School leaders in the UK are encouraged and advised to conduct 360 degree feedback surveys as part of their National Professional Qualification for Senior Leadership (NPQSL). The purpose is to give school leaders an insight (using feedback from colleagues) into their leadership behaviours, experience and knowledge. The results detailed in an analytical report are aimed to guide school leaders on their NPQSL learning journey by highlighting their current leadership strengths and areas for development.

National Professional Qualifications (NPQs) are accredited by England's Department for Education (DfE) and "aim to provide teachers and leaders with the essential knowledge (learn that) and skills (learn how to)  for the effective development and delivery of evidence-based school improvement strategies". (National Professional Qualification (NPQs) for International Schools | Outstanding Leaders). 

Many school leaders then implement the 360 surveys to offer insight into other school leaders behaviour and judgement of performance, using school teachers and staff as participants. However, research findings indicate that school leaders’ understanding of research and using research correctly for school improvement is limited:

• despite recognition of the role of research and evidence in schools, research also indicates that it is still infrequently used by teachers to inform their teaching practice (Nelson et al., 2017)
• there is a lack of good-quality research evidence to tell us how to mobilise evidence into use in education (Gorard et al., 2020)
• the findings from the review of 242 interventions in use across the 10 schools (primary and secondary) in Wales suggest that the vast majority of the interventions lacked robust evidence of positive casual impact on learner outcomes (Pegram et al., 2022).

Are anonymous surveys really advocated by an education department, given the problems we have with cyber bullying in contemporary society? Yes, they are and more so, this raises questions about the quality of how 360 degree feedback surveys are conducted in schools - are they used ethically given the limited knowledge research findings suggest?  Literature suggests that they are often are not valid or reliable;"360-degree feedback is the grown-up version of a horrible game played in middle schools." (The Horrible Truth About 360-Degree Feedback (forbes.com)). Such surveys and quantitative approaches to research sit within the industry philosophy and not education. Hence, if not used correctly, in design or implementation, the surveys can easily be counterproductive to the purpose the DfE has stated and actually sit within workplace bullying and harassment; “We are aware of the fact that harassment and bullying can happen, even in positive work environments. When this happens, companies need a way to identify and address the situation immediately.” (Are Anonymous Reviews Destructive? (shrm.org)). They are powerful tools which can create exclusivity and develop a toxic school environment; "360-degree feedback is as evil and anti-human a mindset and methodology as you could find anywhere in the weenified, bureaucratic workplace." (The Horrible Truth About 360-Degree Feedback (forbes.com)). 

The purpose of this discussion is to develop a set of clear guidelines for School Leaders to adopt if they insist on using such research strategies as the 360 degree feedback survey. Please refer to the attachment and offer amendments and/or supplements.

https://www.thevaluespartnership.com/mentoring-blog/360-degree-performance-review-disappointment
https://tracksurveys.com/three-big-mistakes-to-avoid-with-360-degree-feedback/
https://www.clearreview.com/360-degree-feedback-fails/
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/employee-relations/pages/360-degree-reviews.aspx?loc=mena
https://www.forbes.com/sites/lizryan/2015/10/21/the-horrible-truth-about-360-degree-feedback/?sh=1a3ed10069b9