Category: HR + Skills

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

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.

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.

When I was appointed as a Chief Operating Officer in a newly formed regional MAT, I thought I knew what I was getting in to. When I wrote my application, I was confident. I had been a PA, LGB Clerk, Office Manager and Business Manager and I had worked across a national MAT leading school improvement, business, HR and governance projects. I’d worked with Senior Leadership Teams, Headteachers, Regional Directors, HR Directors and Finance Directors and I had had front line experience of Ofsted, the DfE and the ESFA.

The role of Chief Operating Officer in a MAT broadly encompasses strategic business and operational leadership, aligning and deploying the resources of the MAT to secure efficiency, effectiveness and the successful achievement of identified objectives. When re-reading my COO application as ‘research’ for this article, I couldn’t help but smile at my boundless optimism and blind determination. I had big plans. I knew exactly what needed to be done and exactly how I would do it. Only now can I see how little I really knew.

The main issue with the role of Chief Operating Officer is that due to its breadth it is difficult to define. It is bespoke to every organisation, context and individual. There are no constants or points of reference and there isn’t a standard job description. This creates both opportunity and ambiguity. For me, taking the role of Chief Operating Officer was the equivalent of jumping off a cliff and finding out I had to make my own parachute on the way down. For everyone who has followed or wishes to follow me over that cliff, here I share with you my five most important lessons:

Find your balance and do it quickly

Being a Chief Operating Officer gives you a completely different and unique perspective on your MAT. You can see everything from where you sit and for that reason you have to operate on parallel tracks; the long-term vision and the day to day. It’s your job to keep those tracks clear of obstacles and as close together as you can as delays and divergence can create chaos. This is the most challenging part of the job. Balancing the needs of the whole with the needs (and wants) of the parts. Knowing when to talk and when to listen, when to intervene and when to escalate and when to enforce and when to mediate requires remarkable judgement and absolute confidence. How well you do this can make or break you.

Credibility is key

It doesn’t matter what your job title is, what qualifications you have or where you sit on the leadership diagram if nobody listens to what you have to say. Without credibility you cannot operate effectively. Credibility is earned, it is not given. How people see you affects how they respond to you. Aligning yourself and the purpose of your role with the educational objectives of your MAT is crucial. As Chief Operating Officer of a MAT, you can’t operate in isolation. Everything you do should be about supporting the delivery of a quality education provision. Articulating your role in these terms as well as demonstrating sound knowledge, a thorough understanding of data, objectivity and empathy will go a long way to gain the confidence and trust of your teaching colleagues.

The ‘big picture’ is deeper and broader than you think

As Chief Operating Officer, you have to use every tool at your disposal to not only determine the way forward but also to forecast impending doom. The management of risk relies on you being as informed as you can possibly be – all the time. Having up to date and accurate information is essential to the decision-making process. Whether you are looking at finance, HR, facilities, service level agreements or pupil progress you need to be confident in the accuracy, consistency and integrity of the data that you receive and the data systems you use. And it doesn’t stop there. You must go on to triangulate everything you think you know. Numbers need narrative and narrative needs numbers. Whilst the destination may be set, the current reality will continue to shift and you will need to be able to split your focus accordingly in order to make truly sound assessments.

Pursue the ground truth of your MAT

A person’s perception is their reality. That means that there are potentially billions of realities out there. This may sound deep but by understanding the realities of your schools and their leaders, you can work to create a shared reality in your MAT. By seeing the world through the eyes of others, you can predict and navigate conflict with ease as well as determine the best way to support and manage change. Not only can ground truth inform your leadership style, it can also be critical when it comes to making informed decisions. Evidence can tell you a lot but intelligence can tell you a whole lot more and can be a real differentiator.

Speak up and say it straight

In your role, you sit to one side of the central accountability line. The Heads report through to the CEO and the CEO reports to the Board. Your role spans across all of these organisational layers and due to the unique perspective we spoke about earlier, the odds are that at some point you are going to see something happening or about to happen that is unacceptable, out of line or potentially apocalyptic. Unfortunately, it will often only be you that can see this happening which means that it is your responsibility to speak up. In these instances you need to be blunt, unequivocal and unwavering. Speaking up may not be pleasant but your insight and your ground truth is one of the most powerful tools that your MAT has.

Despite my steep learning curve, you’ll be pleased to know that I survived my cliff jump and I can honestly say that it was exhilarating, rewarding and satisfying. There’s been a lot of discussion recently about the possible extinction of the MAT business generalist and the increasing preference of the MAT business specialist. My view is that centralisation should not automatically lead to specialisation. The very process of centralisation results in an increase, not a decrease of moving parts, conflicting agendas and accountability. A successful MAT is an efficient and effective operation and nobody is better placed to oversee, manage and shape this operation than a Chief Operating Officer.

So, to those who are thinking of becoming a Chief Operating Officer, I can’t recommend it highly enough. And to those of you who are already, I salute you. Fly the Chief Operating Officer flag and fly it high.

Written for: Capita SIMS Blog (@CapitaSIMS)