NUT GUIDANCE FOR MEMBERS IN SIXTH FORM COLLEGES

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1 NUT GUIDANCE FOR MEMBERS IN SIXTH FORM COLLEGES This document sets out the NUT s guidance on performance management for sixth form colleges issued in March It reflects the NJC performance management framework for colleges and is accompanied by an NUT model performance management policy. It should be read in conjunction with those documents. NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS GUIDANCE ON PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN SIXTH FORM COLLEGES This NUT document provides guidance for NUT representatives in sixth form colleges, for use in assessing college performance management schemes. NUT representatives should read this guidance in conjunction with the following documents: The national performance management framework for sixth form colleges agreed by the NJC for Teachers in Sixth Form Colleges; The NJC manual on the professional standards payments scheme; The NUT s various guidance documents on performance management in schools which contain advice reflecting the points in this guidance and also further advice on NUT policy and support for members in relation to performance management. All of these documents are available in the Pay and Conditions section of the NUT website in the sub-sections for Sixth Form College Teachers and School Teachers respectively. Individuals who require advice on matters related to performance management (eg on disputes over the appropriateness of objectives) should be referred to the appropriate NUT regional/wales office for assistance. ESTABLISHING THE COLLEGE PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT POLICY There should, of course, be consultation and agreement between the NUT and the college on the provisions of the college s performance management policy. The NUT model policy contains a range of provisions under which the College makes commitments on the use and application of the policy. These include the following areas in particular.

2 Consultation should take place annually with teaching staff on evaluation and review of the policy. 2 Consultation should take place on the time budget for undertaking performance review arrangements and on the identification of areas of work to be displaced to create space for performance review. A commitment is needed with regard to equal opportunities and nondiscrimination. College governors should be excluded from involvement in evaluating teachers work. WORKLOAD IMPLICATIONS OF PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT The chief principle to be established is that implementation of performance management arrangements should not increase teachers workload. Consultation Consultation should take place on identification of activities or areas of work which will not be undertaken to release time for performance review. Such activities should not be expected to be undertaken by teachers outside directed time. Working time There should be an agreed time-budget for the performance review of each teacher prior to final agreement on the timetable for meetings on performance review. All arrangements for performance review should take place within the 1265 hours of standard working time for all those involved. The following in particular should be contained within the 1265 hours of standard working time: Performance review meetings between assessors and job holders (meetings for performance review should take place outside the teaching day only as an exception); Writing of performance review reports and recording of objectives in writing by assessors; and Writing of comments by job holders. Cover for assessors Cover should be provided for teachers acting as assessors to facilitate planning meetings, classroom observation and any other performance management related activity.

3 Arrangements to release teachers to act as assessors should not lead to: 3 any doubling up of classes or any other increase in the class or group size of other colleagues; any reduction in teaching support time for other colleagues through requirements upon them to provide internal cover. APPOINTMENT OF ASSESSORS There are also considerations with regard to the identification of teachers as assessors for performance management schemes. Teachers should be identified as assessors only if: time is made available to carry out the duties of assessor; the teachers consider that they have received sufficient training; and they consider that their responsibilities in the posts they currently hold as assessors are appropriate to their role as assessor. Each assessor should not be expected to review more than four teachers. PLANNING OBJECTIVES The following NUT guidance should be read in conjunction with the detailed NJC guidance on objectives in the NJC performance management framework. No more than three objectives should be set for each teacher. Shared objectives may be of benefit in teambuilding, promoting equality of opportunity, facilitating planning of resources and addressing difficulties with regard to student progress requirements. No objectives, either shared or individual, should commit teachers to improving student progress by a specified percentage 1. Objectives should not be imposed which teachers believe are inappropriate, unachievable or place unreasonable burdens upon them. If there are differences of opinion about the objectives, the teacher should be permitted to add comments to the written record of objectives. Objectives for teachers at management levels may take account of the NJC checklist of relevant management responsibilities, but the relative importance of objectives related to management responsibilities should be consistent with the individual teacher s level of responsibility. 1 The teacher will, however, be required to satisfy pupil progress criteria under the NJC professional standards payment scheme.

4 4 Description of objectives within the individual planning record should be limited to 40 words for each objective. The individual planning record in the DfES model performance management policy may be used as an appropriate structure. Failure to achieve objectives should not lead automatically to denial of progression on the PSP or management ranges. CLASSROOM OBSERVATION Arrangements for classroom observation The following principles should apply to classroom observation for any purpose and not merely that connected to performance management or PSP assessment. Classroom observation should be limited to no more than one classroom observation in the review cycle 2 other than in cases where the assessor is revisiting poor performance or the teacher has requested a further observation from the same or another assessor. Teachers should be consulted as to when classroom observation should take place and should be advised in good time of the lessons to be observed. Classroom observations should last no more than 60 minutes with an entitlement to a further 60 minutes at the request of the job holder. Observations should, however, be for a period of time of sufficient length (e.g. 45 minutes) to gauge the introduction, pace and direction of the teaching and learning. Lessons selected for observation should constitute a balanced reflection of the range of the teacher s work. There should be no seeking of information about a teacher s work from other colleagues without the teacher s prior agreement. Administrative requirements for classroom observation Administrative requirements for checklists for classroom observation should be kept to a minimum. There should be a limit of 40 words to describe the activity observed. A simplified NUT model pro-forma is appended to this document for adoption in place of the DfES model. Use of the DfES model lesson observation time/events log should be entirely voluntary and a matter for the professional judgement of teachers. Self-Review 2 This is consistent with PSP criteria requiring that A teacher can offer just one observation as evidence of having passed the standard, but 2 or more would be preferred. At least one observation must have been undertaken in the academic year immediately before the application.

5 Teachers should not be expected to undertake self-review, self-evaluation or self-appraisal, which imposes unnecessary additional workload. Grading and Ranking Performance Arrangements should not involve any grading of teachers individual lessons, other than to confirm that they are satisfactory or unsatisfactory, or ranking of teachers performance 3. The NUT model policy includes, however, the possibility of grading individual elements of lessons in order to assist with the identification of priority areas for professional development. REVIEWING PERFORMANCE No more than one annual review meeting should take place between the job holder and the assessor to review performance against objectives, discuss achievements, identify professional development needs and to establish the following year s objectives. 5 Performance review reports should be prepared either at the meeting or within ten days of the meeting. Job holders should be permitted to record comments in writing within ten days of receipt of performance review reports. Performance review reports should be limited to 400 words. Description of objectives within the individual planning record should be limited to 40 words for each objective. The review statement pro forma and the individual planning record in the DfES model performance management policy may be used as an appropriate structure. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE The policy should include a complaints procedure allowing teachers to obtain a review of unresolved concerns and permitting a new performance review to be undertaken where necessary. CONFIDENTIALITY The policy should provide that copies of the job holder s review should be held by the headteacher and the job holder only. It also provides, as required by the agreement reached on the PSP pay structure, that access to the statement may also be allowed to the assessor responsible for the job holder s review for subsequent annual review and to the PSP process validator if necessary. National Union of Teachers March This is consistent with PSP criteria requiring teachers to provide an observation graded not worse than grade 4 (ie Satisfactory) on the 7-point Ofsted scale or the equivalent level in an un-graded scheme.