ABSTRACT
Drawing up a strategic plan for a school’s development will not, by its very nature, be an annual event. Each year, however, schools draw up what are termed School Development Plans (SDPs) or, increasingly, School Improvement Plans (SIPs). The Development or Improvement Plan sets out the school’s priorities for action over the next two to three years and is, or should be, the key document underpinning school improvement. The SDP/SIP helps the school to know where it is heading, which, in school effectiveness and improvement terms, is towards better learning experiences and outcomes for pupils (Stoll and Fink 1996). All other plans, including the budget and the staff development programme, should revolve around the Development or Improvement Plan. The plan might usefully include a section relating to the governors’ priorities for their own development over the next twelve months or so. In addition to bringing together all aspects of the school’s planning, the SDP/SIP helps the school to maintain its focus on its educational aims and turns the long-term vision of the strategic plan into shortterm goals. Development planning is now firmly established as a key strategy for school improvement and schools are now incorporating targets-particularly pupil performance targets-within their plans.
