Schools run one of the most established appraisal cycles of any sector. The challenge is keeping it useful. Teachers have little spare time, the link to pay has changed, and support staff are often left out. This page explains how schools and trusts run the process, with examples you can adapt.
Maintained schools in England follow the 2012 appraisal regulations. Each teacher has an annual appraisal period, agreed objectives, an appraiser and a written report. Performance is assessed against the objectives and the Teachers’ Standards. Academies set their own policies, and most follow a similar pattern. The calendar does the rest: objectives in the autumn term, a review in spring, and a final conversation before or after the summer break.
From 2013, schools in England had to link teachers’ pay progression to appraisal outcomes. That requirement was removed from September 2024. Schools may still make the link, but many are using the change to refocus appraisal on professional development. Check the current School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document and your own pay policy before changing your process. The practical effect is that appraisal objectives can be more ambitious, because less rides on narrowly meeting them.
Ofsted does not grade individual lessons, and many schools have dropped graded observations of their own. Short drop-ins, instructional coaching and peer observation are now common. They give a teacher specific feedback on one thing at a time, and they produce a better record of development than a single high-stakes lesson each year.
Early career teachers complete a two-year statutory induction with a mentor and an induction tutor. It is assessed against the Teachers’ Standards and runs separately from appraisal. Teaching assistants, site staff, technicians and office teams are outside the teacher regulations altogether, and their reviews are often the weakest part of a school’s process. A trust with several schools also needs enough consistency to compare practice, without removing each headteacher’s judgement.
A typical pattern. Your own calendar, agreements and policies come first.
Review last year’s report. Agree a small number of objectives linked to pupils, the school improvement plan and the teacher’s own development.
Short observations with one focus. Feedback within a day or two, recorded in a sentence or two.
Discuss progress and any support needed. Adjust objectives if classes or responsibilities have changed.
The teacher reflects on the year. Evidence comes from work already done, not a folder built for the meeting.
Written report and, where your pay policy requires it, a pay recommendation to governors or trustees.
Three illustrative scenarios showing a goal, the evidence that informs it and the conversation that follows. Adapt them to your own roles.
Illustrative voices. New Dynamics wrote these composite perspectives to reflect themes that are common in the sector. They are not customer testimonials, and the names do not refer to real people.
When the pay link went, some heads asked if appraisal still mattered. I’d say it matters more. We can finally set objectives about getting better, without the pay committee in the back of everyone’s mind.
Our teaching assistants used to get a form once a year, if that. They are a large part of our workforce. A short termly conversation did more for retention than anything else we tried.
New Dynamics connects goals, feedback, recognition and reviews in one place. Bring a real process to the demo, and confirm each requirement with the team.
Keep objectives, feedback and the written report together, so the evidence comes from the year’s work.
Explore the featureCapture a short note after a drop-in or coaching session while it is still specific and useful.
Explore the featureShape separate stages and forms for teachers, early career teachers, leaders and support staff. Confirm your policy requirements during evaluation.
Explore the featureExplore a focused space for choosing a colleague, capturing a specific moment and shaping the next conversation.
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Maintained schools in England must follow the Education (School Teachers’ Appraisal) (England) Regulations 2012, which require an annual appraisal with objectives and a written report. Academies are not bound by those regulations but usually have an equivalent policy. Rules differ in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Since September 2024, schools in England are no longer required to link teachers’ pay progression to appraisal outcomes. A school or trust can keep the link if its pay policy says so. Check the current School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document and consult staff and unions before changing your policy.
There is no fixed number. Many schools agree around three: one linked to pupil progress, one to a school or department priority and one to the teacher’s own development. Fewer, clearer objectives lead to better conversations than a long list.
The platform is designed around configurable forms, stages and participants, so different staff groups can follow different processes. Bring your appraisal policy and a sample form to a demo so the fit for your school or trust can be confirmed.
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