School planning for curriculum implementation
Advice to support school leaders in planning for effective curriculum implementation.
School planning for curriculum implementation is a significant, complex and ongoing process. Effective curriculum implementation drives student growth and attainment, and school improvement. New syllabuses provide schools with a unique opportunity to re-focus and place curriculum at the heart of school planning.
This information is designed to support schools in the provision of high-quality educational outcomes for all students by ensuring that school planning processes recognise the centrality of the curriculum to the domains of learning, teaching and leading.
Purpose of resource
School planning for curriculum implementation support provides advice for school leaders in aligning curriculum implementation to the School Excellence Plan (SEP) and in developing implementation and progress monitoring (IPM) aligned to the phases of curriculum implementation.
Target audience
The audience for this resource is school principals, school leadership teams and school staff. Directors, Educational Leadership (DELs), Principals, School Leadership (PSLs), Principals in Residence (PIRs) and Principal Coach Mentors (PCMs) can also use this resource to guide schools with their IPM development and planning for curriculum implementation.
When and how to use
This resource can be used by schools to align IPM activities, resources and evaluation plans in strategic direction initiatives to the essential work of curriculum implementation.
Research base
This resource was developed by the Curriculum directorate. The research base used was NESA’s NSW Curriculum and the department’s What works best in practice.
Contact
Email questions, comments, and feedback about this resource to contactcurriculumimplementation@det.nsw.edu.au using the subject line ‘School planning for curriculum implementation’.
Alignment to system priorities and/or needs
Alignment to School Excellence Framework
Learning domain – Learning culture, Wellbeing, Curriculum, Assessment, Reporting and Student growth and performance; Teaching domain – Effective classroom practice, Data skills and use, Professional standards and Learning and development; Leading domain – Educational leadership, School planning implementation and reporting, and School resources.
Alignment with the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers – 6.3.4, 6.4.4 and 7.2.4
Consulted with – School Excellence and Director, Educational Leadership representatives.
Reviewed by – Curriculum Implementation and Provision Director.
The phases of curriculum implementation
Effective curriculum implementation is best understood as an iterative journey, rather than a single event.
The following phases of curriculum implementation can be used to guide and align curriculum reform to school planning:
- Engage – explore aspects of the new syllabus to identify and plan for changes required for successful curriculum implementation
- Enact – teach, assess and report using the new syllabus and evaluate to refine new practices and systems
- Embed – strengthen and scale to ensure sustainable practices and systems.
Go to Phases of curriculum implementation for more details.
Curriculum implementation and the School Excellence Plan
The School Excellence Plan (SEP) (staff only) is a working document, outlining the steps schools will take to improve learning outcomes and the achievement and growth of all students.
The SEP is based on the School Excellence Framework (SEF) (staff only) and the school’s ‘on balance’ judgement against each SEF element. Strategic directions are identified through a situational analysis and consideration of the evidence base. Improvement measures and resourcing are aligned to student needs, and planning supports the ongoing capability development of staff. The plan reflects a consultative process involving all stakeholders.
When considering planning for effective curriculum implementation, activities may include:
- engaging staff and managing change
- planning and programming
- identifying the resourcing needed
- engaging students (including assessment)
- engaging with parents and carers (including reporting)
- embedding evaluative processes for utilising student progress and achievement to measure impact
- improving support for students at all transitions through school planning.
Reflective questions to help your school align curriculum implementation activities to their SEP:
- What actions will your school undertake to:
- engage your teachers with the syllabuses and explore the underpinning evidence?
- support your teachers in planning and programming for curriculum implementation?
- ensure adequate resourcing for curriculum implementation?
- engage your students with the curriculum?
- engage parents and carers with the curriculum? (This will include reporting to parents and carers)
- How is continuity of learning prioritised in your school’s transition processes?
- How are the diverse learner needs considered in planning at your school? For example:
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander students
- high potential and gifted (HPG) students
- students learning English as an additional language or dialect (EAL/D)
- students with disability.
Developing implementation and progress monitoring
Schools use implementation and progress monitoring (IPMs) to ensure they successfully carry out the initiatives that align with the strategic directions in their SEP. Curriculum implementation planning support is available for each phase of curriculum implementation – Engage, Enact and Embed – to assist schools to plan, monitor and evaluate activities.
The Curriculum implementation planning template (DOCX 3.2 MB) can further support this process.
Go to Developing implementation and progress monitoring for more details.
Evaluating curriculum implementation
Understanding the principles of evaluative thinking and applying effective evaluation processes, enables schools to investigate their curriculum implementation initiatives in a meaningful way. Guidance is available to support schools in using evaluative thinking practices to plan, monitor, and evaluate activities aligned to the phases of curriculum implementation.
Go to Evaluating curriculum implementation for more details.
Data analysis resources
Effective data analysis enables schools to monitor and evaluate activities aligned with the phases of curriculum implementation. Guidance is available to support schools to build staff capability to embed the use of data into their daily practice and implement effective data analysis practices to monitor, review and adjust supports for curriculum implementation.
Go to Data analysis resources – guiding advice for more details.
Leading, teaching and learning resources
When considering planning for effective curriculum implementation, schools can utilise professional learning on Curriculum planning K–12 professional learning and NESA Learning.
Teaching and learning resources supporting curriculum implementation from K–12 across all learning areas are available on Planning, programming and assessing K–12.
Professional learning for K–12 middle leaders on Leading effective curriculum implementation is available to support whole school consistency across the three domains of learning, teaching and leading.