I Background and Context
The link between the performance management of headteachers and deputy headteachers in England and the salaries they receive has been in existence since 2000. However, it was only in September 2013 that all teachers became the subjects of annual performance reviews linked to pay. Performance reviews go by the name of appraisals in the business world. For the purpose of this article, I will stay with “performance reviews”.
Autumn 2014 saw the end of the first cycle. During the term, governors formally reviewed how the system worked or didn’t. The researchers are busily beavering away to assess the success of teachers’ performance linked with pay. However, it would be apposite to make a few observations based on first-hand experiences and anecdotal evidence, and signal health warnings to improve the process for teachers, school managers and, most important, the children.
In the autumn of 2013, teachers were made aware of the fact that, for the first time, they would not receive increases if they simply performed satisfactorily – or, to use the Ofsted terminology – required improvement. Previously, a salary increase was withheld only if a teacher was the subject of the capability procedure.