Appraisals provide a valuable opportunity to reflect on the past year and set clear performance and development goals for the year ahead. Alongside regular 1:1 meetings, they enable meaningful, focused conversations with your manager about your wellbeing, career aspirations, and the support you need to achieve these.
All staff who have successfully completed probation are expected to take part in an appraisal, with outcomes clearly and concisely recorded in the Horizon system. This should capture the key points from the discussion, including agreed SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) performance and development goals aligned to your current role.
All Senior Leaders will be required to have an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) goal, and all staff are encouraged to include an EDI goal as part of their appraisal.
One of your development goals will continue to be the completion of mandatory training including the new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Essentials course. You will be notified if you have any overdue mandatory training via an email and bell notification in the Horizon system on 1 June and subsequently every first Monday of every month. You are expected to complete all mandatory training, including any overdue mandatory refresher training by the end of the appraisal cycle on 30 September 2026.
Managers should take a coaching-led approach, allowing staff to lead discussions about their performance, goals, and career development. Managers should also clarify expectations around workload for the upcoming academic year.
You can find useful resources to support you with the appraisal on the People Directorate webpages and helpful navigation videos on Horizon Learning.
If you have any queries on appraisal, please refer to the Horizon Help Desk to search for a relevant knowledge article. If a knowledge article does not answer your query, please raise a service request within the Horizon Help Desk.
