The School Excellence Plan is a working document which details the steps schools take to improve student outcomes.

The SEP:

• is underpinned by the School Excellence Framework (SEF)
• clearly reflects the department’s Plan for Public Education
• identifies the expected improvement in learning, teaching and leading based on specific strategies and initiatives
• is linked to the school budget, showing the resources that will be used to achieve the planned improvements
• is underpinned by teacher professional learning to build the capabilities of NSW teachers and school leaders.

Each SEP shows the school’s priorities to drive excellence in learning, teaching and leading. It outlines a school’s strategic directions, focus areas of improvement, and related school improvement measures. Principals work with their Director, Educational Leadership (DEL) to set aspirational, yet achievable, improvement measures that are appropriate for the school context and that speak to the needs of the school and students.

As part of the 2024-2027 cycle, schools have a focus on some key improvement measures including attendance, reading, numeracy and pathways (if the school has senior secondary students). Schools are also able to set additional school-identified improvement measures aligned to the school excellence cycle, for example on wellbeing or writing, based on the needs of students.

Schools also develop annual progress measures they feel will best lead to achievement of the improvement measure.

All NSW public schools consult with their community to develop a SEP that reflects the school's unique context. The SEP is approved by the DEL. You can find this plan published on each schools' website.