Futures and strategic perspectives in school planning

School planning has developed significantly over the last ten years with the universal acceptance of school development planning formats and approaches. However, the move to school‐based management and greater autonomy has increased the need for schools to take on a wider planning role and responsibility. This paper considers three models of planning. It briefly outlines the original model of school development planning that the authors articulated in 1992 but then examines the need for schools to extend their planning from short‐term school development planning to longer‐term strategic planning and, most significantly, to incorporate “futures thinking”. It then develops a new model which the authors believe should be more responsive to the needs of school planning in the future.