Appraisals: Leadership Moments or Missed Opportunities?

Malarvilie Krishnasamy
Oct 10
5 min read

Appraisals. The word alone makes many teachers, and leaders, sigh.

Too often, the experience is inconsistent. Targets handed down from above. A meeting that feels “done to you.” A form signed, filed, and never mentioned again until the following year.

Where’s the motivation in that? We expect children to repeat their target grades until they know them inside out, but do teachers even know theirs? And more importantly, do they believe in them?

It raises a bigger question: what is the true purpose of an appraisal?

👉 To judge, monitor, and scrutinise?

👉 Or to support, develop, and encourage?

My Experience of Appraisals

I’ve had appraisals that left me doubting myself, and others that built me up.

The box-ticking one: I was RAG-rated against every teacher standard. Almost everything was green, but the focus was on the few ambers. It was soul-destroying. Strengths ignored. Limitations magnified.
The undermining one: As a new Assistant Principal, I shared my vision for CPD. My interim line manager cut me off: “This role is Teaching & Learning, not CPD. Is that what you thought this job was?” Silence. I was speechless and I doubted my own sanity.
The mentoring one: As Head of History, I had a line manager who listened. It was a conversation, not a judgement. Collaborative and encouraging.
The coaching one: Later, as Assistant Principal, my Deputy led appraisals with a balance of coaching and guidance. She believed in me, challenged me, mentored me. I always walked away motivated.

These experiences taught me that appraisals can either crush or cultivate. The difference is in the conversation.

A Leader’s Perspective

It’s easy to talk about the flaws in appraisal systems, but leading one isn’t easy either.

When I first became a leader, no one trained me to lead an appraisal. Did anyone train you?

One month into role, you can be sitting opposite a colleague, tricky, enthusiastic, or simply disengaged, with no clue how to steer the conversation.

And now we have a generation of younger leaders managing staff who’ve been teaching longer than they’ve been alive. Add in accountability pressures, workload, inspections, and it’s no wonder appraisals feel heavy.

Leaders are expected to hold staff to account and build morale in the same conversation. But who supports leaders to do it well?

Why It Matters

When appraisals go wrong:

Staff morale drops.
Trust erodes.
Retention suffers.

When they go right:

Teachers leave feeling motivated.
Leaders build credibility.
School culture strengthens.

In other words, appraisals aren’t just performance management. They’re leadership moments.

Reimagining Appraisals

As Trust Lead for CPD one of the first things I did was standardise the appraisal process across schools.

Here’s what changed:

Managers received training on how to lead an appraisal conversation.
Alongside each target, there was a CPD section: how will the member of staff be supported to achieve this?
Targets linked directly to the trust-wide CPD programme - from mentoring and coaching to peer observations.

The key was this: staff weren’t left wondering how they were going to meet their targets. They left with clarity, support, and a pathway forward.

That’s when appraisals become developmental.

SMART Targets That Actually Mean Something

We can’t keep setting targets we know people can’t achieve.

Like C.R.A.F.T., a good target needs Clarity: specific enough to guide, not so vague that it’s impossible to measure. “Improve questioning” is too broad. How? In what context?

It also needs to be Measurable: not just through data, but through visible shifts in practice and reflection.

And Relevant: clearly linked to the departmental or school development plan. This isn’t the time for a side project or a personal hobby. As I used to say, “Your target can’t be to improve your interpretive dance moves.”

Time-bound matters too: but realistic time-bound. If a teacher’s target is to develop their questioning skills, that’s not a single-term task. Effective questioning involves inclusion, variety, structure, spontaneity, Socratic depth, open prompts, it takes time to build.

When I was responsible for Teaching & Learning, I changed the language from Outstanding, Good, etc. to Effectiveness.

Why? Because “good” closes the door to development. “Effective” invites curiosity and progress.

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That’s why I encouraged teachers and leaders to think in phases, not judgements:

Phase 1: Reading, observing, understanding, learning

Phase 2: Implementing and refining

Phase 3: Strengthening and advancing

Phase 4: Moving towards mastery

Depending on the goal, a teacher might move through these phases over a year or over several terms.

Yet I’ve worked in schools where teaching wasn’t even an appraisal target.

If we want appraisals to drive professional growth, we need to set SMART targets with emotional intelligence. Goals that challenge, develop, and actually feel achievable.

💬 Reflection Prompts for Appraisals

If you want to make your next appraisal more reflective and supportive, try asking yourself:

Before the meeting:

What’s the one message I want this person to take away?

How can I make the discussion feel safe and balanced?

During the meeting:

How can I show respect while being honest about areas for growth?

What open questions could help them reflect for themselves?

After the meeting:

What follow-up actions can build trust and motivation?

How will I check in on progress without adding pressure?

Appraisal Good Practice: Through an EI and C.R.A.F.T. Lens

Here are 5 things I’ve learned the hard way:

Start with clarity: Be clear on the purpose. Is it accountability, development, or both? Say it.
Respect the individual: Recognise effort as well as outcomes. See the human, not just the teacher.
Adaptability matters: Everyone receives feedback differently. Flex your style.
Feedback should build, not break: Be specific, timely, and focused on behaviours, not personalities.
Trust is everything: If the meeting feels like a tick-box exercise, trust erodes. If it feels like genuine support, trust grows.

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How TalkSavvy™ Coach Can Help

This is exactly why I created TalkSavvy™ Coach.

Leaders rarely get time to practise these conversations, to pause, plan, and reflect before they happen.

That’s where TalkSavvy™ steps in.

It’s your 24/7 reflection partner:

🟢 Before an appraisal: Reflect on your approach, clarify your intention, and identify what outcome you want for both of you.

🟢 During preparation: Practise your words with a script built around the C.R.A.F.T. Framework: Clarity, Respect, Adaptability, Feedback, and Trust.

🟢 After the meeting: Reflect on what went well, what surprised you, and what you’ll try differently next time.

Because your words in that room can either build trust or break it.

Appraisals don’t have to be dreaded. They can be transformative, and with the right reflection partner, you can make them exactly that.

👉 Try TalkSavvy™ Coach free for 7 days and see how it supports your next conversation.🪞 If you’d like to explore these prompts interactively, TalkSavvy™ Coach guides you through reflection and helps you prepare for conversations like these — anytime, anywhere.

Conclusion

When appraisals are done well, they create space for growth, honesty and trust. They remind staff that development should build confidence and capability, not test their worth.

As leaders, we set the tone. The questions we ask, the language we use and the support we offer shape how people feel when they leave that room — deflated or motivated.

Appraisals aren’t a one-off event. They reflect the culture of a school: how we value people, how we listen and how we lead.

When we approach them with clarity and care, they strengthen the relationships that make great schools possible.

Confident, reflective conversations grow from curiosity, preparation, and practice. That’s what TalkSavvy™ Coach was designed to support, leaders who want to have better conversations, every day.