Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)

2. School improvement planning: an overview

The School Strategic Plan and the Annual Implementation Plan

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

Every school must prepare a School Strategic Plan (SSP), which outlines:

• the strategic intent and context that have informed the SSP, including a link to the school Statement of Values and School Philosophy (staff login required)
• the 4-year goals and targets for improving student outcomes that the school will focus on
• the key improvement strategies (KIS) that the school will implement over the 4 years to achieve the goals and targets.

Schools translate their 4-year SSP into practice through the development of the Annual Implementation Plan (AIP), which outlines:

• SSP goals, targets and KIS selected for focus in 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
• funding planner including Equity Funding, Disability Inclusion Tier 2 Funding, and Schools Mental Health Fund
• professional learning planner.

The Strategic Planning Online Tool

Schools complete all strategic and annual planning documentation in the Strategic Planning Online Tool (SPOT).

SPOT supports schools to:

• document plans for school improvement
• store all school improvement documentation in one place
• share information easily with regional and central colleagues
• monitor implementation and evaluate progress
• adjust plans based on monitoring and evaluation.

Principal class and delegated users can access SPOT using their @education.vic.gov.au login credentials. Further advice on functionality and directions on how to use this platform is provided on SPOT.

The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) improvement cycle

The Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0) is the continuous improvement framework for all Victorian government schools.

FISO 2.0 can be used at different levels, from the whole-of-school to the classroom, and over different time periods, from 4-week cycles to annual and 4-year cycles. The AIP takes schools through a 1-year improvement cycle, during which the school employs the FISO 2.0 improvement cycle to:

• evaluate and diagnose student learning and wellbeing outcomes and progress towards SSP goals and targets
• prioritise and set goals for the coming year by identifying the improvement strategies that will have the greatest impact on student learning
• develop and plan for the implementation of improvement strategies to ensure improved student outcomes
• implement and monitor the selected improvement strategies and the impact these have on student learning and wellbeing outcomes.

For further information about FISO 2.0, refer to the department’s policy on Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0).

The School Improvement Team

The School Improvement Team (SIT) leads the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the AIP and supports school staff to regularly engage in the school improvement process. Some schools may use different terminology to refer to the group of staff member/s responsible for the AIP and other school improvement processes.

The composition of the SIT may vary depending on school size and context, for example:

• in larger schools the SIT may exist independently to the formal leadership team
• in smaller schools the SIT may be comprised of all staff in the school
• in some schools the SIT may include all principal class and leadership class staff
• in very small schools principals may work in a school improvement cluster with other small schools in their area, or with regional staff
• in certain schools it may be appropriate to include the school business manager or other education support staff with school leadership responsibilities in SIT meetings
• schools may wish to elect classroom teachers or education support staff to the SIT alongside core leadership staff.