Bloomsbury Managing Staff for Improved Performance: Human Resource Management in Schools

Managing Staff for Improved Performance provides a comprehensive guide to people management in schools, giving school leaders and managers clear insights into how to develop employee performance and ensure high quality service in education. Middlewood and Abbott explore human resource management (HRM) theory and practice, drawing on examples from a wide-range of school contexts across many different countries. They examine what is meant by all levels of performance, from excellent to poor, and offer strategies for evaluating the performance of all staff - starting with the school leader. The authors also explore a range of issues including recruitment, performance-related pay, working with unions and other professional organisations, engaging stakeholders and the thorny issues around dismissal procedures. Throughout this comprehensive guide for aspiring and practising school leaders, the emphasis is on taking a proactive and positive approach with a view to developing a culture within the organisation which only accepts very effective performance, and supports the style and approach of the school leader. Review It combines theory and practice in educational leadership and management in a way few other books on the market do. ― Anthony Thorpe, Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader for MA Education Leadership and Management, University of Roehampton, UK A comprehensive text which covers the main points on this complex subject. It is an ‘easy’ read in that the text flows and the topics follow logically. It could be used for Management courses for those specifically designed for teachers and/or as an example on generic management courses on the public sector. ― Denise Robinson, formerly Director, Huddersfield University Centre for Excellence in Teacher Training (HUDCETT), School of Education and Professional Development, University of Huddersfield, UK Middlewood and Abbott are well placed to understand both the pressures on schools’ staffs and the need for more than sympathy regarding the challenges of the current and fast changing schools’ system. The authors concentrate on practical ways that staff can be developed and improve for their benefit, the school and pupils. The book offers comprehensive coverage moving from the impact of government policies, the vital importance of establishing an empowering culture in schools for staff to thrive and achieve, and guidelines for strategies for supporting effective performance management. It is therefore, a must read for anyone with an interest in, or involvement with the development of schools’ staff. ― Sue Robinson, former headteacher, National Leader of Education and Development Director of a Multi Academy Trust, UK A very practical and readable text which provides students with an opportunity to relate theory to practice. The cases studies serve to give context and meaning to a complex topic. ― Rose Envy, Teeside University, UK About the Author David Middlewood is a former Research Fellow at the Centre for Educational Studies, University of Warwick, UK. He has published more than 20 books spanning people leadership and management, practitioner research and creating a learning school. Ian Abbott is Associate Tutor and formerly Director of the Centre for Educational Studies at the University of Warwick, UK. He has worked extensively with schools and colleges and has wide experience of teacher education and CPD.