APPRAISAL OF teachers was introduced by the British government in 1991 to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in all state funded schools.

Since then, all teachers and headteachers in England and Wales, have been contractually obliged to undergo a formal, biennial appraisal process. Although appraisal of teachers in Scotland takes place on a non mandatory basis, the Scottish Office expects all teachers to have been appraised by the end of this year.

The statutory scheme of teacher appraisal in England and Wales was developed by central government, local government and teacher organisations. It was introduced on a phased basis and preceded by training for both appraisers and appraises.

Usually the appraiser has a management responsibility for the appraisee. Appraisers are appointed by the headteacher but the latter must not "unreasonably refuse" the request from a teacher for an alternative appraiser in "appropriate" circumstances.

The appraisal cycle begins with an initial meeting between the appraiser and appraisee at which the teacher's job description is considered. They agree about what other evidence will be collected, from whom, and when the two lesson observations and the appraisal interview will take place.

Next comes self appraisal. Teachers reflect upon their professional strengths and weaknesses, determine developmental needs, and examine any current skills or knowledge that is not being fully utilised. This component of appraisal can identify previously underestimated management potential.

The third component is the collection of evidence. Only evidence agreed upon at the initial meeting is gathered by the appraiser. This might focus on the appraisee's pastoral, administrative or liaison responsibilities.

Classroom observation can be general or focus on specific issues. The appraiser is required to give some feedback as soon after a lesson observation as is practicable.

Next comes the appraisal interview, the central component of the appraisal process. The appraisee's work is jointly reviewed. Successes and areas needing development or training are identified. Career development is discussed, as is the appraisee's contribution to the policies and management of the school. Target setting is a statutory requirement of the appraisal interview, which must take into account the needs of the individual and of the school.

FINALLY, the appraiser and appraisee agree on the content of the appraisal statement. The appraisal statement records the main issues discussed in the interview, any conclusions reached, and includes the agreed targets.

The appraisee can add to the document, noting any disagreements. Both parties sign the statement. Each keeps a copy of the appraisal statement and the headteacher must be given a copy.

The chair of governors, upon request, is entitled to see the "target setting" section of any teacher's appraisal statement.

The final component is the formal review, which takes place in the second year of the appraisal cycle and considers progress made by the appraisee and the school towards attaining the agreed targets.

Headteacher appraisal is similar to teacher appraisal except in the following respects. Heads have two appraisers: a serving headteacher and, depending on the school's status, an inspector from the local education authority. Second, "task observation" may replace lesson observation, especially if the headteacher has only a small number of lessons.

Relevant information from appraisal may be taken into account for promoting, dismissing or disciplining teachers and headteachers. Appraisal may also be used to inform decisions about discretionary aspects of teachers' pay.

However, as the appraisal is based on trust, successful appraisal schemes recommend that the appraisal statement should not be used for promotion or pay.

The financial cost of appraisal was initially met by the GEST (Grants for Education, Support and Training) scheme. However, after the first three years, GEST funding for appraisal came to an end. Consequently, "there isn't very much going on at the moment", says Trevor Cooke of the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), the body responsible for the professional development of teachers.

While some local education authorities continue to operate effective appraisal schemes, "there's more not doing it than doing it," he adds.

Britain's secretary of state for education, Gillian Shepherd, has asked the TTA and the Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) to undertake a review of teacher appraisal and to report to her this September. The review will make recommendations about the collection of evidence and target setting, the relationship between teacher appraisal, staff development and school development planning, and the links between appraisal and OFSTED whole school inspections.

PLANS TO RUN teacher appraisal parallel with new "national standards for teachers" are currently being put in place. There will be four key stages of career progression: induction (standards that must be met by newly qualified teachers); expert teachers (standards to be attained by those with several years' classroom experience); standards that need to be attained before progression to subject leader or head of department; standards required before promotion to headteacher.

In his report on teacher appraisal, Michael Barber concluded that appraisal had been "implemented with skill, commitment and energy" and that "for many teachers and schools appraisal has already, brought considerable benefits".

He argued that appraisal had had a direct impact on classroom performance. "This alone," he argued, "would justify the investment in appraisal over the past four years."