This autumn marks the shift away from performance-related pay in education. For many, this represents a positive change, reducing the workload and wellbeing pressures faced by the profession.
The updated guidance states:
“Appraisal should be a nonbureaucratic process that recognises, encourages and validates a teacher’s commitment to professional development, pedagogical excellence and effective performance.
It should offer a supportive and safe environment where individual teachers and their line managers can have open and honest conversations about successes and areas for improvement.”
Teacher appraisal, guidance for schools (2024)
Whilst some school leaders have already detached pay from performance, others must now consider how they will measure success now that there is no longer a requirement for performance criteria based on quantitative data.
Many school leaders will find themselves asking, how can we ensure staff have a clear understanding of their role and can contribute to the wider organisation?
How can we maintain an element of accountability and appropriate challenge?
How can we set purpose and direction?
In our previous blog, we explained what coaching looks like in an educational context. In this blog, we will discuss how coaching can help your school move beyond PRP to bring out the best in your staff and ensure they understand how they can effectively contribute to the achievement of your school’s priorities.
Establishing a common purpose through coaching
‘When you are surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.’
Howard Schultz, former Chairman and CEO of Starbucks
A common purpose is what sets a team apart from a group of individuals. It acts like a compass for an organisation, ensuring everyone has a collective understanding of where they are going, why they are going there, and how they’re going to get there.
For many school leaders, the appraisal framework served as a means to effectively set purpose and direction – whether towards pupil outcomes, staff accountability, or setting goals for subject leadership. It opened up opportunities for 1-2-1 meetings and allowed staff to build understanding of their role within the school development plan and the organisation as a whole.
These 1-2-1 conversations were a particularly valuable asset of the appraisal process. Certainly, in my own experience as a head, it was one of my favourite moments of the school year. It was a chance to connect individually with staff and members of the leadership team, helping to establish a common sense of purpose. Moreover, staff members valued the time that was invested in them. It established ownership of delivery of the school development plan and gave staff clarity about where they fit within the school community.
Feeling a sense of purpose and value is essential for people to thrive in any organisation. The same is true for those who work in education. I believe that coaching can address this gap so that every individual has a clear sense of their unique purpose and the value they bring to their school.
Coaching is a process that supports individuals to set their own personal and professional goals to help them build on their strengths and overcome any barriers to success. It is within the coaching space that I believe leaders and teachers can clearly define and communicate their common purpose, enabling individuals to take ownership and feel empowered in their roles.
‘The quality of your attention determines the quality of other people’s thinking.’
Nancy Kline, Time to Think (1999)
How to adopt a coaching approach in school
There are many ways to deliver coaching in your school. For example, you could offer three 1-hour coaching sessions per year to teachers. The coach would be there to offer a thinking space for individuals to determine what actions were needed to achieve their goals over the academic year. This could be delivered on a 1-2-1 basis, or in a session with a senior leader and the staff member. An interim meeting and concluding meeting would mirror the appraisal process.
Crucially, an independent coach would give staff the reassurance that these sessions were not a replica of the old PRP accountability framework with top-down targets set by leadership, but an opportunity to chart the course for their own professional development and contribute to the school vision.
Alternatively, you could offer group coaching sessions for senior leadership or subject teams. This would give staff members the chance to reflect on their practice and set challenges for the year ahead. The coach would be there to ensure the meeting was a thinking environment. According to Nancy Kline, ‘even in a hierarchy, people could be equal as thinkers.’ This would ensure the team had a sense of purpose and direction, whilst also taking ownership of their own professional targets and success measures.
Want to learn more?
One Education can work with schools and academies to develop a culture of coaching in their settings.
Through personalised training sessions, resource sharing, and ongoing support, our team works closely with school leaders and teachers to cultivate a culture of open communication, reflective practice, and shared responsibility for student success. This holistic approach not only enhances professional growth but also positively impacts student learning outcomes.
If you would like to discuss a bespoke alternative to PRP, or find out more about building a coaching culture in school, please get in touch. We’re happy to have a conversation and explore your options with you.
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