Leadership 360s: What Smart Schools Do

A well designed 360 review gives leadership teams great insight and creates a strong, structured feedback loop. It’s often a key expectation from accrediting bodies too. If you want to strengthen leadership and meet governance standards, this is a smart place to begin.

Do Schools Really Need It? 

Even if your school already has an appraisal process, 360 reviews elevate it to the next level. Integrated into appraisals, they provide a well rounded view of leadership by gathering insights from stakeholders including teachers, peers, direct reports and supervisors.

The 360 approach reduces bias, uncovers blind spots, and reveals strengths that might otherwise be missed. It is an equitable process if executed well, and it sends a signal that feedback is a normal and important part of the process of developing professionally at your school. 

Isn’t It Just For Businesses?

Not at all. The key is tailoring the questions to fit your school’s context. A good 360 is thoughtful, focused, and linked to your standards of practice. The type, number, and phrasing of questions all shape the kind of feedback you get. Bringing in an external consultant can add neutrality, reduce internal bias, and take the pressure off your team by helping ensure the process stays fair, useful, and growth focused.

Is It Only For Leadership?

Most schools start 360s with their leadership team. Once they’ve designed an approach that fits their context, some go on to introduce a 360s for a wide range of senior positions. After all, why should leaders be the only ones who benefit from feedback?

Used well, 360 reviews can strengthen practice at all levels—but they should always sit within a broader, structured appraisal process. That’s what creates consistency, clarity, and a culture of ongoing improvement.

How Do We Keep It Anonymous?

In smaller settings, open-ended responses can make it easier to guess who said what, so consider limiting these or framing them carefully. Avoid emotionally charged language and keep the focus on job performance by linking questions to your standards of practice. This encourages constructive feedback and reduces the risk of personal grievances.

Using an external provider for 360s is worth considering. A trusted partner ensures confidentiality, reduces internal bias, and delivers clear, collated feedback that supports meaningful development. They can also help leaders and Boards with coaching, insights, and practical next steps.

Where Do We Get The Survey From?

The surveys themselves can be bought off the shelf, adapted, or custom designed, each comes with pros and cons. But the feedback is only as useful as the questions you ask. At the very least, adjust any standard survey to suit your school’s context.

If you work with an external provider, they will know how to design questions that keep the focus on performance, align with your school’s standards, and prevent feedback from becoming personal criticism.

What If People Receive Negative Feedback?

That’s a risk, and it’s something that needs to be managed with clear expectations. If giving feedback is new to your staff, then well planned briefings can help. These should cover the purpose of the process, what effective feedback looks like, and how to keep it aligned with your school’s standards of practice. 

People can default to being overly positive or overly critical, especially the first time. Reinforce that the process is about growth and improvement, not proving loyalty or catching people out. That message needs to be shared often and through multiple channels if the process is going to be valued and useful.

The Magic’s in the Follow Up

Follow up is where the real impact of a 360 happens, but it’s challenging to deliver on because school life is fast moving. The Board should check in with the Head of School, and the Head or manager should follow up with everyone else as part of their appraisal.

Make it a priority. Ensures it's added to calendars. Follow up may result in adjusting a goal, updating a school wide action, or coaching someone to have a tough conversation with someone in their department.

If you're sharing feedback more widely within the school, be fair and intentional. And if it’s tricky, get support. You don’t have to do it alone. Great schools don’t just collect feedback, they use it to build trust, grow leadership, and shape culture.

Feedback Builds Culture

If you want to strengthen your culture, start with the most powerful fix: feedback. Leaders thrive on meaningful input, and schools thrive when their leaders are supported to grow.

Resources

Standards are a great place to start when formulating a 360. Many schools just adopt standards from elsewhere (why reinvent the wheel?). TIE is a good place to start TIE Standards of Practice for International School Educators