Teacher appraisals to continue, states DfE in new guidance

Teacher appraisals should continue despite the disruption caused to schools by the coronavirus pandemic, the Department for Education (DfE) has said. In an update to its Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak guidance on 3 June 2020, the DfE said that ‘maintained schools must continue to adhere to the School Teachers Pay and Conditions Document (STPCD), which includes the requirement to ensure that all pay progression for teachers is linked to performance management’. However the DfE also say that they expect schools to ‘use their discretion and take pragmatic steps’ to take account of the current situation and the disruption it has caused, and ‘adapt performance management and appraisal arrangements’ accordingly. Specifically the guidance states ‘Schools must ensure that teachers are not penalised during the appraisal process or in respect of any subsequent pay progression decisions as a result of partial school closures, where this has impacted on the ability of the teacher to meet fully their objectives.’ In the same guidance the DfE also state that appraisals and performance management for support staff should continue ‘in accordance with the employee’s contract of employment’. However the DfE does not specify pay or terms and conditions of employment for support staff. Elsewhere in the updated guidance the DfE confiurm that teachers will still be entitled to planning, preparation and assessment (PPA) time, and that ‘Headteachers and school leaders will want to take this into consideration when assessing staff availability and risk assessments in advance of wider opening’.

The latest DfE Actions for schools during the coronavirus outbreak guidance can be accessed here: https://tinyurl.com/w7dbmjm