PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FOR TEACHERS

The government now acknowledges that it made a mess of performance pay. 2006 will be the year in which it tries to put things right. The 2006 Pay & Conditions Document looks set to deliver a radical overhaul of performance management and pay arrangements. If you want to check whether you already have the right systems in place, ask yourself whether you go through the following stages

1. evaluation of existing classroom practice against best practice "personalised learning" criteria identifies strengths and professional development needs
   
   
2. the professional development need most likely to impact on a key School Improvement Plan attainment priority translates into the performance management Professional Development Objective
   
   
3. a performance coach with the necessary skills is appointed to help draw up an agreed action plan, to provide the necessary support, to monitor progress, to evaluate impact in the classroom and to produce a summary review statement
   
   
4. the review statement is set alongside the other performance evidence detailed in the school pay policy to inform performance pay decisions by the head and governors

This process is only a natural extension of the Self Evaluation Framework. Ofsted wants to check that you are making robust and consistent judgements about teaching quality….and taking action to address the development needs of individuals. The planned introduction of Annual Teaching and Learning Reviews will only formalise this process.

In short, you need to Audit to Establish Skills-Based Objectives for Performance Progression. Our AESOPP™ performance objective setting system is already in use in over 2500 schools. It enables teachers and teaching assistants to

• identify their professional development needs using a range of audit sheets setting out relevant national criteria
  
  
• select the need most likely to impact on key School Improvement Plan targets
  
  
• produce an electronic timelined Action Plan based on the wide range of examples provided
  
  
• record evidence of progress and impact for the review statement which will inform pay decisions

The AESOPP™ pack and software costs £175 plus VAT per school. This provides you with a lifetime site licence - there are no annual subscription fees. You can personalise the materials for use in your school. They're easy to update yourself as new national criteria emerge - or we'll be happy to provide you with a free update CD on request. We'll also gladly put you in touch with headteachers already using the system before you buy.

In order to make sure that the system is properly used - and to protect the good reputation it has developed with teachers and teaching assistants - AESOPP™ can only be bought at the end of one of our training sessions, which we will be happy to bring to your LA or headteachers' group. These sessions will provide you with

• an overview of the government's planned 2006 changes to performance management and performance pay - centred on Ofsted, Annual Teaching & Learning Reviews, new threshold and UPS criteria, and external validation of performance pay procedures
  
  
• an explanation of how AESOPP™ will enable you to respond simply and powerfully to this emerging agenda - addressing the needs of both teachers and teaching assistants
  
  
• an opportunity to buy the materials for use in your school

Some Key Quotes

Annual Teaching and Learning Reviews will ensure that teachers are

• involved in the professional development that best matches the needs identified by the reviews; and are also offering coaching and mentoring to other teachers
  
  
• Rewarded, and make progress in their careers, in ways that fairly reflect their classroom expertise and commitment to their continuous professional development
  5 Year Strategy For Children & Learners (2004)

We recommend that

• The outcomes of teachers' CPD and, if appropriate, their contribution to others' development, be taken into account as part of a range of evidence when schools assess performance for pay progression purposes; and
  
  
• The Department require schools and services to include details in their pay policy about how performance is assessed for pay purposes and how different factors, including the outcomes of CPD and contribution to others' development, are taken into account
  STRB 15th Report - Chapter 7 Summary - December 2005