Last reviewed on 19 October 2022
Statutory/mandatory for: Maintained schools Pupil referral units

Be confident when approving your teacher appraisal policy. Know what it should include and what questions to ask to make sure it's compliant and robust.

What this policy needs to do

Your school’s teacher appraisal policy must cover:

The appraisal period

The policy should set out an appraisal period of 12 months. 

Teachers on fixed-term contracts of less than 12 months or those starting at the school during the appraisal period can have a shorter or longer initial appraisal period.

The appointment of external advisers and appraisers

The policy should explain:

  • How the governing board will select/appoint an external adviser to provide advice and support for headteacher appraisal
  • That the governing board may also choose to delegate headteacher appraisal to a smaller group of governors (a committee)
  • Who will appraise other teachers (if not the headteacher)

Objective setting

It should also explain that objectives will contribute to improving the education of pupils at the