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The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

The Optimus blog

The blog that inspires leaders in the UK education sector

Performance management

Lisa Griffin
19 June 2023

How can you make your MAT attractive?

We asked MAT leaders what matters to employees and how they can market themselves as an employer of choice. As an employer, you want to foster an attractive and professional environment where staff feel comfortable, happy, valued, and can work to the best of their ability. When it comes to bringing...
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John Viner
8 November 2016

Facing up to staff absence: what can you do?

Worrying absence level statistics suggest that effective planning and monitoring are more important than ever. Not too long ago, a popular daily newspaper bewailed the fact that ‘15,000 teachers go sick every day ’, going on to blame stress and ministerial meddling. So, here’s a question for you:...
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Alex Masters
24 September 2015

Supporting your support staff with positive appraisals

The word ‘appraisal’ often conjures images of clipboards and awkward conversations. Alex Masters explores how this process can bring out the best in your teams. It’s the time of year for appraisals and, as part of their role, many SBMs carry these out for their school’s support staff. Indeed, these...
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Lisa Griffin
2 September 2015

Youngest headteacher in the UK is outstanding

How did the youngest headteacher in the UK, Siobhan Easton, achieve outstanding in her school’s first Ofsted inspection? Lisa Griffin, content lead for Leadership and Governance, interviews her to find out. Siobhan Easton, aged 27, heateacher at Marine Academy Plymouth (MAP) Primary School is the...
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Katie Renton
30 June 2015

Performance evaluation: being fair and consistent

Quality teaching can be achieved in many forms, which makes judgements on the effectiveness of teachers a huge challenge. Performance management in schools is more important than ever. This is for two key reasons. Decentralisation of the evaluation process means senior leaders are responsible for...
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Lisa Griffin
1 May 2015

The need for a ‘thinking’ governing body

Lisa Griffin reports back from the Optimus ‘Developing Skilled and Strategic Governing Bodies’ conference. The first task of the day for those attending the conference was to answer a question posed by chair for the day Dr Jamie Clarke, an executive headteacher and National Leader of Education. He...
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Lizzie Gait
23 February 2015

Tackling staff underperformance: a necessary evil?

Effective support must be provided for colleagues who are underperforming, but in order to ensure improvements take place, high quality training to help those in charge of performance management and appraisal is crucial. Want expert advice from education lawyers on an employment issue? Come to...
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Elizabeth Holmes
26 January 2015

CPD and the year ahead – the view from the TDT (Part 1)

'Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at death.' – Albert Einstein There are few people out there with as much interest and involvement in the continuing professional development of teachers as David Weston, Chief Executive of the Teacher Development Trust (TDT) . In the two...
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Alex Masters
24 November 2014

Middle leaders: the pressure is on but help is at hand

‘The success of Primary phase in the next five years will depend heavily on its middle leaders.’ Russell Hobby’s statement sums up all too clearly the pressures that today’s primary middle leaders are facing . Middle leaders have to get to grips with more demanding curricula, cope with declining...
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