VESPA Academy | Non-Cognitive Skills for Academic Success
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Vision Effort Systems Practice Attitude

Why do capable students underperform?

Ability is only part of the picture. VESPA measures five essential learning behaviours in just 15 minutes—then turns those insights into practical steps for improvement.

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The five pillars of success

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Traditional academic support works on subject knowledge. VESPA works on the behaviours underneath it — the ones that decide whether the knowledge ever gets used. Choose a pillar to see what it means and how we develop it.

V · Vision

Clear goals and future-mindedness

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Vision is about having a clear goal and seeing the connection between the work in front of you and the life you want. It is future-mindedness: taking control of your own educational journey rather than waiting to be carried through it.

Students move from passive learning to active goal-setting, developing their own ideas about where they are heading.

Coaching conversations

The report doesn’t tell them what to do

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Tell a sixteen-year-old to get more organised and they will nod, agree, and change nothing. Ask them when they last missed a deadline and what their desk looks like, and something shifts. Every VESPA report is built so the student does the thinking — then writes it down, then commits to something specific.

What most feedback says

“You need to improve your organisation and manage your time more effectively.”

True, unarguable, and nothing happens on Monday.

What a VESPA coaching point asks

“When was the last time you missed a homework deadline? Describe your work space — how do you record your tasks?”

The student names the problem, so the student owns the fix.

Read

They see what their scores mean, and can act the same day

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Not a number and a label. A paragraph written to the student in plain language, three questions to sit with, and two activities already chosen for them. Alongside it, the coaching points the tutor opens the conversation with — so nobody has to start with “how’s it going?”

  • Written to the student, not about them
  • Coaching points for the tutor
  • First-choice activity added in one click

They read what their score actually means

Respond

They write back, and say where they disagree

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Then the student writes. Not a tick-box — a few honest paragraphs about what is actually going on. In this one, a Year 13 admits she can’t be bothered to update her planner, names the parental pressure she’s under, and argues that her Practice score should be a 7 or 8. That disagreement is the point: the report starts a conversation rather than delivering a verdict.

  • In their own words, saved to their record
  • Visible to their tutor before the meeting
  • Prompts and suggestions if they’re stuck

They write their own account of it

Commit

They turn it into an action plan they chose

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This is where independence gets built. Students set one to three goals, and pull from 100 Powerful Learning Behaviours — concrete, small, doable commitments rather than good intentions. Put your phone in another room for your next study session. Before handing work in, re-read it once and fix anything you can improve.

  • Filtered to the dimension they’re weakest in
  • Banded Foundation, Developing and Advanced to match their score
  • Goal deadlines drop into their task list with reminders

They choose behaviours they will actually do

See how the cycle works →

How it works

A cycle of improvement, not a one-off test

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VESPA is not an assessment you run in September and file. It is a loop you run three times a year, and the value compounds each time round.

Step 1 · Typically Sept–Oct

Diagnose

Twenty-eight questions, one clear picture. Nothing is right or wrong, so students answer honestly. Fifteen minutes later you know which behaviours are holding each of them back — and how that sits against the national picture.

28 validated questions

And again

Up to three cycles a year

The same loop typically runs again in spring and summer — so the picture keeps updating while there is still time to act.

Step 1 · Typically Sept–Oct

Diagnose

Twenty-eight questions, one clear picture. Nothing is right or wrong, so students answer honestly. Fifteen minutes later you know which behaviours are holding each of them back — and how that sits against the national picture.

28 validated questions

Step 2 · Typically Oct–Nov

Coach

The conversation that changes something. Reports land the moment they finish. The student reads what their scores mean, writes back in their own words, and sits down with a tutor who already has three questions ready.

Self-discovery, not instruction

Step 3 · Typically Nov–Dec

Develop

Something specific to do on Monday. Not general advice about working harder. Targeted activities matched to the behaviours their scores flagged, each one a learn-do-reflect sequence they finish inside the platform.

121 structured activities

Step 4 · Typically Dec–Jan

Monitor

Proof it worked, while there's still time. Watch the cohort move between cycles, spot who's drifting mid-year rather than waiting until March, and arrive at the next questionnaire knowing exactly what changed.

Three cycles a year

Platform highlights

The tools that support the coaching cycle — explore the full catalogue on Solutions.

Questionnaire & reports

28-item assessment with instant personalised coaching reports.

VESPA Activities

Guided learn–do–reflect sequences mapped to each behaviour.

Cohort dashboard

National benchmarking and insights for line management.

Academic Profile

Grades and targets alongside VESPA scores (Plus).

Explore & Apply

UCAS and apprenticeship pathways in one place (Plus).

Calendar & tasks

Timetable, deadlines and VESPA work in one student hub.
See everything included →

The VESPA Questionnaire

A validated, research-backed assessment tool developed in partnership with academic experts

Academic Partnership

Developed with Dr Neil Dagnall and Dr Andrew Donovan from Manchester Metropolitan University

Ensuring rigorous academic standards and evidence-based methodology

Proven Reliability

Trialled with 1,669 students to ensure internal reliability and validity

Comprehensive testing across diverse student populations

28

Validated Questions

0.85

Cronbach's Alpha Score

(0.8+ indicates excellent reliability)

5

Key Dimensions Measured

"These results suggest that the twenty-eight item VESPA questionnaire can be considered an internally reliable measure."

– Confirmatory Factor Analysis

Try the Questionnaire

Experience a sample of our validated assessment tool

Proven Impact, Global Reach

Since 2017, our evidence-based approach has transformed learning outcomes across 600+ schools worldwide, with 500 in England alone.

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Schools & Colleges
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Students Impacted
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Countries

7.5%

Increase in A*-A Level Grades

(Central South Consortium, Wales)

What Educators Are Saying

"We use VESPA with all students but have additional coaching sessions for disadvantaged students focusing particularly on Vision and Systems, which our data showed were areas of greatest need. VESPA has transformed our approach to GCSE resits, with pass rates increasing from 56% to 74% for Maths and from 61% to 82% for English over the past two years."

Nick Vile

Rochdale Sixth Form College

"Approximately 65% of students actively implement feedback suggestions. Common actions include creating revision timetables, implementing the Cornell note-taking system, establishing study groups, and practicing retrieval techniques. The specific, actionable nature of the feedback makes it particularly effective."

Caroline McClean

Montpelier High School

"Our scholarship students have shown remarkable improvement using VESPA - their average grades improved 14% more than non-scholarship students. The scaffolded approach helps bridge gaps in prior educational experiences."

Neil Groves

Bangkok Preparatory School

"VESPA has significantly improved our GCSE resit results. Last year, Maths resit pass rates improved 11% and English 8%. The structured approach to addressing specific weaknesses has been particularly effective."

Emmanuel Asamoah-Mensah

Saint Cecilia's Church of England School

"Schools across the region have used the VESPA activities and revision resources on the portal to support students in preparing for their resit examinations. Feedback from students and teachers has been extremely positive."

Emma Lloyd

Central South Consortium

"Around 70% of students implement suggested strategies. Common actions include restructuring revision approaches, creating mind maps instead of linear notes, implementing the Pomodoro technique, and establishing study partnerships. Our post-16 students particularly value the structured approach to self-improvement."

Huw Morris

Tonyrefail Community School

"We've seen significant improvement among our eFSM pupils since implementing VESPA. The gap in average point score has reduced by 7 points. The structured approach seems to compensate for differences in home support."

Alun Evans

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Bro Edern

"The impact on disadvantaged students has been substantial, with ALPS scores improving from 5 to 2 for this cohort. The structured approach and emphasis on specific behaviors rather than innate ability has been particularly effective."

Nick Vile

Rochdale Sixth Form College

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