviewer prepares and signs final version
Reviewee may add comments
Reviewer submits the signed statement to HT

Day 11-20
Headteacher has 10 days in which to review each statement and to decide if amendments are required. The HT must take into account any comments from the reveiwee. The headteacher "moderates" all statements to ensure that the objectives are appropriate given the experience, responsibilities and salary point of the reviewee.

From Day 21 - If the reviewee accepts the planning and review statement, and no changes have been made by the HT
No further action - the PM cycle begins

- if the reviewee does not accept the planning and review satement and no changes have been made by the HT the reviewee may appeal. It is important that reviewees do not accept "aspirational" or numerical targets which will be very difficult or impossible to achieve. Remember that if your line manager agrees that the targets have been met, you will get any increase payable. If the line manager says you have not met the targets, it is most likely that you would not get any increase for which you were eligible. So it is important only to accept achievable objectives.

Day 21 - 31 - if the headteacher instructs the reviewer to make changes
The process from days 1-10 is repeated:
Reviewer consults with reviewee.
Reviewer prepares a new planning and review statement and passes a copy to the reviewee.
Revised statement signed and re-submitted to headteacher before day 31.
If the reviewee still does not accept the statement, the reviewee may appeal.

Appeals
Appeals must be lodged within 10 days of receipt by the reviewee of the final version of the Review Statement

No appeal can be lodged until after moderation of the draft statement by the headteacher

Excellence Day

When Bucks County Council was declared an Excellent Authority the Leader and Chief Executive announced an extra days leave for all employees.


A letter was sent, addressed to all employees, but was not issued to schools. Some schools were informed and Head Teachers made arrangements for their staff to have the extra day. Others did not know about it or were unable to make arrangements for this to happen. This led to a situation where staff across the Local Authority had been treated unequally. This was discussed by the Teacher Associations at school’s Joint Advisory Committee and Bucks Association of Headteachers.

The Chief Executive, Chris Williams, has written to all Head Teachers about this, extending the deadline to the end of the summer term 2008. Head Teachers have been asked to find a way to enable staff who were employed during the relevant period to take their extra day of holiday.

Your Head Teacher should be making arrangements for you to take this holiday if you have not already enjoyed it.