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
• 12-month targets that track progress against 4-year targets
• actions that will be undertaken to implement the selected KIS
• intended outcomes of the actions (changes in knowledge, skills and behaviours) as well as success indicators that will be used to measure the outcomes
• the related activities that will be completed to achieve the outcomes, including resourcing, responsibility, and timelines for completion
• a funding planner including information on Equity Funding, Disability Inclusion Tier 2 Funding, and Schools Mental Health Fund
• a professional learning planner.

The AIP must be developed in Term 4 and endorsed by the senior education improvement leader (SEIL) and school council 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

VTLM 2.0 and F–2 reading approach self-assessment

As part of the end-of-year assessment for the 2024 AIP, schools will assess their practice against the expectations set out in the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2 (PDF).

Schools who respond ‘no’ or ‘partially’ are expected to include actions towards implementing the VTLM 2.0 and F–2 reading approach in their 2025 AIP.

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

‘Needs additional support’ AIP target

Schools are required to set a 12-month target to decrease the number of students achieving in the ‘needs additional support’ (NAS) level in reading and numeracy in NAPLAN by the time those students next complete NAPLAN. This target should be set against an existing School Strategic Plan (SSP) learning goal in their 2025 AIP.

Primary schools must use 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 use 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.

Schools are strongly encouraged to set targets to increase the number of students assessed as ‘strong’ and ‘exceeding’ in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 over time.

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

Priorities goal

The automated priorities goal and its associated KIS have been removed from the 2025 AIP.

Schools will still be required to ensure that their 2025 AIP includes both a learning and wellbeing goal and key improvement strategy from their SSP.

School council president endorsement in SPOT

To reduce administrative burden, school council presidents are no longer required to endorse the AIP in the SPOT platform.

The AIP will still be presented to and endorsed by school council, and the principal as the executive officer of school council will indicate on SPOT that this has been completed.

Refinements to the continua of practice self-assessment

The self-assessment against the FISO 2.0 continua of practice has been updated to separate the student learning and wellbeing outcomes from the 5 core elements.

Schools will now assess their current school practice against the 2 outcomes as well as the 5 core elements using the 4-point scale.

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

Refresh of specific targets due to data changes (optional)

In light of recent changes in the data collection for NAPLAN and perception surveys (staff login required), schools can choose to review and refresh relevant targets within their SSP before developing their 2025 AIP.

Following the introduction of the Mathematics Curriculum 2.0 (staff login required), schools with targets related to teacher judgements against the Victorian Mathematics Curriculum may have challenges in assessing progress towards these targets. Therefore, for 2025 schools can choose to set a general 12-month target for improvement, such as to ‘improve the proportion of students achieving above the expected level in the Victorian Curriculum Mathematics 2.0’ or alternatively, they may write ‘N/A’ in the relevant target text box on SPOT.

In the coming years, schools will need to progressively update any other SSP targets related to the Victorian Curriculum to reflect the Victorian Curriculum 2.0. This should be done when a baseline for the new curriculum has been established. In the interim, schools may choose to set general targets for improvement without a baseline or target figure.

2. Annual Implementation Plan timelines

By the end of Term 4, schools should:

• 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, schools should:

• action feedback from the SEIL, if appropriate (SEILs provide feedback on AIP by the start of Term 1)
• present the AIP to school council for endorsement during Term 1
• indicate that this endorsement has occurred via the tab on SPOT by the end of Term 1
• commence implementation of the AIP
• (optional) complete AIP Term 1 monitoring by the end of Term 1.

In Term 2, schools should:

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

In Term 3, schools should:

• 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 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 including expectations set out in the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2 (PDF).

More detail on each of these elements is provided below.

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

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

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 outcomes, the continua is based on both the trajectory of data and equity of outcomes. To inform their self-evaluation, schools should 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, schools should examine 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 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 and F–2 reading

As part of the ‘teaching and learning’ core element, schools will assess their practice against the expectations set out in the Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM 2.0) and Victoria’s approach to teaching reading F–2 (PDF).

Schools who respond ‘no’ or ‘partially’ are expected to include actions towards implementing the VTLM 2.0 and F-2 reading approach (if applicable) in their 2025 AIP.

4. Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan

Developing the next Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) includes:

1. selecting the goals for inclusion in the AIP
2. setting the 12-month targets for each goal
3. selecting the key improvement strategies (KIS)
4. developing the actions for each KIS
5. defining outcomes for each action
6. identifying success indicators for each action
7. identifying activities for each action
8. completing the funding planner
9. completing the professional learning plan

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
• 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 Setting the 12-month targets for each goal

For each goal, schools develop 12-month targets based on the 4-year targets set in the SSP. The 12-month targets represent incremental steps towards the achievement of the SSP targets.

12-month targets should be written using the following format: ‘to improve [selected measure] from X% ([previous year]) to Y% ([current year])’.

To set 12-month targets, the school should:

• identify a benchmark based on most recent available data
  identify an appropriate target to work towards achieving in the current year. To do this, schools should consider:
  • the amount of progress made during the previous AIPs
  • any specific barriers or enablers that may impact progress in the year ahead
  • the number of students in the cohort – for example, shifting the perception of 5 students out of 20 would result in 25% growth.

Schools should also consider how they might translate 4-year targets to be inclusive of priority cohorts which may require differentiated support. These cohorts differ from school to school depending on context, and may include students who:

• have a disability or additional needs
• identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
• are English as an Additional Language (EAL) learners or culturally and linguistically diverse learners.

Smaller schools can have particular challenges in setting targets due to year-to-year variation of data, and may wish to:

• identify a specific number of students rather than a percentage target
• use the 3-year average as their benchmark when developing 12-month targets, such as with the Attitudes to School Survey (AtoSS) and School Staff Survey (SSS).

Schools should be mindful that student outcomes are unlikely to improve at a linear rate over the course of the 4-year SSP. Initially, there may be little change as the school introduces strategies that may take time to be reflected in improved student outcomes. Schools may plan for smaller changes in the first years of their SSP and plan for more significant changes in the final years.

The following example shows how a school may set 12-month targets based on the targets in their SSP.

Setting a ‘needs additional support’ target

Schools are required to set a 12-month target to decrease the number of students achieving in the ‘needs additional support’ (NAS) level in reading and numeracy in NAPLAN by the time those students next complete NAPLAN. This target should be set against an existing SSP learning goal.

Primary schools must use 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 use 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 less 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 will be exempt.

Further to this requirement, schools are strongly encouraged to set targets to increase the number of students assessed as ‘strong’ and ‘exceeding’ in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 over time.

4.3 Selecting the key improvement strategies

The school selects the KIS from their SSP to focus on in achieving the 12-month targets. The school provides a rationale on why these KIS have been selected, reflecting on the self-evaluation against the FISO 2.0 continua of practice from the previous end-of-year assessment, current progress towards the SSP goals and targets, school data, and any other supporting evidence.

When selecting KIS for implementation, schools should 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.

4.4 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 to 3 actions should be 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 student outcomes
• the changes in knowledge, skills and behaviours that should be seen in relation to students, teachers and leaders
• any organisational or structural changes that might be required
• their local context and resources that may be required to support the actions.

4.5 Defining outcomes for each action

Outcomes identify the expected changes in knowledge, skills and behaviours that will be observed if the actions have been successfully implemented. Outcomes should be considered from the perspectives of students, teachers and leaders. Typically, schools will articulate at least 2 outcomes from each of these perspectives.

When developing outcomes, schools should consider:

• what is expected to be seen, felt or heard following the implementation of an action
• what knowledge, skills or behaviours are expected to change
• whether the focus of the action is leaders, teachers or students.

4.6 Identifying success indicators for each action

Success indicators support schools to measure whether the outcomes for each action are being achieved.

Typically, schools will identify 5 to 6 success indicators per action. Schools should consider the time at which different success indicators will be available to ensure that they will be able track their progress across the year and can identify this through including ‘early’ and ‘late’ indicators in their planning.

Success indicators might include relevant data sources such as:

• AtoSS factors or Victorian Curriculum/Victorian Curriculum 2.0 judgements
• local sources of evidence such as formative assessments or surveys
• artefacts such as notes from meetings, lesson plans, observation notes, notes from peer coaching or learning walks.

4.7 Identifying activities for each action

Schools identify the specific activities necessary to complete actions.

Activities are the most granular level of detail in the AIP. For each activity, schools identify planned timing and record who is responsible for implementation.

Schools also identify if an activity will be funded from Equity Funding, Schools Mental Health Fund or Disability Inclusion Tier 2 funding. If so, the activity will be populated into the funding planner tab on SPOT.

Similarly, if an activity is tagged as a professional learning priority, it will be populated into the professional learning planner tab on SPOT.

Example activities:

• schedule professional learning on Respectful Relationships
• recruit Learning Specialist: Inclusion
• plan and implement careers showcase
• schedule and conduct learning walks
• schedule youth mental health first aid training
• purchase equipment and adaptive technology to support teaching and learning of students with disabilities
• review and update IEPs.

4.8 Completing the funding planner

The funding planner supports schools to plan their expenditure of Equity funding, Disability Inclusion Tier 2 funding, and Schools Mental Health Fund allocation provided though the Student Resource Package (SRP).

For further information, schools can refer to the following PAL topics:

• SRP – Equity Funding
• SRP – Disability Inclusion Tier 2 school level funding
• SRP – School Mental Health Fund

To complete the funding planner:

• check the appropriate funding stream box if activities in the actions, outcomes and activities tab will be using Equity funding, Disability Inclusion Tier 2 funding, or the Schools Mental Health Fund items. The funding planner tab will then automatically pre-populate with the activities that were selected
• in the funding planner tab, enter the total values of Equity funding, Disability Inclusion Tier 2 funding, and the Schools Mental Health Fund items that the school expects to receive in their SRP in the ‘Summary of Funding’ table
• allocate the funding source for each activity across the funding streams using the planning tool. Where relevant, select the appropriate category and subcategory against which the funds will be spent
• any additional activities utilising funding that does not fit under the planned AIP activities can be recorded in the ‘additional spend’ section of the planner.

4.9 Completing the professional learning plan

The professional learning plan (PLP) supports school leaders to identify professional learning priorities and plan for staff professional learning and development across the year.

To complete the PLP, the school must:

• tag professional learning and development priorities by using the PLP priority toggle when planning activities in SPOT, which automatically populates the PLP
• select up to 3 key professional learning strategies that will be adopted to promote collaborative and inquiry-based processes
• identify the organisational structures that will be used to support delivery of the professional learning, including student-free days
• indicate whether the training will occur internally or at an external venue.

For further information on professional learning, refer to the following Policy and Advisory Library (PAL) topics:

• Performance and Development for Teacher Class Employees
• Performance and Development for Principal Class Employees
• Performance and Development for Education Support Class Employees
• Professional Practice Days

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.

The SEIL will review the AIP and may provide feedback.

Once endorsed by the SEIL, the AIP must be presented to the school council for discussion and endorsement during Term 1.

As executive officer of school council, the principal must indicate in SPOT that this has been completed by the end of Term 1.

Following discussion and endorsement by school council, the high-level focus of the AIP can be communicated to the broader school community through their preferred channel such as the school newsletter, school website updates, or any other platform the school uses.

6. Implementing the Annual Implementation Plan

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

These processes will vary based on school context and staffing profiles, and some examples are outlined below.

Processes led by school leadership or the school improvement team members

• Each member of the school improvement team (SIT) is responsible for aspects of the AIP implementation that link to their role.
• Team members regularly meet, analyse data and report on progress.
• The SIT is responsible for running regular professional development sessions, collecting data, and gaining feedback from staff, students, and parents.

Processes led by AIP working groups

• Specific working groups are created in response to AIP KIS, for example, a numeracy working group and a Respectful Relationships working group.
• The AIP working groups meet regularly and are responsible for overseeing the implementation and monitoring for their AIP area. They report back to leadership/SIT once a term.
• Working groups are responsible for delivering 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 may implement them differently 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.

Schools should complete their mid-year monitoring activities by mid-July.

Based on the outcomes of monitoring, schools may 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, schools should:

• reflect on the implementation of the AIP
• analyse any new data to monitor progress towards 12-month targets
• provide commentary on progress and impact to date, identifying any evidence or data used to assess progress and impact
• 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 until they expect their new SSP will be finalised. Once the new SSP has been endorsed, these schools will develop a post-review AIP to guide their work for the remainder of the year.

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 AIP, and will develop their first SSP in their second year of operation, after their school review.

This new schools’ AIP contains an additional tab where schools can write their goals, targets and 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 targets relating to student learning and wellbeing outcomes. These goals and targets consider the school vision and establish a clear direction for improving student outcomes.

The AIP should be endorsed 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, see Advice for schools in review.

Data available to new schools

As it is their first year of operation, new schools will not have access to the same data sources as established schools to inform their planning. However, there are a variety of data sources available that can inform initial annual planning.

Census data from profile.id.com.au can provide local government area demographic information about student cohorts. A comprehensive community profile can be downloaded from the site.

Useful data sets include:

• population summary
• culturally diverse population statistics
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population
• proficiency in English
• disability statistics
• household type
• Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) index of disadvantage.

Schools will collect data on their incoming students via the School Entrant Health Questionnaire (Primary only) and Student Family Occupation Education (SFOE) information during enrolment.

New secondary schools can collect transition data from feeder schools to gain information about incoming student cohorts. This data is available in CASES21.

Further student, teacher and parent data will become available as it is collected throughout the year.

Resources

Resources to support Annual Implementation Plan (AIP) development

• 2025 AIP Term 4 planning tool (PPTX) (staff login required)
• Completing the funding planner in SPOT (PPTX) (staff login required)

Resources to support planning

• 2024 improvement cycle planner for school leaders (DOCX) (staff login required)
• 2024 improvement cycle planner for SEILs (DOCX) (staff login required)
• 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
• Professional Learning Communities resources
• Schools Mental Health Fund and Menu
• Inclusion boost funding for schools (PDF) – see Appendix 1 for Tools and Resources to Support the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Your School
• Guidance to support EAL learners
• Marrung Education Plan
• Dhelk Wukang (PDF) – DE’s Aboriginal Inclusion Plan for 2022 to 2026