Subject to the following provisions of this regulation, and to regulation 9, the governing body must determine the timing of the appraisal cycle for the head teacher of the school.

Except as provided for in paragraph (3) and regulation 9(3) the length of an appraisal cycle will be one year and will begin after 1 September and before 31 December unless the local authority and the governing body agree otherwise.

In the case of the first appraisal cycle under these Regulations of a head teacher in post on the date on which these Regulations come into force, the governing body may determine that the length of that appraisal cycle is a period other than one year provided that it begins no earlier than 1 January 2012 and ends no later than 31 December 2012.

Once begun, appraisal cycles for every head teacher are continuous.

The appointment of a new appraiser does not cause a head teacher’s appraisal cycle to begin again.