IP Newsletter January 2026
Happy New Year! Let's Make 2025 Your Most Impactful Yet
Welcome back! As we step into the new year, it’s the perfect time to reset, refocus, and rethink how we nurture growth within our school communities. This month, we're challenging the status quo, offering fresh perspectives on professional development, and introducing exciting updates to help you achieve your vision.
Are you still relying on a single, formal mid-year appraisal meeting? If so, you might be missing out on powerful opportunities for continuous growth! While traditional mid-year reviews serve a purpose, imagine the impact of frequent, bite-sized catch-ups - regular informal conversations that foster genuine development.
Why break free from tradition?
Agile Goal Setting: Adapt actions on the fly as priorities shift and new challenges emerge.
Real-time Feedback: Address minor issues before they become major problems and immediately celebrate successes.
Boosted Morale & Motivation: Regular contact and encouragement keeps staff engaged and feeling valued.
Reduced Stress: No more high-stakes, once-a-year conversations – just ongoing, supportive dialogue.
Continuous Improvement Culture: Embed a mindset where professional growth is an everyday endeavour, not an annual event
iP makes this shift effortless! Our platform allows you to log informal discussions, set mini-goals, and track progress continuously, transforming your appraisal process from a bureaucratic exercise into a dynamic engine for growth.
Shifting to more frequent check-ins requires honing conversational skills. Professional conversations should be purposeful, empowering, and leave participants feeling energised.
Top Tips for Impactful Conversations:
Be Present & Listen Actively: Put away distractions. Truly hear what the other person is saying, both verbally and non-verbally.
Ask Powerful, Open-Ended Questions: Move beyond "yes/no" answers. Encourage reflection with questions like:
"What's been your biggest win?"
"What challenge are you currently facing, and what support do you need?"
"What's one small step you could take to move closer to your goal?"
Focus on Strengths & Areas for development: While acknowledging challenges, move quickly to building on strengths and exploring actionable solutions.
Agree on Next Steps: Ensure clarity on what will happen next and by whom, fostering accountability.
Document Briefly (in iP!): A quick summary of key points and agreed actions in iP ensures continuity and provides a record for future reference.
The rise of frequent check-ins naturally aligns with the power of coaching. Moving beyond a managerial directive, coaching is about unlocking an individual's potential to improving their own performance. In schools, a coaching approach helps:
Develop Self-Reflective Practitioners: Empower staff to identify their own areas for growth and solutions.
Build Resilience: Equip colleagues with problem-solving skills to be successful in their role.
Foster Leadership at All Levels: Develop critical thinking and decision-making skills across the entire team.
Improve Well-being: By giving staff autonomy and support, coaching can significantly reduce stress and enhance job satisfaction.
Investing in coaching skills for your leaders, from SLT to subject leads, creates a ripple effect, cultivating a culture of empowerment and excellence that benefits everyone.
Get ahead of the curve! We're thrilled to announce the launch of our brand-new iP Self-Evaluation Form (SEF), which aligns with the 2025 Ofsted framework. This isn't just a template; it's a strategic tool designed to help you:
Impact Narrative: Move beyond checklists to demonstrate the "so what?" behind your achievements.
Robust Self-Reflection: Provide clear evidence of how leadership and governance are actively dismantling barriers to learning.
Streamline Evidence Collection: Easily link performance, development, and improvement plan activities directly to your SEF.
This new SEF empowers your school to transform from a document-gathering exercise into a dynamic, evidence-rich portrayal of your school’s strengths and continuous journey of improvement. Prepare for your next inspection with confidence and clarity!
Easily downloadable from within the database in your system SEF > Settings > Forms > Add Form
Ready to transform your approach to professional development and self-evaluation? Explore the latest updates in iP today!
The greatest threat to any software implementation is the Digital Drought - the period where a platform is ignored for months, only to be accessed in a flurry of activity right before a deadline. This "peak and trough" usage leads to poor data quality and increased staff stress.
To avoid this, iP becomes a "habitual" tool rather than an "annual" one. A move from periodic compliance to regular rhythm.
The Monthly Micro-Check in: Instead of the 6-month review, mandate a 10-minute "Monthly Check-in." Staff log one piece of evidence or one reflection. This keeps the "Digital Drought" at bay and ensures the portfolio grows organically.
Meeting Integration: Make iP the "projector" for your meetings. Use Portfolios or Departmental Plans live on screen during SLT or Middle Leader meetings.
The "Golden Nugget" Shout-out: Use the platform to identify great practice. When a leader sees a fantastic piece of evidence uploaded, they should acknowledge it in the next staff briefing.
It is a common misconception that iP is just "appraisal software." In reality, the appraisal module is simply the foundation upon which a much more powerful structure is built.
iP is actually:
A Detailed Record: It captures the "why" and "how" of your school's progress, protecting you against knowledge loss when staff move on.
A Governance Shield: It provides governors with live, anonymised dashboards that prove the school is being managed effectively without them needing to deep-dive into individual staff files.
A Wellbeing Tool: By streamlining processes and keeping everything in one portal, it reduces the "workload of searching" - giving teachers back the time they usually spend hunting for lost files or re-writing evidence.
iP will be at BETT 2026, taking place from 21–23 January at ExCeL London. You’ll find us at Stand SE65.
BETT is the world’s leading education technology event, bringing together educators, leaders, and innovators to explore the latest tools, strategies, and ideas shaping teaching and learning.
We’ll be showcasing how iP supports schools and colleges both nationally and internationally to strengthen leadership, embed effective school improvement, and create sustainable impact across single schools and multi-academy trusts.
If you’re attending BETT, we’d love to connect with you. Pop by for a conversation and a live demonstration of how iP is transforming school improvement across the sector.
If you are enjoying iP…
Refer an organisation today for money off your licensing fee. Simply send us your contact to info@derventioeducation.com.
If our team successfully signs you up, we’ll apply the credit to your next renewal.
If you would like more information on this, get in touch with our referral team
We're proud to share that SchooliP has been voted the number one tool in its category by EdTech Impact! Thank you to everyone who shared their feedback. If you'd like to leave us a review, you can do so by clicking here.
