SMART Targets
The Manchester Virtual School asks that all targets set during a PEP meeting are SMART. SMART targets provide clear indicators of success and ensure that everyone involved has a greater sense of clarity about what is expected of them. This ensures that educational targets make a real difference to the lives of our young people.
All SMART targets should be appropriate to the age and stage of the young person and should be agreed with them.
Specific
The target must be specific to the young person and their curriculum/training/employment needs. It must be clear about what is expected and why. The target must detail specific skills or knowledge the young person needs to acquire or demonstrate.
Measurable
Everyone should agree on how progress made towards the target will be measured. Consider how the young person can demonstrate success by the next PEP meeting.
Be mindful that some criteria are easier to measure than others. For example, “working at a Grade 2 in algebra” can be proven through assessment, whilst “improving confidence in Maths” is more subjective.
Achievable
The targets agreed with and for the young person should be achievable. Think about how professionals can support them - this should be detailed as actions for professionals within the PEP.Realistic
The SMART target should be clearly linked to the young person’s current needs and the areas of learning they are focusing on.Time-Bound
The target should be achievable by the next term’s PEP meeting. When setting more demanding goals, these should be broken down appropriately within the set time frame.
SMART Target Examples
We have set out common targets across Key Stages to show how they can become SMART.
Early Years SMART Targets
Vocabulary: “To know all the colours”
SMART target: I will be observed on 4 out of 5 occasions successfully sorting the primary colours (red, blue and yellow) into the correct boxes over a 2 week period.
Health & Self Care: “Potty trained”
SMART Target: With the support of my key worker, I will use the potty and wash my hands on 2 out of 3 occasions.
Managing Feelings & Behaviours: “Stop hitting other children”
SMART Target: I will develop positive peer relationships whilst sharing by using kind hands and feet on 2 out of 3 occasions during one session at Nursery.
KS3 and KS4 SMART Targets
To pass functional skills in Maths
SMART Target: To revise fractions and percentages in preparation for a functional skills Maths assessment on 25 May. In particular, I need to be able to calculate a percentage discount using monetary values. I can use BBC Skillswise tasks at home to support my learning in class.
To engage in English
SMART Target: I will improve my ability to discuss Shakespeare’s plays by revising the key theme of love in Twelfth Night. I will use BBC Bitesize and my English learning mentor for support. I will be able to write about why Viola keeps her love for Orsino a secret and memorise two quotes to show this. I will demonstrate success by achieving grade 5 in my English mini-assessment on 12 June.
To not be excluded again
SMART Target: To access the sensory room during the first break and to be able to identify three successes per week with my key adult during my Friday mentor session.
To improve my attendance
SMART Target: To reduce the number of days that arrive late and the number of Mondays when I don’t attend. To learn how to set an alarm on my phone to help me get into a better routine in the mornings. To be supported by my mentor to talk with my maths teacher to explain my worries and why I sometimes avoid my maths lessons.
