Independent schools have made significant progress in the appraisal of teaching staff in recent years, particularly since the introduction of the NSW Institute of Teachers’ Act and the teacher accreditation component of industrial agreements that prescribe the terms and conditions of teachers’ employment.

Supporting School Success is a performance appraisal system designed specifically for non-teaching staff in independent schools. It will assist schools to appraise the performance of their non-teaching staff in a formative, developmental way that supports the continuous improvement not only of individuals but also of the departments within which they work. Given the significant link between staff and school performance, this system also has the potential to contribute to enhanced performance of the school overall.

Supporting School Success reflects leading practice in performance appraisal systems by combining the two separate, but interconnected, components of position objectives and capabilities. Position objectives describe “what” the position is required to do or achieve. Capabilities, or behaviours, describe “how” the person in the position goes about his or her work to achieve what is required.

The identification of position objectives will support the appraisal of progress towards and achievement of those objectives, and identification of capabilities will support the appraisal of key skill components of the position and planning for continuing growth and development.

A capabilities framework, reflecting the breadth and depth of non-teaching positions in independent schools, is central to the Supporting School Success system and is what sets this system apart from other performance appraisal systems. The capabilities framework consists of core values based skills, generic skills and specialist skills relevant to particular positions. Behaviour descriptors are also provided to describe different levels of each of the capabilities. The result is a matrix of capabilities and behavioural descriptors that can be applied in any school to any number of different non-teaching positions. Non-teaching staff work with their managers or supervisors early in the appraisal process to select the capabilities and behavioural descriptors relevant to their role, thus creating a customised capabilities framework reflecting the employee’s position in the school.

In addition to facilitating feedback to staff about their performance, the Supporting School Success system will inform the development of learning and development plans, career, succession and workforce planning as well as recruitment and selection processes. All of this contributes to improved effectiveness and productivity of employees in supporting the overall success of the school.

The Supporting School Success system is a web-based product and includes implementation guidelines and support material.

Training and ongoing support for the implementation of the system in individual schools will be provided by the AIS as part of the purchase of the system.

To enquire about Supporting School Success and/or appraisal of non-teaching staff in independent schools, please contact Louise Bailey at the AIS on (02) 9299 2845.