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 way needs to be paved well in advance of introduction and not just in Y9 but in Y8 and 7 too, albeit in less detail. As the new GCSE requires a thematic study so pupils at KS3 should be versed in the types of thinking about chronology change and continuity, trends and turning points that will help them master the requirements of the new GCSE unit.
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 paper 2 scores have been consistently lower than in other schools following the same specification, then clearly this must be addressed. This is not detailed paper self-evaluation forms for OFSTED just sensible checking on our strengths and weaknesses using external objective measures rather than our own hunches.
Thirdly, there are the changes that might have come about because of greater emphasis being placed on aspects of teaching and learning e.g. ‘flipped learning’.
Finally, there may
