Autumn Glory and Appraisal: in praise of the scenery proppers as well as the show stoppers.
I live in the Scottish Highlands and, at this time of year, I'm surrounded by the sh owy and delicate glory of spectacular autumn colours. The incredible tapestry of reds, golds, ochres and yellows of the birches, rowans and beeches etc make for a truly breathtaking vision. However, what people tend to notice less are the evergreens; the tall understated beauty of the pines and the firs which create the perfect counterpoint to all the other astonishing colours. Something even more wonderful is created when the astonishing autumn colours are punctuated by the straightlined shadows that are the native conifers, standing throughout the year in dark relief against this seasonal technicolour display. Unbelievably, staring at this incredible palette of colour made me think about appraisal (I know, I know). The autumn term is all about appraisal for school leaders. For so long, so many schools have persisted with systems that glorify data, the showy highlights of the end-of-year numbers t...