Teacher development examples
Teacher Performance Management Target Examples
Adapt practical teacher performance management and appraisal target examples, with proportionate evidence prompts for different roles and priorities.
Use examples as starting points, not targets to copy unchanged
A useful performance management target should reflect the teacher's role, development needs, school priorities and the pupils or colleagues affected. The examples below are prompts for a professional conversation, not a prescribed national framework or substitute for local policy.
Agree what improvement would look like, what support will be available and which evidence is proportionate. Avoid targets that depend entirely on a single data measure or factors outside the teacher's reasonable control.
- Connect the target to professional learning and a real area of practice
- Describe the intended change clearly enough to review it fairly
- Agree support, time and access to relevant development
- Use a small, balanced evidence set rather than collecting paperwork for its own sake
Teaching and learning target example
Develop the use of formative assessment in the agreed class or subject so that checks for understanding identify misconceptions earlier and inform responsive teaching during the autumn and spring terms.
Possible evidence might include selected planning examples, short pupil-work samples, professional discussion, learning-visit feedback and a reflection on which adaptations improved understanding. The emphasis is the quality of the changed practice, not the volume of evidence collected.
Curriculum and subject leadership target example
Strengthen progression in the agreed subject by reviewing one priority strand, supporting colleagues with usable guidance and evaluating how consistently the intended knowledge and vocabulary appear in planning and pupil work by the final review.
Possible evidence might include the revised progression material, a concise staff briefing, samples from agreed year groups and an evaluation of the next improvement step. Adapt the scope to the time and responsibility attached to the role.
SEND and inclusive practice target example
Develop and evaluate two agreed classroom strategies that improve access to learning for pupils with identified needs, while maintaining the intended curriculum ambition, by the spring review point.
Possible evidence might include anonymised planning adaptations, work samples, observation or coaching notes and teacher reflection. Do not use unnecessary sensitive information or turn individual pupil outcomes into the sole measure of the teacher's performance.
Early career or developing-teacher target example
Improve routines for explanation and guided practice in the agreed classes through observation, deliberate rehearsal and coaching, demonstrating increasingly clear modelling and checks for understanding across the review period.
Possible evidence might include coaching records, selected lesson materials, observation feedback and the teacher's evaluation of which changes became consistent. Align the target with statutory induction arrangements where relevant rather than duplicating them.
Professional contribution target example
Lead one manageable contribution to team development, such as sharing a reviewed planning approach, supporting moderation or coordinating a focused resource improvement, and evaluate its usefulness with colleagues by the agreed review date.
Possible evidence might include the finished resource, brief feedback from colleagues and an agreed next step. The contribution should be realistic within directed time and should not create an open-ended additional responsibility.
Use AI to reduce drafting, not to make the judgement
AI can help organise agreed notes, produce alternative wording or turn a professional discussion into a consistent first draft. It should not decide whether a target is appropriate, assess a teacher's performance or generate evidence that does not exist.
Keep identifying employment information within approved systems and apply a higher level of checking to any wording that could affect a professional decision. The appraiser and teacher remain responsible for the target, support plan, evidence and final record.
Examples you can adapt
Make a broad priority reviewable
Context: The starting point is 'improve questioning', which is too broad for a fair development conversation.
Tool setup: Name the class or subject context, the questioning practice to develop, the support available, the review period and two or three proportionate evidence sources.
Review before use: Confirm that the target describes teacher development rather than guaranteeing a pupil result, and that the evidence can be gathered through normal professional activity.
Keep a leadership target within the role
Context: A subject leader is asked to improve consistency across the whole school without additional time or a defined focus.
Tool setup: Limit the target to one curriculum strand or agreed phase, state the leadership actions and identify the support and review points.
Review before use: Check that the scope matches responsibility, time and access to colleagues, and that success does not depend on the subject leader controlling every classroom decision.
Choose evidence that does not manufacture workload
Context: The proposed evidence list contains weekly uploads, repeated data reports and a separate written evaluation for every action.
Tool setup: Select existing sources such as planning, work, professional discussion and scheduled feedback, then add only what is needed to understand the change in practice.
Review before use: Ask whether each item adds useful evidence or simply proves that paperwork was completed.
Frequently asked questions
What makes a good teacher performance management target?
It should describe a meaningful, role-appropriate area of development, make the intended change clear, identify suitable support and use evidence that can be reviewed fairly without creating disproportionate workload.
Should teacher appraisal targets be SMART?
Specificity and a clear review point can help, but the wording should not reduce complex professional practice to an artificial number. Use the approach required by your setting and retain appropriate professional judgement.
Can a target be based on pupil data?
Pupil information may contribute to a balanced discussion, but a target should not normally depend entirely on one attainment measure or require a teacher to guarantee outcomes affected by many factors. Follow your local policy and relevant guidance.
Can AI write teacher appraisal objectives?
AI can help structure wording already agreed by the teacher and appraiser. It should not decide the target, assess performance, invent evidence or process sensitive employment information outside approved arrangements.
Are these examples a performance management policy?
No. They are practical examples to adapt. Use your school's or MAT's current policy, contractual arrangements and relevant professional advice when agreeing or reviewing formal objectives.