Personal learning targets — sometimes called PLTs or individual targets — are short, specific goals that teachers set for each pupil during KS3 to guide their progress. Schools use them to make feedback personal and actionable, giving your child a clear picture of exactly what they need to do to improve.
What is the purpose of personal learning targets?
Without a target, feedback can feel vague. "Try harder" or "needs improvement" tells a pupil very little. A personal learning target translates that vagueness into a concrete action: "Use more subject-specific vocabulary when explaining scientific processes" or "Show your working in every calculation." These statements are small enough to act on and specific enough to check.
The Education Endowment Foundation's research consistently identifies feedback as one of the highest-impact strategies for improving pupil progress. Personal learning targets are a mechanism for delivering that feedback in a way that sticks — because the student can read them back, reference them in their next piece of work, and see when they have achieved them.
How do schools set targets in KS3?
Most schools use a combination of:
- Assessment data from internal tests or end-of-unit tasks
- Teacher observation of where a pupil struggles in class
- End-of-year or mid-year review conversations where the student is involved in setting their own targets
The involvement of the student matters. Research shows that pupils who co-create their targets are more likely to remember and act on them than those who receive targets passively. A good target-setting process is not something done to a child — it is a conversation with them.
What do KS3 targets typically look like?
Targets vary by subject and year group, but they tend to share certain features: they are specific, achievable within a few weeks, and focused on a skill rather than a grade. Here are examples from different subjects:
| Subject | Example target |
|---|---|
| English | "Plan your essays before writing — spend five minutes on a brief outline." |
| Maths | "Show every step of your working even when the answer feels obvious." |
| Science | "Use the P-E-E structure (Point, Evidence, Explanation) in written answers." |
| History | "Include at least one piece of counter-evidence in each extended answer." |
| French | "Check verb endings for agreement with the subject before finishing a task." |
| Art | "Annotate your sketchbook pages to explain your design choices." |
Notice that none of these say "get a better grade" — they describe a specific practice that, if followed consistently, will raise quality.
Where do parents see their child's targets?
Schools communicate targets to parents in a few ways:
- Written in exercise books or planners, where a teacher annotates work directly
- On school progress reports, sent home each term or each half-term
- Via the school's online learning platform (e.g., Classcharts, Satchel One / Show My Homework, or similar)
- At parents' evenings, where teachers share current targets verbally and in writing
If you are unsure where your child's targets are kept, ask the form tutor or head of year. Many parents are surprised to discover their child's exercise books contain detailed, personalised targets they have never been shown.
How can parents help their child act on targets?
You do not need to be a subject expert to help your child respond to targets. The most effective parental role is to make the targets visible and prompt the child to revisit them before and after each piece of work.
Three simple habits:
- Ask to see the targets at the start of each half-term. Read them together so you both know what is being worked on.
- Before a homework task, ask: "What is your target for this subject?" Prompting recall reinforces memory far more than reading the target passively.
- After a marked piece of work comes home, check whether the target was attempted. Did the teacher note that it had been achieved? If so, celebrate it. If not, discuss what got in the way.
What happens when a target is achieved?
When a teacher assesses that a target has been met — either through class work, a test, or a conversation — they typically set a new target at the next level of challenge. Progress through targets in this way builds a clear narrative of a child's learning journey through KS3.
At the end of Year 9, when the school produces a report that feeds into GCSE option choices, the pattern of target achievement is one of the things that informs a teacher's assessment of where a student is heading. Strong evidence of consistent progress against targets is reassuring for both parents and schools.
Frequently asked questions
Are personal learning targets the same as predicted grades?
No. A personal learning target is a skill-based goal for improvement; a predicted grade is a teacher's estimate of where a student is likely to perform in an exam. The two are related — achieving targets should raise predicted grades over time — but they are different things. Targets are about the process; predicted grades are about the outcome.
What should I do if my child does not know their targets?
Ask the subject teacher directly, either via email or at the next parents' evening. Every teacher should be able to articulate the current target for each pupil in their class. If targets are not being clearly communicated, that is worth raising with the head of year as a general concern about the school's feedback practice.
Can parents suggest targets?
You can raise concerns or observations with a teacher — for example, "My child finds timed writing very hard" — and this can inform a target. However, the setting of targets is the teacher's professional responsibility; parents contribute information rather than directly setting the goals.
How often do targets change?
This varies by school, but most review targets at least termly — some update them after each assessed piece of work. In Year 9, as GCSE options loom, target-setting conversations may become more focused on subject-specific skills needed for the next stage.
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