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The central principles of the 5-14 curriculum are breadth, balance, coherence, continuity and progression. Programmes therefore must be planned in ways that provide:

Schools and clusters have an obligation to plan for overall provision in a collaborative way to take account of their pupils' needs and the guidance provided in national guidelines.

Equally, teachers have an obligation to plan for teaching and learning in the classroom in a way that focuses on the key ideas of the strands of each attainment outcome. There is no need for over-elaborate planning to demonstrate detailed coverage of every bullet point: planning is about more than 'coverage'. Its aim is to make the teaching and learning experience as effective, and hopefully as enjoyable, as possible. Planning that is too complex or repetitive wastes time and energy that should be spent on teaching.

Nevertheless, long- and short-term planning are essential if learning and teaching are to be effective.

Long-term planning

Long-term planning ensures that the main aspects of social subjects receive attention over time. It also provides a means by which teachers and others can gain a sense of the overall coherence of the pupil's experience and it offers a framework for shared understandings between teachers and schools.

Long-term planning should be concise, corporate and coherent.

The example overleaf illustrates the long-term planning of a nine-year programme for environmental studies that has been developed from existing programmes. It is consistent with advice contained within the revised guidelines. Some of the social subjects topics/units have been expanded to illustrate how these might be developed to the short-term planning stage. The science and technology guides provide similar expanded illustrations for science and technology topics respectively.

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