Confidence • Independence • Study habits
Supporting your young person with VESPA
Small changes in how students approach learning can make a real difference to their experience of school.
VESPA helps students reflect on five areas of learning: Vision, Effort, Systems, Practice and Attitude. Your school will use the questionnaire and coaching conversations to help your young person recognise strengths and choose habits to develop. Portal activities help students work on those habits independently between conversations.
Vision Knowing where you want to go
Talk about interests, future plans and what makes learning worthwhile.
Effort Putting purposeful work into learning
Help them make time for focused study and recognise the effort behind progress.
Systems Organising time and resources
Encourage a realistic weekly plan, a useful workspace and a way to track deadlines.
Practice Using effective study strategies
Encourage self-testing, practice questions and revisiting learning over time.
Attitude Responding constructively to challenges
Listen when things feel difficult and help them choose a manageable next step.
What happens at school?
Reflect on current habits.
Read feedback and respond.
Choose practical next steps.
Discuss progress with staff.
Let them lead the conversation
Ask your young person to explain what they noticed and what they want to try next.
Practice
4 / 10Make study time count
Try checking what you can remember before looking at your notes.
A question to reflect on
How do you know whether a study session has helped you learn?
One practical next step
After a lesson, answer five questions from memory, then check and correct your answers.
Simplified fictional example; feedback is personalised.Try these three questions
- What feels accurate, and what surprised you?
- Which habit would you like to develop?
- What would helpful support from us look like?
Listen before offering solutions. Encourage one manageable change, notice progress and agree a time to check how it went. Contact the tutor if studying feels persistently difficult.
The VESPA student app
Students can download the app and sign in with the account or sign-in method provided by their school. The browser version is available too.
Parent access: if your school chooses to share a parent report, it will provide a separate link and access instructions. The student app uses the student's own school account. Ask your school which features and reporting arrangements it uses.