Post-Primary Context

Planning in Post-Primary Schools

Planning in schools occurs at many levels. The ultimate aim of any plan is to bring about continuing and progressive improvements in pupil learning and achievement. At school level, planning should help the school to provide for implementation of the curriculum and also detail school policy and procedure relating to a number of key areas so that continuity and progression in students’ learning are promoted. At classroom level, planning should ensure sufficient preparation to support high quality teaching and the development of rich learning experiences for all students.

Whole School Plan

Planning at whole school level involves the development of both curriculum plans (a process whereby the school community collaboratively defines intended learning outcomes, assessments, content and pedagogic requirements necessary for student success across an entire curriculum) and organisational policies (where policies that affect the running of the school in a non teaching capacity are developed).

Section 21 of the Education Act (1998) mandates that schools shall make arrangements for the preparation of a plan and shall ensure that the plan is regularly reviewed and updated. The school plan shall be prepared in accordance with such directions, including directions relating to consultation with the parents, the patron, staff and students of the school, as may be given from time to time by the Minister in relation to school plans. The Act also requires schools to plan in accordance with the most recent departmental updates and to communicate the plan and organisational policies to all stakeholders, including parents. School planning therefore is based on the rationale that planning should address identified priorities from within the school itself, based on knowledge of the learning needs of the student.

Subject Planning

In the overall context of school planning, teachers will plan for implementation of the curriculum in the classroom. This planning will be informed by the school plan but will more importantly, be based on a concern for the strengths, needs, interests and abilities of the students in the class. Section 4 of the Teaching Councils Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers refers to Professional Practice. The Code states that teachers should

maintain high standards of practice in relation to pupil/student learning, planning, monitoring, assessing, reporting and providing feedback plan and communicate clear, challenging and achievable expectations for pupils/students
inform their professional judgement and practice by engaging with, and reflecting on, pupil/student development, learning theory, pedagogy, curriculum development, ethical practice, educational policy and legislation

In accordance with these regulations then teachers will engage in both long term and short term planning which are informed by the school plan and aligned with best practice.

Long Term Planning

A long-term plan should provide an overall summary of the aims to be achieved in each subject area. The following headings may provide a useful guide when considering what to include as part of your long term plan:

An overview of the content objectives to be taught and examples of learning activities
Learning outcomes and intentions
Skills and concepts to be developed

Methodologies and Pedagogies
Resources
Differentiation
Assessment
Cross curricular integration
Literacy and numeracy integration into the subject matter

Short Term Planning

Short-term planning takes the work outlined in the long-term plan and details what the students will be enabled to learn, how they will learn and how the learning will be assessed. The following headings may be included as part of teachers short term plan:

Subject Level
Content Objectives
Learning Outcome
Learning Intentions
Activities
Resources
Differentiation
Assessment
Literacy and numeracy strategies

Further Supports

The links below from NIPT provide templates to support you in planning for student learning, please see links below. Be cognisant of the fact that schools often develop their own templates for planning and it is useful to ask for any such templates when engaging in subject planning in your school.

Yearly & Half-Term Plans

Weekly Plans

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