MANAGING PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT ADVICE TO NUT SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVES All schools need a written and agreed performance management policy so that everyone in the school community understands how performance management works and what their responsibilities and rights are within it. Headteachers and governors should involve all teaching staff in developing the (performance management) policy so that they know how it will help them do their jobs well and raise standards. Preparing a School Performance Management Policy Performance Management Framework, Headteachers, Teachers and Governors April 2000 DfEE 0051/2000 CLAIM YOUR RIGHTS The DfEE s Framework sets out the entitlement of NUT members to involvement in the development of performance management policies for their schools. The School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document makes it clear that headteachers must consult their staff on such major issues as the introduction of performance management policies. In any school there should be consultation, prior to consideration by the governors, of the school s performance management policy. The aim must be agreement between staff and the headteacher. There should be no imposition. NUT members should claim their rights. This guidance to NUT school representatives sets out key issues to be pursued in consultation with headteachers on the development of performance management policies. These key issues have been sent nationally to all headteachers and chairs of governors. The NUT believes that its approach will provide the basis for consensus and agreement on school policies. NUT school representatives can raise the various points proposed by the Union in the knowledge that their headteachers and chairs of governors already have had access to the NUT s national guidance on school performance management policies. The checklist on page 3 will help school representatives ensure that the essential points have been raised and dealt with properly. School performance management should create confidence in each teacher. Approaches which introduce a sense of threat and which undermine teachers morale constitute a dereliction of duty by management teams in schools. The NUT will not hesitate to act if such approaches are taken in schools.
Where members consider that performance management arrangements are unreasonable or have been imposed on them, members should first inform their NUT representatives. NUT representatives are advised then to seek advice from NUT regional offices. COMPLAINTS The DfEE model policy provides for a complaints procedure where teachers can, record their dissatisfaction with any aspects of the review on their review statement. The complaints procedure does not remove the right of teachers to recourse to the grievance procedure at any stage. NUT members who at any stage are concerned about the conduct of their performance review as job holders or about their duties and responsibilities as team leaders should contact their NUT regional office for advice and support. SCHOOLS UNDER SPECIAL MEASURES Schools under special measures are expected by HMI to implement action plans. Schools deemed to have serious weaknesses face HMI revisits to monitor their progress. Members in schools which have been so designated should, through their NUT school representatives, consult their regional office before entering into consultation with headteachers on the performance management policies in their schools. GOVERNMENT SPEAK: JOB HOLDERS AND TEAM LEADERS In the Government s Model School Performance Management Policy the DfEE refers to teachers who conduct reviews as team leaders. Those whose performance is under review are referred to as job holders. For purposes of reference to the DfEE and other material these terms are used in the NUT s guidelines. NUT Representatives A Checklist NUT representatives should seek agreement with headteachers on the approach outlined in this guidance for school performance management policies. The checklist set out below will help representatives in ensuring that headteachers follow the NUT s guidance. Has there been full consultation and agreement with teaching staff on the school s performance management policy?
Will the school s first performance management cycle last for 18 months? Has each team leader been given a time budget for performance review in line with the NUT s guidance? Are the meetings expected of team leaders and job holders included within the 1265 hours in line with NUT guidance? Is it agreed that classroom observation for the purposes of performance management should take place no more than once per review cycle and that the observation should last no more than 60 minutes? Has cover been allocated for team leaders conducting classroom observation? Has the school adopted a maximum of three objectives for each job holder? Have the administrative requirements for checklists for classroom observation been kept to a minimum? Is there a commitment to consultation with staff on the evaluation of the policy? Where NUT representatives find difficulty in securing agreement on the issues above and on the NUT s Guidance for School Performance Management Policies, they should seek advice from their regional offices. NATIONAL UNION OF TEACHERS PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT IN SCHOOLS: KEY ISSUES FOR CONSIDERATION AND AGREEMENT A Timetable for Introducing Performance Management Procedures The timetable for the introduction of performance management procedures should, in the NUT s view, be such as to minimise bureaucratic burdens. The performance management regulations apply from 1 September 2000. The school has until 31 December to introduce a performance management policy. Objectives for teachers have to be set by 28 February 2001. In the first year, the school has the option of setting a performance management cycle of between nine and 18 months for teachers. The first cycle starts from Autumn 2000. The NUT believes that the headteacher and governors should
agree the maximum cycle of 18 months for the first cycle. The cycles are annual after the first cycle. The regulations specify that the headteacher decides on the timing for teachers review cycles. The DfEE Model Policy states that, the headteacher needs to consider the workload implications and how the cycle will fit best the school s other planning arrangements. The DfEE has designated 28 February 2001 as the date by which job holders and team leaders must complete meetings to agree objectives. The school performance management policy should be such that the whole allowed period up to 28 February 2001 is used, thus allowing meetings to be spread evenly through the time span of the review. The rest of the time until the end of the maximum time allowed (December 2001) should be used for the monitoring and review of teachers objectives. There is absolutely no need to rush to have a performance management policy. A suggested timetable incorporating the best use of the time available is set out below. September 2000 November 2000 Consultation of all teaching staff on each school s performance management policy. Consideration by school governing bodies of school performance management policies. November 2000 the end of February 2001 Meetings between job holders and team leaders to agree job holders objectives (planning). March 2001 the end of the Summer Term 2001 Classroom observations (monitoring progress). Autumn Term 2001 Review meetings between job holders and team leaders (reviewing performance). Performance Management and Teachers Performance management will undermine teachers unless it: improves morale and motivation; leads to an entitlement to professional development according to need;
is seen by staff as enabling rather than as having been imposed from the topdown ; encourages the development of confident and professional judgement among teachers; increases teachers participation in decision-making and develop, in teachers, a greater sense of control over their work; identifies the resources and facilities needed to support teachers; and is manageable and does not introduce bureaucratic burdens. The NUT has maintained consistent pressure on the Government to ensure that these principles are included within the performance management framework. As a result, the framework refers to the importance of best practice being characterised by: an atmosphere of trust between teacher and team leader; teachers having a proper opportunity for professional discussion with their team leader about their work and their professional development; manageability and equity. APPLICATION The performance management procedures apply to all teachers except teachers on contracts of less than one year and those in their induction year. Inductees are covered by separate provisions. GOVERNING BODIES AND PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT The school governing body has the responsibility for agreeing the schools performance management policy. Individual governors or the school governing body should not be involved in the management of teacher performance. School governors should not be given responsibilities for evaluating teaching in the classroom. WORKING WITHIN THE REGULATIONS The performance management policy should require nothing more than is required by the Regulations. COMPLAINTS PROCEDURE The DfEE model policy provides for a complaints procedure where teachers can, record their dissatisfaction with any aspects of the review on their review statement. The complaints procedure does not remove the right of teachers to recourse to the grievance procedure at any stage.
EVALUATION OF THE POLICY The performance review policy must include the provision by the headteacher of an annual report to the Governing Body on how effective the performance management policy has been. The DfEE s model policy emphasises the need for the policy to include a commitment that the Governing Body and the headteacher will update and amend the documentation and the process as required and after consultation with staff incorporate changes introduced by the DfEE or the school. CONFIDENTIALITY The performance management policy should provide for confidentiality in respect of individual reviews. Copies of the job holder s review should be held by the headteacher and the job holder only. The team leader responsible for the job holder s review may have access to the statement if necessary for subsequent annual review. Within the policy, it should be the headteacher who identifies the provision of professional development for teachers consequent to the completion of review statements. CAPABILITY PROCEDURES The DfEE states that performance management, does not form part of any formal disciplinary or capability procedures. The DfEE also states that, 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. BOUNDARIES FOR BUREAUCRACY DfEE Circular 2/98, and the DfEE s Bureaucracy Cutting Tool Kit (15/11/99) provide the boundaries for bureaucracy arising from the introduction of performance management. DIRECTED TIME Arrangements for performance review should take place in teachers directed time. There should be an audit of the time costs of its introduction on other areas of activity required within the directed time of 1265 hours. The removal of other displaced areas of activity from the 1265 hours to create space for performance review should be a priority in consultation with staff. The displaced activities must not be expected to be undertaken by teachers outside directed time.
CLASSROOM OBSERVATION Under the performance management policy the requirement for classroom observation should be limited to no more than one classroom observation per teacher within the review cycle, subject to the following paragraph. Classroom observation should not exceed 60 minutes per teacher subject to an entitlement on the part of job holder to a further observation period of 60 minutes. The school s performance management policy should provide for the allocation of cover for the classes of team leaders while they are undertaking performance review, but with: no doubling up or other increases in the class or group sizes of other colleagues; and no reduction in teaching support time to release teachers to act as team leaders. The performance management policy should provide for consultation with and agreement by the job holder as to when classroom observation should occur. Team leaders should be expected to consult with and secure the agreement of the job holder before seeking information from other colleagues about the work of the job holder. Performance management schedules for classroom observations which involve checklists have the potential for creating bureaucratic burdens and for undermining rather than supporting teaching staff. This is particularly so where there is the automatic transference of the criteria within the OFSTED inspection frameworks to school performance management procedures. The DfEE has inserted, within its model school performance management policy, a lesson observation/assessment pro forma. Its use is entirely voluntary. Team leaders are not taking on the role of inspectors when conducting classroom observation. Their job is to identify and agree a limited number of objectives with the teachers being observed. The NUT believes that the simplified model pro-forma in the appendix to this document will be more effective than the DfEE s model and that it should be adopted within the school s performance management policy. All that is needed is 40 words to describe the activity observed. The DfEE s model performance management policy contains a lesson observation time/events log. The use of this log is entirely voluntary and is a matter for the professional judgement of teachers. The individual plan and the Review Statement Pro Forma within the DfEE s model performance management policy provides an appropriate structure. The NUT believes
that the school s performance management policy should be based on an expectation of review statements of not more than 400 words with a limit of 40 words for each objective within the individual plan. SETTING OBJECTIVES The performance management framework suggests that a minimum of three and a maximum of six objectives should be set for each teacher. The School Performance Management Regulations require one of those objectives to refer to pupil progress. The NUT believes and has advised its members that a maximum of three objectives should be set. Too many objectives will be confusing. In addition, monitoring and producing review statements on a larger number of objectives will necessarily take up a larger amount of teacher time. JOB HOLDERS AND TEAM LEADERS THE GOVERNMENT S REQUIREMENTS The DfEE Model Policy includes a summary of the statutory requirements set out in the Appraisal Regulations. The requirements made of job holders and team leaders, listed below, should not be exceeded in individual school performance management policies. The team leader responsible for the performance review of teacher must: meet with each of the teachers for whom they will be the reviewer before or at the start of the performance management review cycle to plan and prepare for performance review and discuss setting of objectives; record objectives in writing and allow the job holder to add written comments if they wish. Teacher objectives must include those relating to developing and improving each teacher s professional practice and pupil progress; monitor performance against these objectives throughout the year and observe the teacher teaching in the classroom at least once during the review cycle; consult the reviewee before obtaining oral or written information from others relating to the teacher s performance; meet with the teacher at the end of the performance review cycle to review performance and identify achievements, including assessment of achievement against objectives, and to discuss and identify professional development needs/activities; write a performance review statement and give a copy to the reviewee within 10 days of the final performance review meeting, and allow 10 days for the job holder to add written comments; and
pass the completed performance review statement to the headteacher. The jobholder must: meet with their team leader before or at the start of the performance review cycle to start setting objectives; either agree objectives with the team leader or add written comments to the objectives recorded by the team leader; meet with his or her team leader at the end of the performance review cycle to review performance and identify achievements, including assessment of achievement against objectives, and to discuss and identify professional development needs/activities; must be given the option of adding comments to the performance review statement or of complaining about their performance review statement within 10 days of receipt from the team leader. Team leaders face specific additional burdens arising from performance management. They are expected to set objectives, write review statements and conduct classroom observations. Teachers should be identified as team leaders only if: time is made available to carry out the duties of team leader; the teachers consider that they have received sufficient training; and they consider that their responsibilities in the posts they currently hold as team leaders are appropriate to their role as team leader. A team leader should not be expected to review more than four teachers. TIME AND MONEY The Department for Education and Employment set out, in a DfEE guidance note on the operation of performance management in schools, the resources available to schools in 2000-2001 for the introduction of threshold assessment and performance review. The relevant extract is set out below. 20 million will be available in 2000/01 through the Standards Fund to support the introduction of threshold assessment and performance review. Its purpose is to pay for school-based, national accredited training and advice for managers, teachers and governors on threshold assessment and performance management. A further 20
million will be available annually from 2000/01 to help schools operate the new performance review arrangements, including resources to carry out threshold assessments, to release staff for discussions and for classroom observation. With the help of the Standards Fund Grants for Training and for Staff Release the school should provide additional staff time to ensure that the requirements for team leaders to meet staff and conduct classroom observation are met within the teaching day. 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. The time budgets for team leaders and job holders in their conduct of performance reviews must be within their 1265 hours of directed time where team leaders or job holders are so protected by the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document. Meetings between team leaders and job holders for performance review should not normally be necessary outside the teaching day. The recording of objectives in writing should take place within the 1265 hours of directed time. Time budgets for writing and agreeing the objectives should be allocated by the headteacher. Time should be allocated within the 1265 hours to allow for the writing of each performance review statement within ten days of the final performance review meeting. Time should be allocated similarly for the incorporation of written comments by job holders within the subsequent ten days. APPENDIX 1 MODEL CLASSROOM OBSERVATION CHECKLIST Tick where you think professional development is needed. 1. Lesson Planning and Preparation The lesson was part of a planned programme. There was a good structure to the lesson. The aims of the lesson were clear. Resources for the lesson were prepared and available. Individual pupils learning needs were taken into account.
2. Understanding of the Subject Area A good understanding of the subject content covered in the lesson was displayed. 3. Teaching Methods Instructions and explanations were clear and specific. Pupil were involved, were listened to, and were responded to appropriately. The ideas and experiences of pupils were drawn upon. The teaching methods adopted were suitable for all pupils in the class. 4. The Assessment and Evaluation of Pupils within the Class Pupils are involved and their understanding evaluated through the use of appropriate questioning. Mistakes and misconceptions are recognised by the teacher and are responded to within the lesson. 5. The Management of Pupil Behaviour Action was taken promptly to address inappropriate pupil behaviour. The teacher was confident in the strategy that he or she adopted for encouraging and rewarding good behaviour. Where behaviour was inappropriate, the teacher knew the next steps to take. 6. The Teacher s Objectives for Pupils Learning Pupils understood what work was expected of them during the lesson. Pupil outcomes of the lesson were consistent with the objectives set at the beginning. The pace was appropriate. 7. Classroom Organisation The classroom was well organised. Appropriate materials were available to pupils when needed. Where teacher assistants were involved, appropriate use was made of their support.
8. Homework Homework was set in accordance with the school s homework policy. Appropriate feedback on homework was given.