How to … focus performance management on professional development

John Blanchard looks at how in performance management collaboration between teachers, senior leaders and governors can contribute to all involved being better prepared and lead to a more effective and rewarding experience.

The performance management process is beneficial when mutual respect and understanding are fostered between those who lead the process and those whose work is appraised. Their concluding meeting produces agreements about colleagues’ achievements and strengths, as well as decisions about their objectives and action plans.

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      string(387) "... groups?6. Have we considered whether our judgements on the quality of teaching concur with data analysis and workscrutiny outcomes?7. Can we demonstrate how performance management and professional development have been informedby robust self-evaluation and have secured improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress,helping to ..."
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      string(5834) "of desire on the part of some school leadersto tackle the staff where performance isn’t good enough.’ (Michael Cladingbowl, National Director for Schools, July2013). Questions have been asked in schools where weak performance has nevertheless led to pay increases. Somereports have cited leaders, including those on UPS who have not been giving ‘value for money’.These concerns are now reflected in the Ofsted Framework for School Inspection 2013 which requiresinspectors to ‘evaluate the robustness of performance management arrangements, and consider whether there isan appropriate correlation between the quality of teaching in a school and the salary progression of the school’steachers.’To considerEstablish a culture in which all staff have consistently high expectations of all pupils and of themselves ascontinually improving professionals.Engage staff at all levels in action to secure a baseline of good and consistent teaching and progress.■■■■■‘The most important purpose of teaching is to promote learning and raise pupils’achievement.’Ofsted School Inspection Handbook September 201319Vol 5.3School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comSpecial BriefingOfstedGuideEnsure that teachers use assessment practice systematically and effectively to check pupils’ understanding andprogress, adjusting teaching and interventions to improve progress.Systematically track and evaluate the impact of performance management and CPD on teaching on progress.When evaluating achievement, inspectors will focus on progress and attainment in reading, writing andmathematics. When evaluating teaching however, inspectors will consider:the planning and implementation of learning activities across the whole of the school’s curriculumthe appropriateness and impact of teachers’ support and intervention strategiesteachers’ marking, assessment and feedback to pupilsthe setting of appropriate homework that matches individual needs.‘Inspectors must spend as much time as possible gathering evidence on teaching and learning, observing lessons,scrutinising work (including in pupils’ books and writing), talking to pupils about their work, gauging theirunderstanding and their engagement in learning, and obtaining pupils’ perceptions of typical teaching.’To noteConsistency in the quality of teaching of mathematics across different groups is now a specified focus.The importance of your pupils’ attitudes, behaviour, effort and success – ‘When observing and judging teaching,inspectors must be guided by the response and engagement of pupils and evidence of how well they arelearning.’ (School Inspection Handbook, paragraph 123)The importance of skilful assessment practice to plan work that challenges or supports, to monitor and adjustteaching, and to give feedback that ensures pupils know what they have done well and how to improve.The Teachers’ Standards remain key to informing judgements.Progress within lessons is balanced with progress over time and can include evidence from prior observationsundertaken by school leaders, positively influencing outcomes where a specific lesson is weak – but the sameevidence trail, if it confirms weaknesses, will influence judgements on both teaching and leadership.Ten key questionsYou may wish to consider the following questions:1. Have we reviewed our teaching, learning and assessment policies with all staff and governors, givingattention to how well these policies set and support high expectations and are understood by all?2. How are we using our best teachers as leaders and models of good practice?3. Have we examined the consistency of teaching quality across subjects, for different groups, and withparticular attention to mathematics? For example:i. Do all teachers in our school demonstrate consistently high expectations of all groups of pupils,expecting all to achieve well?ii. Is this reflected in interactions?iii. Do we make consistently effective use of teaching assistants?iv. Does homework used consistently match individual needs and effectively support progress?4. What do we know about the quality of teaching for those pupils receiving targeted interventions, includingany for whom the pupil premium provides support, and for the most able?5. What do we know about the consistency and effectiveness of planning, marking and pupil responses acrosssubjects and for different groups?6. Have we considered whether our judgements on the quality of teaching concur with data analysis and workscrutiny outcomes?7. Can we demonstrate how performance management and professional development have been informedby robust self-evaluation and have secured improvements in the quality of teaching and pupils’ progress,helping to sustain ‘good or outstanding’?8. In what ways are we promoting the development of teaching this year and can we demonstrate an impact?9. In what ways are we sustaining and/or developing consistent and accurate assessment practices this yearand can we demonstrate an impact?10. What do our pupils tell us about teaching and learning, in particular the lowest and highest attainersand those eligible for pupil premium, and how have we used this to improve or sustain ‘good or better’teaching?■■■■■■■■■■■20Vol 5.3School Leadership Todaywww.teachingtimes.comSpecial BriefingOfstedGuide Behaviour and safety of pupilsThere is renewed attention to attitudes to learning underpinned by:Ofsted’s own analysis that has shown the behaviour grade is often above others.The belief that good attitudes to learning, good teaching and good"
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Leadership

Ofsted Leadership Guide 2013

25 Oct 2013

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      string(6168) "have their needs met.”9 On the other hand, few schools would be brave (or fool-hardy) enough to completely remove their performance management systems in favour of informal on-going feedback, and there is evidence to suggest that effective goal setting does improve performance (Locke and Latham, 2002).10 Dame Sue John emphasises that “the key word is investment.” In her view, the fundamental characteristic of those who are good at performance management is that they are fully invested in their staff. “I don’t think there are enough people who are trained effectively in this… If they see it as a functional thing. If it only serves the needs of their organisation, it doesn’t really always get to the heart of what motivates people and looking for opportunities for people to lead.” Recognising this can be the first step in increasing the quality of performance management.The challenge of performance related payIntroducing performance related pay in state maintained schools in 2014 made performance management more high stakes than ever before. Nearly half of teachers think that their school’s PRP policy is unfair11 irrespective of whether or not they had been denied a pay increase. One concern around PRP, highlighted by The Work Foundation, specifically in the public sector is that reduces staff’s intrinsic motivation to do well12. This is in direct conflict with the development aspect of performance management desired by many schools.  The introduction of performance related pay poses particular problems for performance management since if staff are focused on justifying their performance to secure pay rises, the developmental element can be lost. Recruitment expert, Edward Wild, particularly highlights the problems that ensue when Performance Management becomes a high stakes process on which staff’s career depends: “Performance management is often euphemistically used as a way of getting rid of people. That’s a problem. The development of people is the responsibility of all employers.”A second unintended consequence of performance related pay is that it can quickly become disproportionately focused on outcomes that are easy to measure, namely high stakes assessment results. Mary Bousted, general secretary of the ATL union, has written that “performance-based pay narrows the school curriculum because assessment of teacher performance is overly dominated by pupil performance in timed written tests.13” Additionally, it can lead to a sidelining of fundamental elements of schools’ and teachers’ raisons d’etre such as pupils’ wider development, parental engagement and community outreach. Schools therefore need to ask themselves:1. 	How are outcomes other than exam results recognised as part of schools’ performance management structures and as a way to show staff they are valued?2.  What mechanisms are in place to allow staff to develop in ways that will still add value to their school community but may offer less tangible or measurable results?ConclusionPerformance  management could be a powerful part of the professional development of teachers. Formally separating the accountability and development functions would be an important first step. Additionally, ensuring that teachers have more regular development discussions incorporating specific impartial feedback could make performance management part of an ongoing professional dialogue for teachers rather than an annual or biannual time to justify their worth against pupil targets.Iesha Small is an experienced teacher and leader as well as an associate at the education and youth ‘think and action-tank’ LKMco. This article is based on one of two think pieces soon to be published by LKMco and the talent management organisation Oceanova. ReferencesToppo, L and Prusty, T. (2012). From Performance Appraisal to Performance Management, IOSR Journal of Business and Management, ISSN: 2278-487X Volume 3, (Issue 5), pp 01-06.  http://iosrjournals.org/iosr-jbm/papers/vol3-issue5/A0350106.pdfWalker. M, Jeffes. J, Hart. R, Lord, P and Kinder. K. (2011).  Making the links between teachers’ professional standards, induction, performance management and continuing professional development. Slough. NFER, DfE, https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-the-links-between-teachers-professional-standards-induction-performance-management-and-continuing-professional-developmentAcademia.edu (2010) 2010 Study on the state of performance management. Sibson Consulting and World at Work http://www.academia.edu/9425186/A_report_by_WorldatWork_and_Sibson_Consulting_2010_Study_on_the_State_of_Performance_Management_researchCoe, R. (2014). Classroom observation: it’s harder than you think. Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring.[online] cem.org. http://cem.org/blog/414/Gov.uk. (2016) Ofsted inspections- clarifications for schools  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-inspection-handbook-from-september-2015Bock, L. 2015. Work Rules: How insights from Google will transform how you live and lead, John Murray, pp164-165Burkus, D. (2016) How Adobe scrapped its performance review system and why it worked. [online] Forbes.com www.forbes.com/sites/davidburkus/2016/06/01/how-adobe-scrapped-its-performance-review-system-and-why-it-worked/#4b33b51d44d4Sabatier, M. (2015). Are the BBC right to scrap appraisals? The future of feedback. [online] Trainingjournal.co https://www.trainingjournal.com/articles/feature/are-bbc-right-scrap-appraisals-future-feedback Bubb, S. and Earley,"
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Financial Management

Reforming performance management

20 Jun 2017

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      string(4487) "fixed.■■ Changing teachers’ and parents’expectationsAt the summer conference, teachers and support staffwere challenged to an activity to make a ‘chair’ forHumpty Dumpty (plastic eggs from the sports day eggand spoon races) using dry spaghetti and marshmallows.Staff were asked to write on Sticky Notes how they felt 44grow mindsets for effective learning……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………➜How to…Summary: how to grow mindsets for effective learning1. Explore the theory on mindsets and how different kinds of feedback inculcate different mindsets whichaffect learning and progress; share this with all staff and with parents and governors.2. Teach children what happens to the brain during learning. Make mindset theory part of the curriculumand reinforce each year.3. Build a bank of statements illustrating feedback for a growth mindset and introduce these into practice,including assessments, vocabulary on the walls and communications with parents.4. Devise creative ways to support celebration and sharing of mistakes and learning from mistakes.5. Examine and develop existing self-assessment and self-evaluation approaches and introduce new ones,so that children take greater ownership of feedback and learn to cultivate their own growth mindset.6. Consider whether staff assessment, performance management and professional development emphasisefeedback for a fixed or growth mindset and discuss the implications of this.Dweck, C.S. (2006) Mindset: how you can fulfil your potential. New York: Ballantine Booksbefore, during and after this new learning task, whichas well as being messy, was deceptively challenging.Despite much laughter, the comments revealed manypeople’s insecurities and frustrations in anticipation ofbeing ‘no good’ at creative tasks, not being able to dothis task ‘right’, chagrin at ‘failure’ and disappointmentat not doing as well as others. Being in a learningsituation therefore gave much food for thought. Someparticipants were then given feedback focussing onability and some focussing on effort and perseverance,enabling staff to discuss how this affected theirperceptions of the task and what they had learnt.■■ A whole school strategy for growthmindsetsTeachers have been so convinced by this classroombased research that they have suggested that learningabout mindset forms part of the PSCHE (Personal,Social, Citizenship and Health Education) curriculum sothat children develop their understanding systematicallyas they progress through the school. Teachers areconvinced that this can contribute to the LocalAuthority’s focus on narrowing the attainment gap, withclear benefits for the most vulnerable children.  Whileclassroom based developments will continue, there isalso a plan to introduce the ideas to parents as well,through a ‘Tea and Topics’ session, so that parents canunderstand the emphasis in feedback to their childrenand can start to mirror this at home.■■ Growth mindsets in professionaldevelopmentAt the end of their conference, teachers and supportstaff expressed intentions to follow up this professionallearning with their classes by changing the ways inwhich feedback was given. Some had also reflectedon whether they had a growth or fixed mindsetthemselves, in relation to their own professionallearning. This begs some serious questions in relationto performance management, performance relatedpay, lesson observation and the Teachers’ Standards.A growth mindset would suggest that emphasisingeffort, perseverance and learning through reflectivepractice might be more effective than judgementsof ‘ability’. An action research approach that allowsspace to experiment, reflect, take risks and challengeoneself professionally in safe, supportive, collaborativeenvironments, such as that created for staff at BleanPrimary School, creates the conditions necessary foreffective professional learning with a growth mindset."
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Growth Mindset

How to... grow mindsets for effective learning

2 Jan 2014

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      string(5918) "Vivienne Porritt questions the whole basis of the current approach to performance management and shows how this can be transformed through developing a coaching culture which focuses on ultimate learning games for children.“I thought I was a good teacher, but after that review, apparently I’m not. I’ve got lots to do to get better.”These words of a teacher about a performance management review open a Teachers TV programme about looking afresh at what performance management is doing, and can do, for colleagues in schools. The words are spoken by a drama student from Brampton Manor, a secondary school in Newham, London. The quotation is supposed to be a fictional representation of the perceptions some teachers have about performance management and it reveals issues about the nature of the professional relationships and the quality of the dialogue within this process.Is this quotation a caricature or do you recognise these words as coming from some of your colleagues? Maybe you have felt something similar yourself at times. Or is such a perception a historical view of performance management (PM) and, as a result of the revised regulations introduced in September 2007, do schools now have a more dynamic and motivational approach to this key improvement process?What does PM feel like for you?Over the last two years, in working with schools and local authorities in London and nationally, my colleague, Carol Taylor, and I have gained a very clear sense that many teachers are not only feeling less than motivated and enthused by their experience of performance management but also frustrated by the amount of time that was invested in it for seemingly little impact. Many are unable to articulate the difference that performance management makes either to their own learning, or that of their pupils or to their school. Support staff told us that they were glad they were not included in the statutory process as their teaching colleagues said it was a waste of time. When support staff were included they, alongside their teaching colleagues, often felt the process was about jumping through hoops or simply ticking boxes.As an ex-English teacher I believe strongly that language reflects culture and ethos and so am dismayed by the kind of language used by many people in discussing performance management. The most common phrases we hear are:  ‘I was ‘done’ last year’.  or ‘My head of department ‘does’ me’. What picture do these words suggest? This language certainly reflects the feeling that the PM process is one-sided with colleagues being recipients rather than feeling ownership.Simply ticking the boxSome schools describe the achievements people are working towards as targets and, for me, this only conjures up images of archers shooting at circular boards. When I was working in a school as a teacher or a headteacher, I didn’t want to be shot at, so do you now? I was told by others that I was good at what I did so I didn’t ever feel. I personally needed my performance managed. What I, and I think most people in school, needed was to work with a colleague to help me to keep improving and achieve what could move both me and the school forward. Most importantly, I wanted to learn more so that in turn I could help my students learn and achieve more.Equally concerning is the nature of the objectives that should be at the heart of the PM process. Mostly these are described by colleagues as “set” – again suggesting a model of imposition. More hopefully objectives are agreed: we rarely hear of objectives being negotiated. We encountered objectives that were simply already aspects of a person’s role: To write the school timetable. Other examples were often teacher based tasks such as ‘Revise the schemes of work for Year 4’ or ‘Go on a course about Assessment for Learning’. An objective for a senior member of the support staff that I heard recently was Restructure the office.These objectives did not challenge, motivate or engage colleagues and seemed to be there simply to ensure a box was able to be ticked next year and everyone could say a successful review had been accomplished. Pupil progress targets centred around numerical data are very common and seem to cause great anxiety for many colleagues in case they miss their target and achieve 53% of A* – C grades instead of 54% or in case one child in a class does not move through 2 sub-levels in a year.With such objectives, little attention is given to identifying the learning outcomes and real changes in practice for the adult that would result in improved learning or practice for colleagues or pupils. Te potential for the PM process to develop colleagues, to build motivating and collegiate relationships, to achieve school priorities and to improve pupils’ learning and experience is thus diminished.Where are we now?We are now at the end of our first year engaging with the revised statutory regulations for performance management for teachers which were introduced for September 2007. Alongside the revised regulations, new professional standards for teachers were introduced and performance management is highlighted as a ‘key process’ in achieving these aims.Key questions therefore might be:are all of your colleagues feeling positively engaged with your new performance management process?have you improved the links between performance management and professional development?is the dialogue and feedback within the PM process leading to improved internal relationships, based on openness, mutual trust and"
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Professional Development

Coaching to manage performance

26 Jun 2009