My school is getting a new head in September. Will the staffing review have to wait until then before being started?

The review period effectively starts this term. The DfES suggests that, in your situation, both the current and in-coming head need to be involved in the review process. However, if the outgoing head is retiring this August, and does nothing, this will mean the new head and the governing body will only have until the end of December to complete the process. Starting in September means that the school will be able to assess how others have fared during this term, but won’t leave much time for the review.