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 showy 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 that often outshine a deeper, more subtle story of success in classrooms where data is a less-than-reliable source of evidence. Now that the new government has disconnected appraisal from performance, is it not time to change our relationship with this process?

If we're honest, most of us have always viewed appraisal as a bit of a pain, a bureaucratic obstacle to 'get over' at this time of year (I mean, how many of us actually review the appraisal and the pay policies with teachers actually in the room!). This often leads us to find quick-fix systems that allow us to pile through the workload before the half term holidays. And this sort of system favours the use of that most measurable of info... ATTAINMENT DATA! The BIG SHOW! But this means that we run the risk of missing the rich and deep impact that colleagues might have on the success of our schools, impact that feels harder to track...

There have always been those teachers whose professional practice reliably forms a strong and stable platform for future learning for children (and often for their colleagues); they are the go-to in the staffroom for a good art or science idea, or a shoulder to cry on when things feel overwhelming, they always seem to 'manage'. These staff members often have a wealth of experience, shaped over many years of continuous service, for whom the performance management process, with its pay-linked incentives and attainment-driven targets, has long-since become largely irrelevant. These are the teachers we 'appraisers' find both the easiest and the hardest to manage. On the one hand, there's no really difficult conversation to be had; "Met your targets? Check! Know what you want/ need to do next? Check" on the other, how to motivate this person? How to hold them to account without reliable (attainment) data and the carrot of an extra increment...?

Maybe now that appraisal is (should be) truly about the individual and their professional development and much less about the scores on their classroom doors, we can have more meaningful conversations about what success looks like and what motivates them; about how we as leaders can utilise their experience and wisdom across our workforce. Maybe there's a route to wider fulfilment and satisfaction in this revised approach... it might even improve teacher retention!

At the school I led, we had ditched this outdated iteration back in 2015, in favour of a more holistic, more collaborative approach to appraisal. The foundation of this new system was the formulation across our teaching team of a set of 'Agreed Tasks and Objectives' for what constituted 'Effective Provision' for our children. Far from being management- driven,  they were the culmination of lots of discussion and debate across the classroom workforce, until a consensus could be agreed about what 'Everyday Effective Practice' looked like in our school. This then became the first target in every teacher's appraisal; the idea being that,  if we all do what it says in this agreement, the children would learn and grow in line with our values and principles (which were woven into the agreement). Staff found this much easier to evidence, mostly because the leadership team saw it every day across school. Much of the evidence was available from the self-evaluation info that everyone gathered throughout the year in their various roles as teachers, subject coordinators or leadership duties. 

The second target was always a direct lift from the school improvement plan. Obviously,  these priorities were usually chosen during the year as those areas being in most need of improvement, but this was also a collaborative activity and one that morphed and developed across the academic year, influenced directly from professional development sessions (staff mtgs etc). The target was also shared; if reading improved across school, the target was achieved; if it didn't,  we'd all look again at why it didn't. 

The sum of all this was that appraisal was a team affair; if we all pull in the same direction, then success and fulfilment are more likely. School is a real team sport!

And guess what? Our school became a happier, more successful place.  The children became more knowledgeable,  the staff became more expert.  And everybody relaxed! I cannot overstate the importance of a more collegiate, a more gentle investment in your workforce. When you grant staff some agency, they really believe that you believe in them. From that belief comes trust, and from trust and belief comes growth. For everyone. 

This system did not mean that there was no accountability.  Actually, staff were more likely to reflect upon their own challenges and do something about it. For those that couldn't do it, of the few in our school who decided that teaching wasn't for them, they came to those conclusions on their own and their departure was a positive one. 

Now, I know you're likely saying "But Iain, appraisal is nearly done with! Why didn't you point this out earlier!? Well,  the autumn colours come when they come; I can't be expected to work up an autumnal metaphor when everything is still green! But that's the thing about evergreenery, it's always there,  quietly creating a year-round platform for the short-term seasonal show!