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Teachers' Standards
Setting the standard
Sarah Lyons highlights NUT concerns about the new Teachers’ Standards for England and offers guidance on making the appraisal process fair.
Many teachers will be aware that new Teachers’ Standards now form part of the appraisal process in England. The Government has said these standards must be used as part of the national appraisal processes. How they are used will determine whether the whole exercise becomes a bureaucratic nightmare or one that supports teachers’ professional development.
What’s wrong with them?
We have already seen some employers and schools creating a whole new set of hoops for teachers to jump through.
We are worried that:
• the bulleted sub-headings within each standard will be developed into separate standards, increasing the number from eight to 35
• a tick-box culture will develop
• standards deemed to be not met will be turned into additional objectives, which in turn will lead to additional lesson observations
• some schools will adopt complicated career-stage matrices, presenting problems for everyone
• teachers will be required to compile a body of evidence, beyond readily available materials, to demonstrate that they are meeting the standards.
There is an alternative. The NUT has produced a protocol to help members develop a decent procedure. A copy has been sent to all schools, including academies, which do not have to apply these standards. It’s also available at
www.teachers.org.uk/appraisal. It encourages assessment against the standards in a way that:
• does not place new burdens on appraisers or those being appraised
• sets out that the standards are the focus of discussion when objectives are being agreed
• does not require detailed assessment against each standard and its accompanying bullet points.
Essentially, our approach is that the standards reflect what has always been expected of and delivered by teachers.
We are pleased both the Department for Education (DfE) and the head teachers’ union NAHT advise against an over-the-top approach. The DfE’s Teachers’ Standards, Myths and Facts states that “there is no requirement to record detailed assessments against each of the Teachers’ Standards and bullets”.
NAHT guidance on checking teachers’ performance against all eight standards states that “there is absolutely no such requirement imposed by the Appraisal Regulations or the School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document”.
For further information
The NUT recommends that schools adopt the NUT/ATL/NAHT Appraisal Model Policy, the NUT/NASUWT Observation Protocol and the NUT Teachers’ Standards Protocol to ensure that appraisal is fair and reasonable. All are available from
www.teachers.org.uk/appraisal.
The DfE Teachers’ Standards document can be downloaded from
www.education.gov.uk/publications/eOrderingDownload/teachers%20standards.pdf.
• Sarah Lyons is NUT Principal Officer for Employment Conditions.
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