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Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f Educ atio nal Manage me nt
1 2 3 [1998] 1 3 3 –1 4 0 MCB Unive rs ity Pre s s
[ISSN 0951-354X]
Futures and strategic perspectives in school planning
Brent Davies
Inte rnatio nal Educ atio nal Le ade rs hip Ce ntre , Unive rs ity o f Linc o lns hire and Humbe rs ide , Linc o ln, UK
Linda Ellison
Ce ntre fo r Le ade rs hip in Educ atio n and Training, Le e ds Me tro po litan Unive rs ity, Le e ds , UK
School planning has devel- oped signifi cantly over the
last ten years with the univer- sal acceptance of school
development planning for- mats and approaches. How-
ever, the move to school- based management and
greater autonomy has increased the need for
schools to take on a wider planning role and responsibil-
ity. This paper considers three models of planning. It
briefl y outlines the original model of school development
planning that the authors articulated in 1992 but then
examines the need for schools to extend their plan-
ning from short-term school development planning to
longer-term strategic plan- ning and, most signifi cantly,
to incorporate “ futures think- ing” . It then develops a new
model which the authors believe should be more
responsive to the needs of school planning in the future.
© Brent Davies and Linda Ellison
Introduction
Ou r fi r st b ook on sch ool d evelop m en t p la n - n in g Dav ies a n d E llison , 1992 w a s b a sed on
d evelop m en t wor k t h a t w e h a d u n d er t a k en w it h sever a l h u n d r ed h ea d t ea ch er s. T h ese
h ea d t ea ch er s w er e r esp on d in g t o t h e ch a l- len ge of d esign in g a p p r op r ia t e p la n n in g
st r u ct u r es a n d p r ocesses t o m eet t h e d em a n d s of self-m a n a gem en t follow in g t h e
1988 E d u ca t ion Refor m Act . T h is ea r ly wor k a r gu ed for a ch a n ge in p r a ct ice a n d p u t for -
w a r d a n ew fr a m ewor k for s ch ool p la n n in g. T h e ea r ly 1990s saw a n u m b er of p u blica t ion s
in t h e fi eld w it h Pla n n in g for S ch ool Dev elop - m en t DE S, 1989 b ein g s u p p or t ed by Dev elop -
m en t Pla n n in g – A Pra ctica l Gu id e DE S, 1991 a n d t h e wor k of a n u m b er of w r it er s s u ch a s
Sk elt on et a l. 1991, H a r gr eaves a n d H op k in s 1991, West a n d Ain scow 1991 a n d P u ffit et
a l. 1992 p ick in g u p t h e t h em e. Som e m or e r ecen t wor k s su ch a s Giles 1997 h ave m er ely
r e p ea t ed t h e ea r ly “h ow t o” a dv ice, bu t r et r o- sp ect ive r esea r ch by Ma cGilch r is t et a l. 1995
a n d Br oa d h ea d et a l. 1996 h a s p r ov id ed s om e in sigh t s in t o t h is ea r ly exp er ien ce.
Self-m a n a gin g sch ools a r e t a k in g on gr ea t er r esp on sib ilit y for p la n n in g in a w id er
con t ext . To d o t h is t h ey h ave en ga ged in va r i- ou s a p p r oa ch es t o p la n n in g. T h is a r t icle
su m m a r ises ou r t h in k in g on cu r r en t a n d p ot en t ia l a p p r oa ch es by exa m in in g t h r ee
m od els of p la n n in g. It b r iefl y ou t lin es t h e or igin a l m od el t h a t w a s a r t icu la t ed in 1992
bu t t h en exa m in es t h e n eed for s ch ools t o ext en d t h eir p la n n in g fr om s h or t -t er m s ch ool
d evelop m en t p la n n in g t o lon ger -t er m s t r a t e- gic p la n n in g a n d , m ost sign ifi ca n t ly, t o in cor -
p or a t e “fu t u r es t h in k in g”. It t h en d evelop s a n ew m od el w h ich t h e a u t h or s b elieve sh ou ld
b e m or e r esp on sive t o t h e n eed s of s ch ool p la n n in g in t h e fu t u r e.
1992: the original model
Ou r or igin a l wor k con sid er ed t h a t p la n n in g sh ou ld t a k e a m a in ly op er a t ion a l p er sp ect ive
w it h a on e-yea r p la n b ein g ext en d ed u p t o t wo or t h r ee yea r s. We con sid er ed t h a t :
T h e sch ool d evelop m en t p la n sh ou ld p r ov id e t h e m ech a n ism for d efi n in g a sch ool’s a im s
a n d t r a n sla t in g t h es e in t o effect ive ed u ca - t ion . Act iv it ies ca n b e s u b -d iv id ed in t o cor e
elem en t s w h ich r e p r es en t t h e m a in p u r p os e of t h e sch ool a n d su p p or t elem en t s w h ich
fa cilit a t e t h e effect ive op er a t ion of t h e cor e elem en t s Dav ies a n d E llis on , 1992, p. 9.
Follow in g ext en s ive wor k w it h sch ools a n d loca l ed u ca t ion a u t h or it ies LE As, w e cr e-
a t ed a m od el t o sh ow ou r v iew of t h e w ay in w h ich t h e elem en t s bu ilt u p in t o t h e sch ool
d evelop m en t p la n F igu r e 1.
T h e m od el w h ich w e p r op os ed b r ou gh t a ll t h e se p a r a t e a ct iv it ies t oget h er in t o on e
coh er en t d ocu m en t in or d er t o “p r ov id e a s t r a t e gic p ict u r e of w h er e t h e s ch ool is, w h er e
it is goin g a n d h ow it in t en d s t o get t h er e” Dav ies a n d E llis on , 1992, p. 9. At t h e t im e,
m a n y s ch ools con s id er ed t h a t on ly cer t a in m a jor a ct iv it ies s u ch a s cu r r icu lu m a n d
s t a ffin g n eed ed p la n n in g a n d com p a r t m en - t a lis ed p la n n in g h a d led t o over la p s a n d om is -
s ion s. Wh ile w e a lso p r op os ed s e p a r a t e, m or e d et a iled p la n s for ea ch of t h e a r ea s s h ow n in
F igu r e 1, t h eir in t e gr a t ion en su r ed t h a t t h e s e p a r a t e p la n s wou ld b e com p lem en t a r y.
T h is ea r lier wor k by s ch ools on d evelop - m en t p la n n in g h a s b een su cces sfu l in es t a b -
lis h in g b en ch m a r k s of good p la n n in g p r a ct ice for t h e en v ir on m en t in w h ich t h ey fou n d
t h em s elves in t h e ea r ly 1990s bu t t h e r a t e of econ om ic, t ech n ologica l a n d ed u ca t ion a l
ch a n ge h a s ga t h er ed p a ce d u r in g t h e 1990s. T h e n eed t o b e fl exible a n d r es p on sive t o t h is
ch a n ge is h igh ligh t ed by Dr u ck er 1993:
Wh a t w ill b e t a u gh t a n d lea r n ed ; h ow it w ill b e t a u gh t a n d lea r n ed ; w h o w ill m a k e u s e of
sch oolin g; a n d t h e p os it ion of t h e s ch ool in societ y – a ll of t h is w ill ch a n ge gr ea t ly d u r -
in g t h e en s u in g d eca d es. In d eed , n o ot h er in st it u t ion fa ces ch a llen ges a s r a d ica l a s
t h ose t h a t w ill t r a n s for m t h e s ch ool p. 209.
Ch ild r en w h o h ave r ecen t ly s t a r t ed s ch ool a n d w h o go on t o h igh er ed u ca t ion w ill com -
p let e t h eir ed u ca t ion b et w een t h e yea r s 2013 a n d 2015. Wh a t is m or e, t h ey cou ld b e wor k -
in g w it h t ech n ologies t h a t h ave n ot yet b een in ven t ed in a n or ga n is a t ion t h a t h a s yet t o
b e cr ea t ed . Wh a t s or t of ed u ca t ion a l exp er i- en ce w ill t h ey h ave over t h e n ext t en yea r s
a n d b eyon d ? H ow w ill s ch ools p la n t o op er a t e in t h is en v ir on m en t ? T h e con t in u ed a n d
in cr ea sin gly r a p id ch a n ges in b ot h t h e
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Bre nt Davie s and Linda Ellis o n Future s and strate gic
pe rspe c tive s in sc ho o l planning
Inte rnatio nal Jo urnal o f Educ atio nal Manage me nt
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ed u ca t ion a l a n d t h e glob a l en v ir on m en t r eq u ir e t h a t sch ools sh ou ld t h in k a h ea d
a b ou t t h e t y p es of in st it u t ion s w h ich t h ey w is h t o b e in t en yea r s’ t im e.
It is im p or t a n t t o t a k e a lon ger -t er m h olis- t ic p er sp ect ive w h ich con sid er s w h a t t h e
n a t u r e of lea r n in g a n d t h e lea r n in g t ech n ol- ogy w ill b e lik e in t h e t w en t y -fi r s t cen t u r y
a n d t o avoid a n in cr em en t a l a p p r oa ch w h er eby a sch ool wou ld gr a d u a lly a lt er it s
cu r r en t p r ov ision . It is a lso w is e t o avoid som e of t h e m ist a k es of in d u st r y a n d com -
m er ce w h er e a r igid a p p r oa ch t o s t r a t e gic p la n n in g a s d iscu ssed by Min t zb er g, 1994
h a s p r od u ced in fl exib ilit y a n d a n in a b ilit y t o gr a s p op p or t u n it ies w h ich wou ld en s u r e t h e
lon g-t er m effect iven ess of t h e or ga n isa t ion .
Ou r con clu sion w a s t h a t t h e or igin a l p la n - n in g m od el w e h a d a r t icu la t ed w a s a p p r op r i-
a t e for t h e on e- or t wo-yea r op er a t ion a l p la n - n in g cycle bu t it n eed ed t o b e s et a lon gs id e a
r econ ce p t u a lised , w id er -r ea ch in g con t ext .
1995: the three-stage model
