Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)

Policy

This policy sets out the requirement for all schools to develop an Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) each year.

Details

All Victorian government schools participate in a 4-year strategic planning cycle to support school improvement and to meet the requirements of the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic).

The AIP operationalises the 4-year School Strategic Plan (SSP).

All schools must prepare an AIP each year which outlines how the school will implement the goals and key improvement strategies (KIS) that will be their focus for improvement in the coming year.

The AIP includes:

• SSP goals, targets and KIS selected for focus that year
• key actions and tasks that will be undertaken to implement the KIS
• the evidence of change that will be observed to measure the impact of the actions and tasks

The AIP must be developed in Term 4 and endorsed by the senior education improvement leader (SEIL) by the end of Term 1 the following year.

Schools are required to undertake mid-year monitoring and an end-of-year assessment of their progress in implementing the AIP. The end-of year assessment includes a self-evaluation against the Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) continua of practice.

The AIP is developed and monitored within the Strategic Planning Online Tool (SPOT).

School leaders and school improvement teams (SITs) develop and monitor delivery of the AIP with input from staff and the broader school community as required.

During the process of developing their AIP a school may identify a need to update the SSP. For further information on how to make these changes, please refer to the School Strategic Plan topic on PAL.

The Guidance tab sets out detailed advice for each step of the AIP process.

Related policies

• Annual Report to the School Community
• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0)
• School Review
• School Strategic Plan

Relevant legislation

Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic)

Guidance

This guidance contains the following chapters:

1. What’s new in the Annual Implementation Plan
2. Annual Implementation Plan timelines
3. End-of-year assessment of the Annual Implementation Plan
4. Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan
5. Endorsement and communication of the Annual Implementation Plan
6. Implementing the Annual Implementation Plan
7. Monitoring delivery of the Annual Implementation Plan
8. Advice for schools in review
9. Advice for new schools

1. What’s new in the Annual Implementation Plan

Removal of the funding planner and professional learning plan

To streamline the AIP and reduce principal administrative burden, both the funding planner and professional learning planner have been removed from the 2026 AIP.

Removal of 12-month sub targets

Schools are no longer required to develop 12-month sub targets for each 4-year target of the School Strategic Plan (SSP) goals selected for focus. Instead, schools will work towards improving their data based on the SSP with annual monitoring as data become available.

Addition of a ‘system priorities’ section

This section captures emerging system priorities for all schools, such as the current compulsory target for all schools to reduce the number of students achieving in the ‘Needs Additional Support’ level in reading and numeracy in NAPLAN.

Changes to key plan elements

The structure and naming of key plan elements have been updated for the 2026 AIP for ease of completion.

AIP ‘success indicators’ and ‘outcomes’ have been consolidated under a new ‘evidence of change’ section, where, for each key improvement strategy (KIS), schools identify up to 5 key changes expected to occur across the year if the actions are achieved.

AIP ‘activities’ have been replaced with ‘tasks’. Schools identify a maximum of 6 specific tasks necessary to complete actions for each KIS.

For further information, refer to Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan.

VTLM 2.0, Victorian Lesson Plans and F–2 reading approach check-in

As part of the end-of-year assessment for the 2025 AIP, schools will respond to a short series of questions on their current practices against the expectations in the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2, and their intentions to use the Victorian Lesson Plans in 2026.

Schools who respond ‘no’ or ‘partially’ are expected to include actions towards implementing the VTLM 2.0 and F–2 reading approach in their 2026 AIP.

For further information, refer to End-of-year assessment of the Annual Implementation Plan.

‘Needs additional support’ AIP target

Schools are required to continue working towards a target to decrease the number of students being assessed at the ‘needs additional support’ (NAS) level in reading and numeracy in NAPLAN by the time those students next complete NAPLAN.

Primary schools must continue working towards the following target:

• By 2026, reduce the number of NAS students in each of reading and numeracy in Year 3 and 5 compared to the number of NAS students in 2024.

Secondary schools must continue working towards the following target:

• By 2026, reduce the number of NAS students in each of reading and numeracy in Year 7 and 9 compared to the number of NAS students in 2024.

Schools without NAS students or that do not participate in NAPLAN testing are exempt.

For further information, refer to Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan.

School council endorsement of the AIP

To reduce administrative burden, school councils are no longer required to endorse the AIP.

As part of a best practice approach, principals are strongly encouraged to share and discuss the key upcoming work identified in the AIP with the school council.

Plan on a page

Schools can download a new AIP ‘plan on a page’ document from the ‘review and endorse’ tab on SPOT (staff login required), which will display a summary of AIP goals, KIS, actions and tasks for sharing with school staff and the community.

2. Annual Implementation Plan timelines

By the end of Term 4, schools must:

• complete the end-of-year assessment of the AIP
• develop the next AIP
• submit the next AIP in SPOT for feedback and endorsement by the SEIL.

Additional support for schools in planning their approach to Term 4 is available in the AIP Term 4 planning tool resource (PPTX) (staff login required).

In Term 1, it is recommended that schools:

• action feedback from the SEIL, if appropriate (SEILs provide feedback on AIP by the start of Term 1)
• (best practice) share the AIP with the school council for discussion
• commence implementation of the AIP
• (optional) complete AIP Term 1 monitoring by the end of Term 1.

In Term 2, schools must:

• continue to implement the AIP
• complete AIP mid-year monitoring (compulsory) between Week 8, Term 2 and Week 2, Term 3.

In Term 3, it is recommended that schools:

• continue to implement the AIP
• complete AIP Term 3 monitoring (optional) by the end of Term 3.

3. End-of-year assessment of the Annual Implementation Plan

In Term 4, schools complete the AIP end-of-year assessment in the Strategic Planning Online Tool (SPOT) to reflect on the progress they have made in implementing the AIP and to identify considerations for future planning.

The end-of-year assessment includes:

1. indicating whether 2025 12-month AIP targets have been met
2. indicating progress on implementing the key improvement strategies (KIS)
3. future planning: identifying next steps for improvement
4. self-evaluation against the FISO 2.0 continua of practice and expectations set out in the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0), Victorian Lesson Plans and Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2.

More detail on each of these elements is provided below.

3.1 Examine data and indicate progress on 2025 12-month AIP targets

Schools examine their school performance report and other reports on Panorama, as well as locally held data to identify whether each AIP target has been met.

Schools compare their performance to similar schools, as well as review their performance over time and outcomes for priority cohorts.

In the 2025 AIP end-of-year assessment, it is recommended that schools indicate interim progress towards their NAPLAN ‘needs additional support’ target using the following options available on SPOT:

• ‘Partially met – if interim measures suggest on track’
• ‘Not on track to meet – if interim measures suggest not on track’
• ‘Not able to assess due to cohort changes – if changes to your cohort mean interim assessment not possible’.

It is recommended that schools draw on at least one of the following data sources to demonstrate evidence of progress for the NAS target:

• Adaptive PAT-R (Reading) and Adaptive PAT-M (Mathematics) or alternative third-party standardised assessment tool
• Teacher judgement growth dashboard on Panorama
• VCAA digital assessments for Mathematics and English.

To support data discussions, schools can refer to the approach and guiding questions on page 6 of Using FISO 2.0 to plan school improvement (PDF).

3.2 Indicate progress on implementing the KIS

Schools indicate their progress towards each KIS by:

• identifying whether actions were completed, partially completed or not completed
• commenting on the impact of actions on outcomes and success indicators
• identifying the relevant enablers and barriers.

3.3 Future planning: Identify next steps for improvement

Schools include a commentary on progress towards their 4-year SSP goals, targets and KIS and describe areas for focus the following year.

3.4 Self-evaluation against the FISO 2.0 continua of practice

Schools record a self-evaluation rating using the FISO 2.0 continua of practice for each of the learning and wellbeing outcomes as well as the 5 core elements.
Schools can also choose to summarise and attach evidence in support of these self-evaluations.

In relation to student learning and wellbeing outcomes, schools use a 4-point scale (emerging, evolving, embedding and excelling) to assess student achievement and learning and development of wellbeing capabilities. To inform their self-evaluation, it is recommended that schools examine the outcomes data in Panorama both over time and for a range of student cohorts.

To inform their self-evaluation against the core elements, it is recommended that schools reflect on practice across the school by using the FISO 2.0 illustrations of practice (DOCX). The illustrations of practice are examples of effective practice within each dimension of FISO 2.0, and they can be used as a benchmark against which to reflect on current practice and identify areas for improvement.

Schools who have recently undergone a school review can draw on their validated FISO 2.0 continua assessment when completing this step.

Completion of the self-evaluation against the FISO 2.0 continua of practice supports schools to prioritise areas for focus in the next AIP.

VTLM 2.0, Victorian Lesson Plans and F–2 reading check-in

As part of the ‘teaching and learning’ core element in the end-of-year assessment, schools respond to a short series of questions on their current practices against the expectations in the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2 and indicate their intentions to use the Victorian Lesson Plans in 2026. These questions are designed to assist schools to identify areas of focus for the 2026 AIP.

The questions appear in the ‘perform self-evaluation’ tab in the AIP in SPOT when the ‘teaching and learning’ core element is selected.

It is recommended that schools include actions towards implementing the VTLM 2.0 and F-2 reading approach (if applicable) in their 2026 AIP.

4. Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan

Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) includes:

1. selecting goals from the SSP for inclusion in the AIP
2. reviewing the 4-year targets for each goal to inform selection of KIS
3. reviewing the system priorities section
4. selecting the key improvement strategies (KIS)
5. developing the actions for each KIS
6. defining the evidence of change for each action
7. identifying tasks for each action.

More detail on each of these elements is provided below.

4.1 Selecting goals from the SSP for inclusion in the AIP

Schools use insights from their end-of-year assessment to select which SSP goals and related KIS will be prioritised for the next AIP.

Schools are required to include both a learning goal and a wellbeing goal in their AIPs, reflecting FISO 2.0.

When selecting goals for the next AIP, schools must consider:

• the sequencing of goals and KIS over the 4-year period of the SSP
• the areas requiring further attention that were identified during the end-of-year assessment
• whether the school is on track to meet the targets outlined in the SSP
• the capacity of the staff within the school to deliver the actions required for the KIS
• the desired change over the 12-month period.

4.2 Reviewing the 4-year targets for each goal to inform selection of KIS

Note: schools no longer develop 12-month sub targets in the AIP.

For each goal selected for focus in the AIP, it is expected that schools review their progress against the 4-year SSP targets to determine which KIS will be selected for implementation through the new AIP.

When reviewing overall progress towards achievement of the SSP targets, schools consider whether they are starting to implement a new SSP in 2026 or are in the middle or end of implementing a current SSP. Understanding progress toward targets and the status of previously implemented KIS helps schools decide which strategies to continue, adjust, or introduce in the new AIP.

4.3 Reviewing the system priorities section

A ‘system priorities’ section has been added for schools to capture improvements in the department’s priority areas. In 2026 this includes the continuation of the compulsory target for reducing the number of students in the ‘needs additional support’ (NAS) proficiency level in NAPLAN reading and numeracy.

The ‘system priorities’ section is pre-populated for all schools on the Strategic Planning Online Tool (SPOT), at the top of the ‘select annual goals and KIS’ tab.

Schools are required to continue to work towards a target to decrease the number of students achieving in the NAS proficiency level in reading and numeracy in NAPLAN by the time those students next complete NAPLAN. This target is displayed in the ‘system priorities’ section of the AIP on SPOT.

Primary schools must continue to work towards the following target:

• By 2026, reduce the number of NAS students in each of reading and numeracy in Year 3 and 5 compared to the number of NAS students in 2024.

Secondary schools must continue to work towards the following target:

• By 2026, reduce the number of NAS students in each of reading and numeracy in Year 7 and 9 compared to the number of NAS students in 2024.

For example, if 12 students in Year 3 have been assessed as needing additional support in 2024 NAPLAN, a school would aim to have fewer than 12 students from that same cohort when they are in Year 5 in 2026 assessed as needing additional support.

To find the baseline data for this target, schools can access their 2024 NAPLAN results on Panorama.

Schools without NAS students or that do not participate in NAPLAN testing are exempt.

4.4 Selecting the key improvement strategies

The school selects the KIS from their SSP to focus on over the next 12 months.

The school provides a rationale on why these KIS have been selected, which can include commentary on their:

• self-evaluation against the FISO 2.0 continua of practice
• responses to the VTLM 2.0, Victorian Lesson Plans and F–2 reading approach questions from the previous end-of-year assessment
• current progress towards the SSP goals and targets
• school data or other supporting evidence.

When selecting KIS for implementation, schools must consider:

• the logical sequencing of KIS, and whether certain KIS need to be implemented before others
• the likely impact of each KIS on student outcomes
• the school’s readiness for change, including barriers and enablers
• the strategic resourcing demands of each KIS
• whether there are any new KIS that were not originally identified in the SSP, such as strategies related to new programs or department initiatives. Schools can add KIS to their SSP and subsequent AIPs by editing the SSP in SPOT.

4.5 Developing actions for each key improvement strategy

Schools develop actions, which are the high-level areas of focus across the year that support the implementation of the KIS.

When developing actions, schools must consider:

• that only 1 or 2 actions are developed per KIS, per year
• the steps or processes required to implement a KIS, and how these can be sequenced or prioritised
• the actions that have the greatest potential impact on outcomes and practices
• the evidence of change in knowledge, skills, behaviours that should be seen in relation to students, teachers and leaders, and in student outcomes
• any organisational or structural changes that might be required
• their local context and resources that may be required to support the actions.

4.6 Defining evidence of change for each action

For each KIS, schools identify up to 5 key changes expected to occur across the year if the actions are successfully implemented.

Evidence of change should capture expected changes in:

• school practices, per the FISO 2.0 core elements
• the skills, behaviours and knowledge of staff, students or leaders
• artefacts such as lesson plans or observation notes
• student learning and wellbeing outcomes data.

4.7 Identifying tasks for each action

Schools identify the specific tasks necessary to complete the actions. Schools should develop a maximum of 6 tasks across the 1 to 2 actions identified for each KIS. To determine how many actions and corresponding tasks to develop for each KIS, schools must consider their capacity for change over the year and the number of KIS selected for focus across the entire AIP. Schools record who is responsible for the implementation of each task.

5. Endorsement and communication of the Annual Implementation Plan

The principal submits the AIP by the end of Term 4 using the ‘review and endorse’ tab in SPOT.

It is recommended the SEIL reviews the AIP and provides feedback by the end of Term 1.

Once endorsed by the SEIL, principals are strongly encouraged to share the AIP with the school council for discussion.

The high-level focus of the AIP can be communicated to the broader school community through the principal’s preferred channel such as the school newsletter, school website updates, or any other platform the school uses. A downloadable, short form ‘plan on a page’ AIP is available from SPOT to support sharing with the school community.

6. Implementing the Annual Implementation Plan

Schools should establish appropriate systems and processes to collaboratively implement the AIP.

Some options for effective implementation and monitoring of the AIP include the following.

Processes led by school leadership or the school improvement team members

• The school improvement team (SIT) is responsible for implementation of the AIP.
• Team members regularly meet to monitor implementation, including by analysing data and reporting on progress.
• The SIT is responsible for providing the time and resources required for implementing regular professional development, collecting data, and gaining feedback from staff, students, and parents.
• Members of the SIT will take responsibility for the delivery of a component of the AIP.

Processes led by teams of staff

• Specific teams of staff support the implementation of AIP KIS across the school, for example, a team of staff with a specific focus on leading implementation of numeracy and a team of staff focused on implementing Respectful Relationships.
• The identified staff collaborate regularly and are responsible for overseeing the implementation and monitoring for their AIP area as required. They report back to leadership/SIT on progress regularly.
• The selected teams support the delivery of professional development, collecting data and gaining feedback from students and parents.

Processes for small schools

• Very small schools may wish to collaborate on AIP implementation as a network or cluster.
• In these instances, schools may have shared actions but undertake different tasks in response to their context.
• These schools can support each other with monitoring and critically reflecting on implementation.

7. Monitoring delivery of the Annual Implementation Plan

Schools are required to undertake mid-year monitoring of their progress in implementing the AIP. If desired, schools can also undertake monitoring in Term 1 and 3.

It is recommended that schools complete their mid-year monitoring activities by mid-July.

Based on the outcomes of monitoring, schools can adjust their plans across the remainder of the year.

SEILs have a key role in supporting schools to undertake monitoring and provide feedback on implementation progress throughout the year.

To complete the monitoring tab for a given term on SPOT, it is recommended that schools:

• reflect on the implementation of the AIP
• identify the progress of the evidence of change and whether this has yet been observed in the school
• identify any enablers and barriers to achieving the outcomes.

8. Advice for schools in review

During the year of their review, schools have different timelines for their next AIP, as outlined below.

Schools in review in Term 4 or Term 1 do not have to develop their next AIP until their new SSP has been developed and endorsed.

Schools in review in Term 2 must develop an AIP to last at least until they expect their new SSP will be finalised. Once the new SSP has been endorsed, these schools can either develop a post-review AIP to guide their work for the remainder of the year, or continue with their pre-review AIP if preferred. Schools continuing with the pre-review AIP should update the actions and tasks to reflect updates to key priorities for the remaining year where required, and maintain a strong focus on implementing the AIP.

Schools in review in Term 3 develop an AIP for the full year as per regular arrangements.

Schools are encouraged to work collaboratively with their SEIL to determine how much detail needs to be provided in the AIP.

Further information regarding school review can be found on the School Review PAL topic.

9. Advice for new schools

To guide a school’s first year of operation, schools must develop a stand-alone Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) before developing their first School Strategic Plan (SSP) in their second year of operation, after their initial school review.

This new schools’ AIP contains an additional tab where schools can write their goals, and key improvement strategies (KIS) for the first 12 months of operation (as there is no SSP from which these can be pre-populated).

To support this, the first AIP should establish broad goals and KIS relating to student learning and wellbeing outcomes. These goals consider the school vision and establish high expectations for student outcomes.

The AIP should be endorsed by the senior education improvement leader (SEIL) within the first term of the school’s operation.

Depending on the timing of their review, some new schools will need to develop a stand-alone AIP for their second year of operation, to be used until the school’s first SSP has been developed following their first school review. For further detail on how the timing of review affects AIP planning, refer to Advice for schools in review.

Refer to the ‘2026 AIP additional supporting resources’ document on the Resources tab to see a worked example of an AIP for a new school.

Resources

Resources to support AIP development

• 2026 AIP additional supporting resources (PPTX) (staff login required)

Resources to support planning

• SPOT troubleshooting guide (DOCX) (staff login required)

Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO) 2.0 resources

• FISO 2.0 Policy – sets out the implementation process for using the new FISO 2.0
• FISO 2.0 practice tools guidance – contains an overview of each of the tools that will help schools to implement FISO 2.0

Data sources to support Annual Implementation Planning

• Panorama (staff login required) – includes access to School Performance Reports and range of dashboards with dynamic views of school achievement, wellbeing and engagement measures over time
• Insight assessment platform – includes access to English and Mathematics online interviews, Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES) assessment tool, Reading and Vocabulary assessment for English as an Additional Language students (RVEAL)
• One school one view – a ‘live’, interactive dashboard providing a single view of school context, performance, financial information and other school initiatives
• VCAA data service – provides a comprehensive range of reports to all Victorian schools on results from the National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN)

Other relevant Department of Education resources, programs and initiatives

• Curriculum Programs Foundation – 10
• Victorian Teaching and Learning Model 2.0
• Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2
• Victorian Lesson Plans
• Assessment of Student Achievement and Progress Foundation to 10
• VCE Vocational Major and Victorian Pathways Certificate Provision
• Individual Education Plans
• English as an Additional Language
• EAL curriculum and program planning
• Students with Disability
• Disability Inclusion Funding and Support
• Supporting High-Ability Students
• Professional Learning Communities resources
• Schools Mental Health Fund and Menu
• Mental Health in Schools
• Student Engagement
• Marrung Education Plan
• Dhelk Wukang (PDF) – DE’s Aboriginal Inclusion Plan for 2022 to 2026