ABSTRACT
The purpose of development planning is to improve the quality of teaching and learning and outcomes for students through successful management of innovation and change. At subject and team level, middle leaders play a vital role in the change process and their level of success in managing change is dependent upon having a clear and shared vision, good interpersonal skills, a collaborative team culture, honest self-evaluation and effective planning and monitoring procedures. Team leaders operate within a wider school development planning context and so a clear understanding of the whole school approach to development planning is important. Development planning is a cyclical process that involves audit, construction, implementation and evaluation. The audit stage is extremely important and involves a review of strengths and weaknesses. Like visioning, and in effect a continuation of that process, successful development planning depends to a great extent on staff commitment and involvement.
