Annual Implementation Plan (AIP)

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.