The Education (School Teacher Appraisal) (England) Regulations 2000

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations revoke and replace the Education (School Teacher Appraisal) Regulations 1991 (S.I. 1991/1511).

The Regulations provide for the appraisal of the performance of school teachers (including unqualified teachers and those employed on fixed term contracts of one year or more) employed at not more than two community, voluntary, foundation, community special, or foundation special schools. By virtue of section 19(7) of the Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998, these Regulations do not apply to teachers serving an induction period under section 19.

The Regulations make provision for the appointment of an appraiser for each school teacher. A school governing body must appoint an external adviser in relation to the appraisal of a head teacher, and they shall appoint either two or three appraisers for a head teacher.

The governing body of a school are under a duty to secure that the performance of all school teachers at the school is appraised regularly. The appraisal cycle normally lasts for one year, although the first appraisal cycle under these Regulations for a school teacher who is not a head teacher may last for between 9 and 18 months. The Regulations make provision for the procedures for appraisal.

A school teacher has a right to have his appraisal statement reviewed if he complains within 10 school days.

The Regulations impose a duty on head teachers to make an annual written report on the effectiveness of appraisal procedures to the governing body.

The Regulations also make provision for the retention, disclosure and use of appraisal statements.