Stage 2: Mid-cycle practice and learning
A formal mid-cycle review discussion must be scheduled between the education support employee and the reviewer to discuss progress against the PDP goals.
The primary purpose of the mid-cycle discussion is to provide an opportunity for the employee to receive feedback, identify areas for improvement, and request support to ensure the goals will be achieved by the end cycle.
The mid-cycle discussion also enables both education support employees and the reviewer to refine the goals and evidence in the PDP, and identify relevant professional learning and development opportunities. Any changes are to be agreed by the employee and the reviewer.
Concerns about performance should be raised as soon as they have been identified and discussed in the context of how the education support employee can work towards meeting their goals.
Reflect on practice
Education support employees should monitor progress against their goals and collect evidence of their practice throughout the performance and development cycle in preparation for mid-cycle and end-cycle discussions.
Ongoing analysis and discussion about practice with colleagues is encouraged. Employees should regularly reflect on and evaluate their practice and how it benefits the school, and undertake a self-review against their goals to prepare for performance discussions.
Feedback
Performance and development processes are most effective when they provide employees with constructive feedback to ensure they are informed about what they need to know and can do to improve their practice. Effective feedback is timely and actionable, supported by examples and provide opportunities for improvement.
Learning and collaboration to support the achievement of the PDP goals should be an expectation for all employees. Education support employees and the reviewer can discuss opportunities for professional development appropriate to their school’s context at any stage of the performance and development cycle.
There should be systems in place for education support employees to receive regular formal and informal feedback from a range of sources, including the principal, school leadership team, teachers, students, parents or carers, peers and through self-reflection.
Effective feedback should encourage and support employees to consider:
- where am I going?
- how am I going?
- where to next?
When providing feedback, reviewers should support employees to become self-regulators and evaluators of their own practice. Feedback should aim to motivate, empower and support employees to identify where their practice could be more effective and the adjustments required. Employees should enter feedback sessions with an open mind, and be willing and receptive to constructive feedback.
At the mid-cycle review discussion, an education support employee should be able to articulate the ways in which they are applying their learning to their role. Employees must enter their progress towards the goals in the PDP section of eduPay. Reviewers must then review, provide feedback and endorse the PDP on eduPay by 31 July.
Reviewed 06 February 2024
