ABSTRACT
If the appraisal interview is seen as no more than a stage in the process that began with goalsetting and has continued through classroom observation, task observation and self-appraisal, then it should contain no surprises. Nevertheless, it may seem to the appraisee to be a more threatening activity than any that has preceded it. However much it has been emphasised that the whole appraisal process is about individual and institutional improvement and not about assessment, there will always be some who perceive it as judgmental; and this stage, coming as it does as the conclusion of the cycle, may well lend credence to any misgivings that the purpose of appraisal might, after all, be summative. It follows, therefore, that preparation for the appraisal interview must be thorough, and must emphasise that appraiser and appraisee are engaging in a joint activity, each with a responsibility for making sound preparations in order to ensure that the outcomes are as valuable as possible.
