Laura Williams

Category: HR

  • Top Tips: Revising Your Staffing Structure

    Top Tips: Revising Your Staffing Structure

    In terms of hard data, your pupil numbers, curriculum model and financial bottom line provide you with more than a firm steer towards what your staffing structure should look like.

    Whether you need to undertake a full restructure or simply make a few tweaks, your staffing structure is the nerve centre of your school and it requires almost constant attention.

    The truth is, schools are always in the process of restructuring their staff – but by doing it with a long enough lead time, it becomes a change management process rather than a wholesale HR operation to be completed in a half term.

    In the current climate of continuous change:

    • How do you make sure that not only is your staffing structure value for money but also fit for purpose?
    • How do you make sure that good on paper is good in practice?

    Below is a three-phase self-evaluation tool designed to help you achieve just that.

    Phase 1: Determination – Where do you need to be and what might stop you getting there?

    It’s essential to determine your ‘destination’ before you set off on this journey or you are risking the wheels coming off along the way.

    Curriculum led financial planning and benchmarking are key cornerstones of school budget management but other factors need to be taken into account before you start reshaping your staffing structure.

    It’s easy to delete lines from spreadsheets and merge classes in SIMs but when it comes to dealing with people, assessing, evaluating and implementing the changes you need to make isn’t as straightforward.

    Considering the current context, wider picture and long-term goals of your school is the starting point of any staffing review.

    Ask yourself:

    • Is our vision, mission and strategic plan reflective of what needs to be done and where we need to get to?
    • Are there any external threats to our organisation that need mitigating?
    • Could upcoming legislation changes impact our capacity or hinder progress towards our objectives?
    • How can we ensure that accountability lines remain clear in the face of upcoming change?
    • How can we protect the continuity of operation and facilitate knowledge sharing to mitigate the impact of turnover?
    • What skills are we lacking that we’re going to need over the next year?
    • What knowledge do governors need and what role should they have in relation to any changes that we need to make to our staffing structure?

    Phase 2: Assessment – What do you already have, what else do you need and how can you fill the gaps?

    Determining your destination will almost certainly have flagged a number of issues that need your attention.

    Recruitment or redundancy is often seen as the obvious way forward but both options can prove costly and therefore should only be undertaken if all other angles have been explored. It’s at this stage where marrying together as much as possible the ambitions of your staff and the ambitions of the organisation can really bear fruit.

    The more you know about your staff and where you need to be – and the sooner you know it – the better you will be able to implement the changes you need to make. It may even be the case that upon assessing your current position, you re-evaluate your final destination.

    The future is not predetermined so go through as many draft versions as you need to.

    Ask yourself:

    • Do we have accurate and up to date information about our staff in terms of pay scales, job descriptions and skillsets?
    • Are the jobs being done across the school being done by the right people?
    • Are all the jobs being done needed to be done? Can they be done a better way?
    • Do we have capacity and is it in the right place?
    • Would a review of job descriptions, an investment in CPD and appropriate remuneration mitigate the need to recruit and secure best value from existing staff?
    • How can appraisal inform our thinking in terms of skills and talent management?
    • Could leadership roles be redefined across the school to reduce head count and cost but also foster talent management and create new progression pathways?
    • What impact will these changes have on our support staff and operational capacity?
    • Would a service level agreement or local collaboration be a preferable option?
    • If we need to recruit, what terms and conditions will suit both the role and need of the organisation best?

    Phase 3: Evaluation – What risks come with your proposed strategy and how are you going to communicate it?

    When it comes to staffing, there’s always going to be a curve ball that you didn’t account for. A maternity leave, a resignation or a long-term illness.

    This phase is about both testing and safeguarding your strategy in as many ways as you can.  Determine if this is a process that can be managed over time or if it needs to be implemented quickly.

    Ask yourself ‘what if’. Think of your Head of English, Business Manager, Deputy Head and your Union representatives and what they could say about your plan. Think about would worry them, what would make them anxious and what questions they might have. Now think about what answers you would give them. 

    Ask yourself:

    • Will our proposal achieve for us what we need it to?
    • Are the reasons we have decided to make changes to our staffing structure sound and objective?
    • Are there any factors that are non-negotiable? 
    • What are the main risks with the changes we are proposing and is our risk management process robust enough?
    • Have we truly exhausted other options and are we able to justify our decisions?
    • What is the best way to communicate these changes?
    • How can we include feedback from stakeholders in a meaningful way?
    • How can we be sure to demonstrate fairness and transparency throughout change implementation?

    Top Tips

    1. Beware the ripple effect– one seemingly small change can create a lot of problems. Don’t assume anything and always think at least two steps outside of the immediate ‘impact zone’ when it comes to adding, removing or changing any roles.
    2. Have a contingency– don’t hang your strategy on one person or one plan. Have an alphabetised file of back up plans. ‘Just in case’ never hurt anybody!
    3. Don’t be held hostage – if you do end up caught out, negotiate on your own terms. Don’t get panicked into a ‘knee jerk’ – and likely costly – response. Remember that hostage situations can be negotiated.
    4. Consider intelligence, not just evidence– do your homework. Don’t just rely on hard data. Triangulate your knowledge with numerous sources before committing to anything.
    5. You don’t need to be a mystic, just be aware– it’s not just about planning for the future; you can only plan so far after all and as we’ve said, the unexpected can and usually does happen. It’s how often you review your plan that enables you to be agile when you find yourself on shifting sands.

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    Written for: Primary School Management Magazine

  • Staff Retention: How To Keep Hold Of Your Staff

    Staff Retention: How To Keep Hold Of Your Staff

    If your staff are determined to leave, there’s ultimately little that any headteacher can do to stop them. You can, however, take steps to reduce the likelihood of staff wanting to move on due to professional misgivings. Here’s how to go about identifying staff concerns ahead of time and assemble a robust retention strategy.

    When it comes to recruitment and retention, it’s easy to get lost in short-term activities instead of focusing on long-term strategy. The truth is, there are many touch-points and milestones that can create ‘deal-breakers’ for your employees resulting in resignation. Some are beyond your control but many are within it. Before we look at what you can do to create a robust retention strategy, let’s first look to our employees and what they want from us as employers. These factors, as a whole, constitute what is known as the ‘psychological contract’.

    The psychological contract is the ‘silent partner’ of the employment contract but it is different in that it is unwritten and subjective. For the employee, the psychological contract is focused around their expectations of the employer and how they hold up their end of the ‘employment deal’. These expectations relate to areas such as:

    • Reward
    • Recognition
    • Development and progression
    • Security
    • Management support
    • Flexibility and work/life balance
    • Autonomy
    • Fair treatment
    • Trust

    The management of the psychological contract is key to positive employment relationships and the facilitation of employee choice in order to improve both recruitment and retention.

    Though the psychological contract may be intangible, it is similar to the employment contract in that it can be ‘breached’. From the employee perspective, the most serious form of breach is through organisational and management behaviours which compromise one or more of the above areas. Examples include: over promising and underdelivering, a ‘do as I say not as I do’ culture, a lack of follow through, not meeting deadlines, mismatched processes and practice and moving the goalposts.

    For an employee these types of breach, if unresolved, often result in disengagement. This might start out with feelings of dissatisfaction, progressing to working to rule and doing as little as they can. If this continues for a period of time, it could impact their wellbeing and even result in prolonged periods of absence or resignation.

    As employers, what we have to wrestle with and be alert for are instances where the employee perceives that there has been a breach. This could be due to a lack of communication or information or simply staffs’ own interpretation of management behaviour. Real or perceived, these breaches can be avoided and addressed – thus mitigating the impact on turnover and staff engagement.

    Whatever the truth or reality is, how your staff perceive you as an employer will impact their psychological contract with the organisation. From the moment that staff join your organisation, they are constantly yet often unconsciously assessing whether leaders do what they say they will, honour the promises they make, lead by example and apply policy fairly and consistently.

    When you start looking at the employment relationship through the lens of the psychological contract, the levers you can pull to maintain a healthy psychological contract with your staff become much clearer.

    From your perspective as an employer, the psychological contract lives in what we know more commonly as ‘how things are done around here’. In relation to the list of what our employees want from us, these ‘things’ include:

    • The creation and management of staffing structures and restructures
    • Recruitment processes
    • Leadership and line manager behaviour
    • Policies and implementation
    • Appraisal and Performance Management
    • CPD, career progression and succession planning

    All of these things will currently exist and/or take place within your organisation but how well your organisation does these things has a significant impact on how staff view you as an employer and whether they want to continue working for you. In essence, employer behaviour in these areas determines whether an employee feels supported, treated fairly, valued, recognised, developed, allowed autonomy and trusted.

    Here are some areas to focus on that will help you to both shape and maintain a healthy organisational psychological contract and improve retention:

    1. Job Design & Recruitment

    Turnover can create the perfect opportunity to affect organisational change with minimal disruption. If you have your finger on the pulse and your eye on the future, you can reduce the likelihood of wholesale restructures down the road. Also, take the chance to really think about not only the vacancy that needs to be filled but what type of person the role would suit. Make it an attractive role and be clear what it will be like to do this job on a daily basis; for all its quirks, make sure you highlight its perks. If you’ve nailed job design, then attracting the right candidate for your role shouldn’t be an issue. However, the ‘psychological contract’ starts here – everything that is written, spoken and communicated from the start to the end of the recruitment process sets the tone for the future working relationship. Be consistent, don’t make promises you can’t keep and deliver on everything you say you will. This rolls right through into induction and probation periods. Don’t leave them adrift, wandering around your corridors. Take charge, set expectations and set your stall out in terms of what your staff can expect to receive from you as a member of your team.

    2. Line Management and Workload

    How your line managers look after their staff is a critical part of maintaining the psychological contract. How managers treat people has a direct impact on how staff feel about coming to work in the morning. They are the ‘face’ of the organisation and the decisions that are made so how they communicate to staff matters. The value that you place on the quality of line management directly indicates how much you value your staff.

    How well you listen to you staff is also crucial in maintaining the psychological contract; workload being a good example of this. If a task is seen as ‘worth it’, staff will be more likely to engage with it in a positive way. If they see it as a ‘waste of time’, this will affect their view of their role and how they feel about working for you. As I said before, their perception of what’s worth it and what’s not may be skewed but the sooner you address these discrepancies, the better.

    3. Performance Management, CPD & Succession Planning

    If job design and recruitment form the beginning of the psychological contract and line management establishes it, performance management, CPD and succession planning cement it. These processes are about identifying those who need support, supporting those who are ambitious and ready to progress, identifying specific organisational and individually beneficial CPD and having a meaningful dialogue with staff. They alone embody and facilitate several of those employee ‘wants’ we covered: reward, recognition, development, progression, support, fair treatment, autonomy and trust so it’s essential that you get them right.

    How you do business defines both your culture and your identity and how you do something is just as important as what you do. Polices and processes must be designed and actively managed with your people in mind; not only to hold them accountable or to measure them but to recognise them, reward them, bring out the best in them, engage them and value them. By doing this, the right people will not only want to work for you, they will stay working for you.

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    Written for: Primary School Management Magazine

  • Top Tips: Making Your Application Stand Out

    Top Tips: Making Your Application Stand Out

    In all the roles I’ve had in education in the last decade, I’ve led on recruitment. I’ve recruited Executive Leaders, Headteachers, Senior Leaders, Support Staff and temporary staff.

    Whilst the roles and job descriptions vary, the application process does not. I must have read thousands of application forms over the years and whilst some have been amazing and even a pleasure to read, many have had me banging my head off the desk.

    If you’re considering applying for a new job or are in the process of writing an application, then this blog post is for you.

    Here are my top 7 tips for writing a quality application. By taking note of these, not only will you increase your chances of getting an interview, you will also help those who manage recruitment in schools and MATs stay sane!

    1. Do your research

    Before you start writing your application, ensure that you:

    • Read the advert, job description and person specification carefully and thoroughly
    • Look at the website to learn more about the organisation
    • Research the structure of the organisation and the governance arrangements
    • Check the latest Ofsted report and performance tables
    • Google the name of the organisation (and its leader) and see what comes up
    • Research the community they serve as well as their partnerships, collaborations and affiliations with other stakeholders

    All of the above will help you to understand the organisation you’re applying to work for as well as where your role fits in the broader picture. 

    2. Arrange a visit 

    Visit the organisation before you submit your application. This is especially important for leadership roles. It may save you time in the long run and you will learn so much. Before your visit, make sure you use your research to draft some questions to ask when you’re there. The aim of a visit is to find out more about the organisation as well as see what it’s like in action. Is it somewhere you can see yourself working? What are the people like? How does it feel? If you don’t like it, you’ve not wasted your time writing an application. If you do like it, the insights you gain will help you to write a stronger application. Win-win!

    3. Do exactly what you’re asked to do

    Wherever there is a box on an application form, always write something in it; even if it’s N/A. It shows that you’ve read the form thoroughly and it doesn’t leave recruiters wondering if you left a box blank accidentally. If they ask for online applications, submit it online – don’t post it. If they specify a format for an answer, use it. If they ask you to keep your answers to a specific length, do it. By completing the application correctly, you’ll not only demonstrate your ability to follow instructions but also the recruiter will be very grateful! 

    4. Personalise it

    Filling out applications is time-consuming. The education sector does not do enough to make it easy to apply for jobs, especially if you are applying for multiple jobs simultaneously. This is why you need to be savvy in terms of personalisation and structure. All recruiters have to judge you on at this stage, is what you write on that application so, as small as these things may seem, they matter a lot. Recruiters will make a judgement about you if you address your application to the wrong person or leave in references to the last organisation you applied to. When recruiters read your application, you want them to feel that you’re invested in getting this job, not just a job. It’s harsh but it’s true; if you slip up on this one or you write an application that is clearly copied and pasted (they can tell), then you could be bumped down the shortlist. 

    5. Structure it

    Recruiters learn the most about applicants from their ‘personal statement’. The first few pages of the form are to check that you meet the basic requirements in relation to education, qualifications and suitability. The personal statement is what truly differentiates you as a candidate and can be the difference between your application being selected or tossed to the side.

    Make sure that your personal statement:

    • Outlines your knowledge, skills and experience in a way that directly relates to the role and person specification – before you start writing, map out the criteria and write some bullet points for each area to ensure that you don’t miss anything 
    • Is written in a way that is easy for recruiters to tick off the criteria listed in the person specification – they don’t want to spend time hunting through pages and pages of narrative. They shouldn’t have to try to figure out whether what you’re saying matches the person they are looking for. You should make it abundantly clear. (Also, if you structure your personal statement carefully, you’ll find it easier to personalise and edit it for other applications)
    • References your experience explicitly and specifically – some applicants think that it is enough to say that they meet the criteria without demonstrating how, or fill the page with broad, vague statements. Be specific about what you’ve done, how you did it and what impact you had so there is no room to question your expertise or credibility as a candidate.
    • Uses your research to best effect – whilst maintaining your focus on the role you’re applying for, look for ways to incorporate other skills and experience that may be relevant but not explicitly referenced on the person specification. If you know that literacy is an issue and you have previously led a successful reading initiative, then talk about it. If you know that finance is an issue and you’ve got experience in bid writing or fundraising, talk about that too. This attention to detail and ‘marrying’ of your skillset with their needs will help to set you apart from other candidates and make you more memorable. Just be mindful not to get too carried away or stray too far from the core role.

    6. Express yourself appropriately

    When we read personal statements, we want to get a feel for what you’re like as a person. But remember, there is a fine line between showing personality and showcasing yourself like you’re on a shopping channel. Keep adjectives to a minimum, don’t use slang and don’t go off on a tangent. Be enthusiastic, confident and specific. It can be tempting to throw everything at it but hold something back for the interview. You want recruiters to read your application and see not only that you are appropriately qualified and experienced but that you’re an interesting person that they’d like to find out more about. 

    7. Proofread it

    Recruitment season gets crazy I know, but try and give yourself at least enough time to write your application and put it away overnight before proofreading and editing. When you stare at something for too long, you lose your objectivity and typos, missing words and rogue capitalisation can slip past you. Read your application out loud to yourself – maybe even record yourself reading it. This way, you can catch any awkward sentence structures and disjointed statements. If you feel comfortable and you have time, ask someone else to proofread it for you, not only to make sure you haven’t missed anything obvious but also to give you some objective feedback. 

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    Source: My blog vault

  • How To Recruit The Right SBM For Your School

    How To Recruit The Right SBM For Your School

    When it comes to recruiting a School Business Manager, it’s important to remember that there are many different types and flavours.

    Though they may all have the same or a similar job title, they will have varied experience, qualifications and specialist areas of expertise.

    To ensure that you appoint the right SBM for your school, I’ve put together some tips to help you navigate the process.

    Get the fit right

    When it comes to recruiting a School Business Manager, the wider context of your school is hugely important. Consider the role in the context of your Senior Leadership Team and what your SBM will be expected to contribute to the school at that level.

    They will of course have a different remit to the rest of your SLT but helping you to develop strategic plans, managing resources, providing reports and contributing to the efficient and effective running of the school are just some of the ways that your SBM can add value and have an impact on your school.

    If this isn’t how you envision your SBM operating, then maybe it isn’t an SBM you’re looking for. If you’re working within a MAT, think about how the MAT operational systems and infrastructure influences the role of the school SBM and what this means in terms of your approach to recruiting.

    Also consider the people management element of the role and the people/ teams your SBM will be line managing. What ‘soft’ skills will your SBM need in order to ensure that these teams operate effectively?

    Get the job description right

    Think carefully about the role your SBM will be undertaking. Is there a bias towards one particular element? Perhaps you have an old building that requires a lot of looking after or you have big plans for expansion.

    Maybe the finance needs tighter management and monitoring or your staffing processes need updating and coordinating. Consider what third party contracts and SLAs you have in place relating to the role of the SBM.

    What level of expertise will your SBM need? Are you expecting to bring more of your business services in house or will your SBM be working alongside other specialist providers making sure that things get done and run smoothly?

    When you have a clear idea how much autonomy, skill and experience you want your SBM to have in each area, you can shape the job description and person specification in a way that is totally bespoke to your school.

    There is a huge difference between leading, undertaking, administrating and overseeing so be clear at exactly what level you want your SBM to work.

    Get the recruitment right

    Recruiting to the post of SBM requires specific expertise. Your recruitment panel should include an experienced school business professional. If you’re in a MAT, you might ask your CFO or COO to assist. If not, someone from the LA, another school or your local SBM group will be able to support you.

    Role-specific knowledge is essential in terms of recruitment; especially when it comes to assessing the practical exercises your candidates will be undertaking.

    Make sure that the recruitment tasks are focused on school priorities and the areas you need your SBM to excel and give candidates the opportunity to evidence their knowledge and skills in analysing, interpreting and presenting their conclusions.

    Remember, if your candidate pool includes people from a non-educational background, be as inclusive as you can with tasks by providing enough contextual information to ensure that they are not disadvantaged.

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    Written for: Primary School Management Magazine

  • 3 Ways To Make A Good Impression At Interview

    3 Ways To Make A Good Impression At Interview

    There are few things more nerve-wracking than attending an interview. 

    We worry about what we should wear, what time we need to leave at, what questions we might be asked and whether the other candidates will be better than us. But in all honesty, once we set foot through those doors what happens next is anybody’s guess.

    The only thing that we can focus on is how we perform, how we come across and doing the best that we can to convince the panel that we are the person that they’re looking for. 

    If you’ve not had an interview in a long time or you’re preparing for one right now and want to make sure you’ve got your bases covered, then this blog post is for you.

    As an experienced interviewer, I’m going to share with you some of the things that I look for and have trained other interviewers to look for outside of the 45 minutes that you’re sat in front of the panel. 

    Whilst some of these might seem like small things, put them together and they add up to either a good impression or a bad impression. Sure, you want to be a memorable candidate but make sure that it’s for the right reasons!

    1. Presentation

    Beyond the obvious, in terms of whether you’ve dressed appropriately for the day, we’re going to be checking out your body language. We’re going to be looking for whether you make eye contact with us when you introduce yourself, whether you smile and whether you’re giving off good energy. No, I’m not going woo-woo on you! I mean, are you presenting as someone that’s happy to be here? Good recruiters don’t judge people for being nervous, but they will be able to tell if you’re positively engaged in the process the moment that they meet you. Show them you’re invested in the opportunity or they will feel you are wasting their time.

    True story…

    Unsurprisingly, the worst impressions I’ve had of candidates have been within the first 30 seconds. I’ve seen them slouched on chairs, had them chatting away on their phone and refusing to hang up and even ignore me completely to watch what was going on behind me as I introduced myself. As a recruiter, it’s difficult to shake these first impressions and it means that these candidates have to work a lot harder throughout the day to recover from this, even if they don’t know it.

    2. Preparation

    Candidates who’ve done their homework and ask insightful questions make an impact. Those who make reference to our organisation when they answer questions during their interview impress us. So do candidates who bring along everything that we’ve asked them to; identification, qualifications etc. By doing your research and providing any additional information we need you show that you are prepared, that you’re well informed and that you pay attention to detail.

    True story…

    I’ve had candidates who have not only arrived late but have then gone to great lengths to bemoan their commute. They’d say things like ‘wow, I didn’t realise it was this far away’. It might seem obvious to most of us, but they clearly didn’t check out our location or Google Map their route beforehand. Any candidate who said this basically told me that they were already having doubts about working for us and made me wonder that if they did accept the job, how long they would stay.

    3. Attitude

    What we don’t openly tell you (but you should assume) is that we’re watching you for the entire time that you’re in the building. Ok, maybe not the entire time – you’re safe in the toilet – but everywhere else, you’re under observation. It’s important that you treat everybody that you come across as a potential interviewer. Ensure that your behaviour and attitude throughout the day is consistent with how you present to the panel.

    True story…

    I’ve had candidates be rude to the Receptionist, throw a tantrum at the ICT Technician who was trying to help them log on to a laptop and even talk openly on the phone, negatively, about the interview day. The panel got to hear about it and of course, they took this into consideration during their deliberation.

    Why these things are important…

    All these things are hard to measure, and they’re not covered in the person specification. But when it comes to looking beyond what can be measured, we’re going to start considering who would be a good fit in our organisation. How you conduct yourself throughout the day shows a lot about the type of person you are and what your values are. As recruiters, if we’re stuck between two candidates who have performed equally well, we’re ultimately going to pick the candidate who we feel can not only work with us best but also represent us and what we stand for.

    With all the above being said, I don’t want you to think that if you’ve forgotten your ID you’ve blown it. Or if you’ve had to take a call from your boiler repairman at an inconvenient time that we’re going to write you off. How you manage any hiccups throughout the day also tells us a lot about you. So be open, be honest and be professional.

    One final thing that you should remember is that you are interviewing us too. If you show up for an interview and you’re greeted by someone who doesn’t make you feel welcome, if staff are rude to you or if the day is completely chaotic, this will tell you a lot about how the organisation operates and will give you an insight about what it would be like to work there. Again, issues crop up – printers don’t work, a panel member might have been replaced at the last minute or a meeting room might have been double-booked. Watch how we handle it and you will learn a lot about us too.

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    Source: My blog vault

  • How To Set Staff Objectives For Performance Management

    How To Set Staff Objectives For Performance Management

    When it comes to the topic of performance management and target setting, it’s easy to tie ourselves up in policies, templates, tick boxes and deadlines.

    What is often forgotten is that performance is an all year round topic and an ongoing and meaningful dialogue between leaders and teams should be engaged in throughout the year.

    Staff shouldn’t have to wait until the annual cycle comes full circle in September to find out that their performance is sub-standard and that they are not receiving an increment. 

    What the formal process does do is allow you to support your views of staff performance or disabuse yourself of potential biases objectively. 

    Performance management is the gateway to personal development, professional progression and succession planning. It’s to identify those who need support, to support those who are ambitious and ready to progress and to identify specific and individually beneficial CPD.

    To understand how you can improve both clarity and objectivity in both target setting and the measurement of success, let me share with you the terminology I use when discussing staff performance.

    • Appraisal: Appraising the job that is being done, the one outlined in the job description and person specification; the one that they are paid to do. 
    • Performance Management: For those who have consistently exceeded performance expectation and outperformed any targets set by a pre-determined margin. 

    To allow both fair appraisal and to incorporate performance management for those who have excelled, a holistic performance assessment approach should be used. 

    This means that the achievement of arbitrary targets should not become the sole driver of decisions. Instead, overall performance discussions should incorporate a number of factors and not be weighted to one in particular. 

    For example, teacher standards, career-stage, book scrutiny, data, line management and department meetings etc. Essentially, anything reviewed as a matter of course as part of the line management process. 

    Targets should support the appraisal process but not determine it. With the right policy, a teacher can still progress even if targets haven’t been met as long as it can be evidenced that they have met the requirements of their role. 

    The evaluation process should allow room for exceptional performance to be recognised and valued either through accelerated pay or through CPD and/ succession planning strategies. People who outperform in their role consistently, working above and beyond and demonstrating exceptional value, deserve recognition. 

    Exceptional performance should be defined and certainly should not be ‘easy’ to achieve but it should not be impossible either. This is where targets serve a real purpose. Exceptional performance, through targets, can be defined for each individual. Therefore, it hinges not only on meeting standards, but exceeding them consistently as well as exceeding set targets. 

    The truth is, some organisations are good at appraisal and performance management but too many are not. The ones I’ve come across that aren’t are usually linked to either poor policy or poor management training and delivery.  To improve your staff performance discussions, think about what language you and your leaders use and how you articulate the policy. If leaders aren’t on board with the process or fail to execute it properly, it really is a wasted opportunity to serve your staff.

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    Written for: Primary School Management Magazine