There are probably four separate strands that you need to weave into your forward planning. To start with there will be the need to plan for any externally imposed curriculum change. The introduction of the current National Curriculum for history and GCSE are good examples. The way needs to be paved well in advance of introduction, and not just in Y7 but in Y8 and 9 too, albeit in less detail. The second strand is the need to work on areas that have been highlighted by the department’s own self-evaluation using, data analysis, monitoring or work scrutiny. If, for example, GCSE paper 2 scores have been consistently lower than in other schools following the same specification, then clearly this must be addressed. Thirdly, there are the changes that might have come about because of greater emphasis being placed on aspects of teaching and learning, perhaps in response to issues such as Personalised Learning. Finally, there may be school-based initiatives which would inevitably have to be planned for so that the department can play its full part. Whether this be a move to a two year KS3 curriculum or the need to provide more Personalised Learning through the VLE, the history
