Working with Personalised Learning Plans (PLPs) is one of the best possible ways of increasing the engagement of parents/caregivers in student learning. These are the reasons.

• All the parties are involved — teacher, student and parent/caregiver — and all have a direct stake in what is happening. You can assume a good level of engagement.
• You are all talking about something real and fundamental that is happening now, the student's learning.
• It is a chance to work directly on issues that will affect the student's school performance.

In situations where PLPs are in use, marked improvements in attendance, engagement and academic performance are often reported.

What is a PLP?

PLPs map the pathway that a student needs to follow to achieve learning goals at least commensurate with standards expected for all students. PLPs describe a clear destination for the student in terms of goals for learning. They identify the potential obstacles that might impede a student getting to their goals, and chart a course through them.

Key questions for developing a PLP

In essence, teachers, in conjunction with students, parents/family and other support people, construct a PLP for a student by answering four key questions:

• Where is the student now?
• Where should the student be?
• How will they get to where they should be?
• How will we know when they get there?

More detailed information can be found in 'Core Issues 10: Using Personalised Learning Plans', which can be accessed through the link to the right of this page.