Headteacher appraisal: the external adviser

Understand what an external adviser brings to the table and how they can help you successfully manage your headteacher's performance.

Last reviewed on 9 November 2023
School types: AllSchool phases: AllRef: 3727
Contents
  1. Why do we need an external adviser?
  2. What does the external adviser do?
  3. Where do we find one?
  4. How should we work with the external adviser?

Why do we need an external adviser?

The external adviser advises and supports the governors during the appraisal process.

If you're in a maintained school, you must appoint an external adviser. This is set out in the Education (School Teachers' Appraisal) (England) Regulations 2012.

You don't have to do this in an academy trust, but it's good practice to evaluate whether your board could benefit from external advice. Your trust might have a central trust team that could provide support or someone on your board with appropriate HR expertise. If not, consider appointing an external adviser to provide an independent and objective perspective.

You should also check your appraisal policy to see if there are any requirements.

What does the external adviser do?

Summarise data to give a clear understanding of how the school is performing Analyse the headteacher’s evidence of progress against objectives Support the