Deputy headteacher appraisal

Make sure you're prepared for your deputy headteacher's appraisal by considering objectives, development opportunities and professional standards.

Last reviewed on 21 September 2021
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 11305
Contents
  1. Prepare for the appraisal
  2. Set clear objectives
  3. Prepare deputy headteachers for acting up
  4. Make use of national standards

This article was written with help from our associate education expert, Tom Elkins.

Prepare for the appraisal

Check you’re familiar with the teacher appraisal requirements.

Before the appraisal, think about your deputy headteacher’s performance objectives and consider:

  • How well they’ve been met
  • What new objectives you might want to set

Check your deputy head’s job description and use this to help you think about useful objectives.

Take a look at our advice on performance objectives for primary and secondary deputy heads.

Set clear objectives

Your deputy headteacher should have objectives that relate to:

  • A key school improvement priority
  • Teaching (if they have teaching responsibilities)

Make sure responsibilities are clearly defined so that the deputy headteacher knows what they’re accountable for. This will also make their performance management and objectives more focused.

It’s good practice to keep reviewing progress towards objectives throughout