Secondary School Improvement Programme
Raising Attainment Plan (RAP)
Management Guide
PRODUCING AND MANAGING
THE RAP
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
Producing and managing the Raising Attainment Plan (RAP)
The RAP drives improvement against school priorities and is informed by selfevaluation and the work of the SIP or National Challenge (NC) Adviser. It is not
merely a statement of intent but an instrument that drives school improvement.
Progress towards targets is monitored and evaluated frequently. A RAP is most
suitable for use in schools where the over-whelming priority is to raise attainment
and/or achievement of students, for example where a school is below the floor target.
The RAP should be the school’s single improvement plan.
The RAP:
 Provides a detailed, time-limited map that translates priorities into action
 Aligns the work of the school (and any external support) around the agreed
priorities and maintains a sharp focus on these
 Identifies clear lines of accountability for actions and outcomes and supports
all stakeholders in understanding their responsibilities linked to the priorities
Quality Standards
The plan is:
 Monitored and evaluated against pupil progress
 Challenging and achievable
 A means of communicating planned actions and expected outcomes to the
whole school community
A high quality and effective RAP:
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Ensures that the work of the school and any external support is clearly
focussed upon the same, agreed, set of priorities
Translates priorities into actions quickly, and maintains a sharp focus on
these
Has clear and precisely dated milestones for progress that are set out in a
way that facilitates monitoring and evaluation which should be carried out at
least every half term
Identifies clear lines of accountability, ensuring there is one named person
identified as accountable for each action
Is informed by all available and relevant data
Creates a sense of urgency for achieving progress
Is accessible to and understood by all staff
Exemplification
As well as providing strategic direction the RAP is a tactical, short-term plan, and has
a particular focus on increasing the number of pupils who achieve 5 or more higher
grade GCSEs including English and mathematics. However, the aim is not simply to
target year 11 through a series of “last push” tactical interventions (although there is
a place for this each year); rather its focus is on sustainable improvement which
means that the plans priorities will affect all year groups in the school.
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
The RAP supports the school’s drive to:

Meet and exceed national targets for 5+ A*- C including English and
mathematics and progress in English and mathematics
Ensure the school’s systems and processes will sustain improvements raising
attainment of all pupils each year as well as ensuring those who have been
underachieving make accelerated progress
Ensure that all activity is concentrated on agreed success criteria and its
measurement includes that of pupil progress
Produce a balance between the short term needs of those young people very
close to their GCSE examinations and longer term strategic actions to build
capacity and ensure that improvements are sustainable
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Step 1 – The RAP – Target Setting and Position Statement
Drawing upon all available data and the SEF the Headteacher, supported by the NC
Adviser or SIP:
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Sets ambitious whole school targets in relation to national expectations based
upon prior attainment and taking into account accelerated progress through KS3
and KS4
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Identifies the small number of key priorities for improvement that are likely to
produce maximum leverage on standards
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Sets out a high level statement of the actions that the school will take to address
these priorities and the support it is intending to use. This is the RAP position
statement and its purpose is to:
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Make a clear statement to the whole school identifying that priorities have
been established which involve all school staff and what it is intended to
do about this
Clearly communicate the school’s current situation and the distance it
needs to travel
Step 2 – The RAP Management Group (RMG)
Many schools find it helpful to form a management group in order to ensure that the
RAP keeps on track. The RMG will be the key group holding corporate responsibility
for the initial implementation and subsequent monitoring of the RAP, ensuring it is on
track. Indeed the RAP itself should be a live document that is constantly updated to
account for changing circumstances. To be effective the RMG must be flexible and
not constrained by procedure. Specifically you might expect the RMG to take
responsibility for:
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Monitoring implementation of the plan and ensure it is progressing as
expected or take corrective action where it is not
Identifying key groups of pupils to be monitored using a mechanism such as
the Venn analysis tool1
Establishing targets for each group of pupils
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
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Act as or identify members of staff to be Progress Leader(s)2 for the specific
pupil progress groups identified through the Venn analysis1 and to track and
report on their progress at 6 weekly intervals.
Membership of the RMG is likely to include:
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The headteacher
Subject leaders for English and mathematics
Members of the Senior Leadership team with responsibility for achievement
and standards or assessment
Academic leaders with responsibility for key year groups
Where the school is receiving additional external support with the RAP it is
also useful to have the lead who is managing the support package on the
group, in the case of schools in the National Challenge this will be the NC
Adviser
1
The Venn Analysis Tool (see Appendix 1 below) can be used as a simple and effective
means of identifying pupil groups and establishing RAP activities related to the key priorities.
2
Progress Leaders could be senior or middle leaders or other skilled staff. Schools will vary
in who they choose, but the principle is the necessity within the process of having oversight of
the progress and development of all pupils within a progress group who may well be
distributed across several classes or teaching groups.
Step 3 – Writing the RAP
The Headteacher, NC Adviser or SIP and other members of the senior leadership
team should construct the full RAP. The implementation of the RAP is closely
monitored, at short intervals, by the RAP Management Group (RMG) and outcomes
from the monitoring processes are evaluated at the RAP review meetings led by the
Headteacher and involving the NC Adviser or SIP.
While setting out an ambitious agenda for improvement and change in the RAP it is
essential to keep in mind the demands such activity places on key members of staff.
Steps need to be taken from the outset to reduce other activities that are not leading
to improvement or that are now redundant so that staff capacity can be released.
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Are actions, including monitoring and evaluation, manageable for senior staff
in the given timeframe?
Are the impact of load on individuals and the effects of taking teachers out of
classrooms for CPD taken into account?
To be successful the RAP development will be guided by the quality standards set
out above and include the following Essential features for an effective RAP:
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Objective – What are the specific improvements needed in order to address
the overall priorities identified?
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Actions - What actually needs to be done, defined clearly in small discrete
steps?
 Have all key actions been identified that need to be taken to achieve
the objective and increase the pace of improvement and change?
 Are actions in clearly?
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
 Will the actions lead to recognisable outcomes (e.g improve pupil
learning and progression)
Set alongside the actions should be elements of CPD or related support from
external partners considered essential to ensure that staff are enabled to
successfully carrying out specific actions related to identified objectives and
outcomes.
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Personnel/responsibility - Who will actually carry out the action (who is
responsible for ensuring the action takes place and who else is involved)?
Within the plan this section should make it clear who is to be held to account
by whom for the successful completion of the identified action
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Outcomes –what will success look like when the action has been
successfully completed? This is particularly important for evaluation as it
should provide a focus on whether the action has produced the desired
outcome, not the extent to which the action has been completed or not. For
example if writing schemes of work for year 9 is the action then the outcome
is not simply that they are written, but rather that they have an impact on
classroom practice
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Success criteria – how will success be measured and evaluated (are there
higher level quantitative criteria against which improvement can be measured
or specific outcomes against which change can be evaluated?
 Are the success criteria directly related to raising attainment?
 Are the success criteria achievable from the stated objectives and
subsequent actions?
 Are measurable targets against actions included in the plan wherever
possible?
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Timescale - When will the action take place? – this should be a specific date
within a short time frame , i.e. 23 April not April or Spring term
 Are timescale realistic but still communicate urgency
 Are key dates specifically identified for monitoring, evaluating and
subsequently reporting on activity and progress? Do they follow the
correct sequence in time?.
 Is the overall time-line for execution of the plan clear?
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Resources – Are all required resources stated (in particular staffing, funding,
CPD time and external consultancy), this is particularly important for schools
that are part of the National Challenge as it must be very clear what
resources are requested and what their impact is expected to be.
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Monitoring - how will change be monitored (how, by whom, and how often)
The monitoring process is essential for checking that the planned actions
have taken place and on time
 Are all monitoring activities clearly stated in the plan
 Is it clear who is responsible for each monitoring activity
 Is it clear when monitoring will take place – at least every 6 weeks?
 How will the outcomes of monitoring be used?
 Are those carrying out the monitoring able to make accurate
judgments?
 Does the governing body have a clear role in monitoring?
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
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Evaluation - how will change be evaluated (by whom, when and how)
Evaluation is about assessing the impact of the planned actions on standards
in the school and so has a clear and separate definition and purpose to
monitoring
 Are names/groups clearly stated?
 How will results and outcomes from all monitoring activity be
communicated to those carrying out the evaluation
 Are procedures and responsibilities for evaluating and reporting on
test and examination results clear?
 Are those carrying out the evaluation sufficiently skilled to make
accurate judgments?
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Reporting and Accountability
Accountability for the success of the RAP is built into the plan itself. However
the headteacher is accountable finally to the governors and the monitoring,
evaluation and reporting cycles enable this holding to account to take place
each term.
 How will the outcomes of the evaluation be reported and to whom?
 Is it clear who reports on progress to whom, how and how often?
 Is there a line of accountability identified: for example, Governors,
headteacher, members of SLT subject leaders etc
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Status – Has each action been completed to a standard that meets the
specified outcome – Yes, partially or no or RAG
The exemplar RAP and template see appendix 3 can be used as a starting point for
drafting the school’s own RAP. However the RAP belongs to the school and the
school is responsible for its own improvement so it may prefer to use its own
methodology while keeping to the principles and standards set out in this document
in order to achieve a high quality and effective RAP.
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
Step 4 – RAP – Target Setting and Tracking
The RMG supported by the NC Adviser or SIP, should complete the extended target
setting analysis for each year group. This involves setting challenging yet achievable
end of year targets for every year group. An essential factor in determining these
targets is that they build in accelerated or increased rates of progress and so lead to
improved attainment overall. (In the initial stages some schools with limited capacity
may find it more manageable to start with key year groups such as years 11 and 10
and then extend the target setting and target getting process into other year groups
as capacity grows).
The pro-forma in Appendix 2 provides an example of how targets could be recorede
and monitored for each year group taking into account prior attainment and age
related expectations.
Monitoring Pupil Progress
An essential element of a RAP is the monitoring of the progress of all pupils at
frequent intervals. In many schools a system of 6-7 week intervals works well. The
importance of such frequent monitoring is that it enables early intervention in the
case of pupils who are in danger of falling behind and missing their targets. This is
particularly crucial for Y11 pupils who have relatively little time left, but all pupils
benefit from systems which are designed to keep their learning on track.
A whole-school system of 6-7 week monitoring may be a large step for some schools
where this would be new practice. In these cases it may be more effective to begin
with Y11 and Y9, and then gradually add other year groups as the system becomes
established. Other schools may already have a comparable system, and would just
need support in developing and refining it. The ultimate aim is that the progress of all
pupils is not simply recorded but is regularly checked, discussed and acted upon.
The speed at which a system can be implemented will vary between schools.
More detailed information about managing a whole-school system for tracking pupil
progress is provided in the CPD materials that form part of this programme.
Procedures and responsible personnel will vary between schools, but the following
outline details the common elements of the process:
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The process must move tracking off the page and into actions for learning
It should be managed by the RMG
Each 6 weekly cycle starts with the subject teachers, who record the
attainment and progress of their pupils, preferably electronically
The spreadsheets are then collated and scrutinised by the relevant senior
staff – progress leaders, heads of year, academic tutors – systems and post
titles will be unique to schools
Information gathered is then acted on – as above systems will vary between
schools, but the end result must be the same: pupils identified as falling
behind and the staff teaching them should be given the immediate support
and guidance needed to get pupils back on track.
particular attention needs to be paid to targeted groups; for example, those in
year 11 falling behind in one particular subject area as identified by the Venn
analysis tool
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
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Subject Leaders need to scrutinise trends in teaching groups as a means of
monitoring the work of their departments and to identify and inform focused
professional development activity to address individual teacher and or
departmental needs
ICT systems could be used to inform parents of the progress of their children
– recent research has indicated that the majority of parents would rather have
frequent information than yearly parents’ meetings
Each cycle needs to be completed within the specified time frame, as the
results will feed into the next cycle of teaching and professional development
activity
Step 5 – RAP - The School Improvement Cycle
Having identified the groups of pupils the RMG should maintain a regular tightly
focused cycle of monitoring, evaluation and feedback on actions and outcomes from
the RAP which should:
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Ensure the RAP meets the quality standards outlined above.
Monitor the successful execution of each action within the RAP against
planned outcomes contained within it.
Evaluate the impact of actions on pupil progress at regular intervals.
Revise aspects of the RAP where indications are that sufficient impact is not
being achieved
Identify additional CPD requirements informed by pupil outcomes, from whole
school to individual teachers to enable targets to be reached.
Support a whole school CPD3 strategy closely aligned to identified needs
across the key elements:
 Quality first teaching in the core subjects
 Assessment for learning for progression
 Data analysis, pupil tracking and intervention
3The
CPD modules which form part of this programme are designed to bean integral part the
Tailored packages of school improvement support as outlined in the National Challenge
Toolkit
Appendix 1
The Venn Analysis Tool
The RAP Management Group can use the Venn tool to identify and establish
progress groups related to whole school targets. The Venn analysis tools exist for
both KS3 and KS4 (see toolkit for full guidance)
Using Venn analysis for KS4
The diagram shows the percentage of 15-year-old pupils achieving the various
combinations of grade C+ in English, mathematics, and 5 or more subjects including
both English and mathematics in a particular school.
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
2007 No of pupils 15+
with eligible KS4 results
– results as % cohort
4.1
4.3
3.9
8.5
4.2
12.8
11.8
7.1
16.5
%A*-C EN
All 48.0
B 29.0
G 67.0
5+ A* - C
All 42.3
B 29.2
G 55.4
26.5
16.7
36.3
1.4
1.4
1.4
3.2
4.0
2.4
5.0
6.7
3.2
%A*-C MA
All 36.1
B 28.8
G 43.3
By comparing past performance with the figures shown in the table, schools should
be able to see how the patterns of attainment (including the separate patterns for
boys and girls) compare to the national picture. If predicted results are also plotted on
the same sort of diagram, it should be possible to identify key groups of pupils for
whom targeted interventions are appropriate.
Performance Standards
Schools can use this format to:
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Analyse historic performance and identify any significant features which are
similar to or different from the national picture
Analyse likely future performance on the basis of well-founded and accurate
GCSE predictions in mathematics, English and other subjects
Organise specific intervention provision for key groups of pupils with
characteristics in common, on the basis of accurate identifications of target
groups
Case Study
A school used the Venn diagram above to carry out this analysis based on the
previous year’s GCSE results. The table below was used to compare the school’s
data to the national figures.
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The codes in the first column indicate the sections of the Venn diagram.
Upper case letters indicate inclusion in the corresponding category, and lower
case indicates exclusion. For example, ‘eMF’ indicates pupils who achieved
Grade C in mathematics (M) and in 5 or more subjects (F) but not in English
(e).
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
See proforma (Pupil Progress groups – Review) to record and track for each group
the improved numbers of pupils progressing towards targets on a termly basis
E
M
F
EMF
eMF
EmF
EMf
emF
eMf
Emf
emf
Boys
50.4
52.8
55.4
41.7
5.7
4.4
1.2
3.6
4.2
3.1
36.1
National
Girls
65.9
54.6
64.4
49.9
2.2
9.1
1.0
3.2
1.6
5.9
27.1
Total
58.0
53.7
59.8
45.7
4.0
6.8
1.1
3.4
2.9
4.5
31.6
Boys
29.0
28.8
29.2
16.7
4.0
4.2
1.4
4.3
6.7
7.1
55.6
School
Girls Total
67.0
48.0
43.3
36.1
55.4
42.3
36.3
26.5
2.4
3.2
12.8
8.5
1.4
1.4
3.9
4.1
3.2
5.0
16.5
11.8
23.5
39.5
Some features of this data set were already well known to the school – for example
the stronger performance in English than mathematics, and the relative
underperformance of boys in English. However, some new perspectives were gained
by looking at the data in this way. The school discovered that a relatively large
proportion of girls were achieving 5+ Grades C or above including English but not
mathematics. As a result of this, the school investigated the idea of running a girls’
Study+ group in mathematics.
The school then decided that it would be useful to use a similar analysis for pupils
currently in Key Stage 4. They started with Year 10 pupils, and the subject leaders
for English and mathematics worked with a member of the senior leadership team
and the head of Year 10 to enter pupil names on a large (A1 size) version of the
diagram. This analysis allowed the teachers to identify key groups of pupils. Some of
these Year 10 pupils were interviewed, and further interesting features were
identified. For example, several girls identified as being potential members of the
‘EmF’ category said that they thought they made better progress in English than in
mathematics because of the greater opportunities for collaborative work and
discussion.
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
Appendix 2
Target setting and tracking using pupil numbers
Year Groups 2008-2009
Year 11
No to reach 5A*-C
inc E&M
No to reach A*- C+
En
No to reach A*- C+
Ma
No to reach 5A*- C
Year 10
No to reach 5A*-C
inc E&M
No to reach A*- C+
En
No to reach A*- C+
Ma
No to reach 5A*- C
Year 9
No for L5+ En&Ma
No 2 levels progress
En
No 2 levels progress
Ma
No L5+Sci
Year 8
No L5+ En&Ma
No 1 level progress
En
No 2 levels progress
En
No 1 level progress
Ma
No 2 levels progress
Ma
No L5+Sci
Year 7
No L5+ En&Ma
No 1 Level progress
En
No 1 level progress
Ma
No L5+Sci
Progress
leader
Minimum
for target
Current
PPG
data
Distance
to travel
DH
74
41
33
Action in response to data
Review
date
Action in response to data
Review
date
Action in response to data
Review
date
Action in response to data
Review
date
Action in response to data
Review
date
SL En
SL Ma
Y11 lead
84
Progress
leader
Minimum
for target
Current
PPG
data
Distance
to travel
DH
79
22
57
SL En
SL Ma
Y10 lead
Progress
leader
Minimum
for target
Y9 lead
110
Current
PPG
data
67
Distance
to travel
43
SL En
SL Ma
SL Sci
Progress
leader
Minimum
for target
Y8 lead
70
Current
PPG
data
47
Distance
to travel
23
2i/c En
2i/c En
2i/c Ma
2i/c Ma
2i/c Sci
Progress
leader
Minimum
for target
Y7 lead
20
Current
PPG
data
10
Distance
to travel
10
2i/c En
2i/c Ma
2i/c Sci
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Secondary School Improvement Programme
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