When Staff Appraisals Go Bad

Imagine this: you’re a deputy head conducting a staff appraisal and in front of you, your colleague is in floods of tears because of the feedback you’ve just given them. Your heart goes out to them, but you knew the words had to be said.

The box of tissues is ready and waiting for you to pass it over. The evening before, your stomach was churning, a restless night ensuing as you dreaded the impending difficult conversation and its effects.

As an NQT in 2006, I never had cause to get upset in a staff appraisal. Not because I was great at everything, but because there was nothing developmental about the system of appraisals and formal observations.

I was told to get better at the things I wasn’t so good at – but not how to get better. I didn't know how to improve, and no one was showing me. This led to me going for an internal TLR, failing, and being given the dubious title of “Displays Coordinator” as a consolation prize – which of course didn’t put any more money in the bank. As a result, I left soon after for another local school which offered far more developmental progression.

It’s tempting to keep staff members out of the way of difficult conversations, but this only results in two problems: one, pupils losing out when teachers don’t improve, and two, ambitious colleagues leaving for schools that will stretch and challenge them.

If you're a school leader, you probably recognise that stomach churning feeling with which we started this story. You consider perhaps not saying it at all and just letting it all blow over. But you know what goes wrong if the truth isn't shared.

It's at this crucial mid-point in the year that our thoughts turn to monitoring and evaluation. Checking in with how everything is going from people progress meetings, staff appraisals and lesson observations. Book looks and chats with pupils that go along with those. We're looking to see if we're on track to meet the goals we've set out in our school improvement plans. Now is the time to straighten the course if we’ve veered off into the wrong direction – before it’s too late.

February and March are pivotal to what July looks like.

So how can we make sure that monitoring and evaluation is done effectively and supportively?

Back to my office. After the initial emotions, my colleague and I set about developing concrete actions that we would take both together and individually to ensure that everybody benefited: the member of staff, the school, and most importantly, the children. Their professional development subsequently was remarkable and we both learnt a lot from this difficult, but catalysing, encounter.

After resigning as “Displays Coordinator”, I found a school where I was challenged and where there were leaders who were willing to put time and effort into my development. Where precise praise, feedback and actionable next steps were provided for me – and for that I’m very grateful. It wasn’t always easy, but it was very much worth it.

I now work with school leaders all over the country helping them equip and enable their staff – and it’s an honour. To find out more about working with me, book your free initial call here, and together we can make a plan – for the difficult conversations as well as the easier ones.