Review

Review current scheme of work and existing unit plans

You will have unit plans that you already use. These may be the National Strategies sample teaching units (as written or adapted), ones the department has developed, or ones from published resources. You need to check which learning objectives are covered in these plans. You may find that some objectives are fully covered and some only partly covered. During your review, identify opportunities to cover missing objectives or strengthen others.

If you have limited time and/or a large number of non-specialist teachers in the department, it may be better to adapt existing units to embed the new areas and address new technologies. Alternatively, if you have a large team of specialists, you may already have ideas to update your unit plans and re-energise your scheme of work.

Many new resources support learning in the areas of sequencing, modelling and digital communication. These are fast-moving areas. Plans should ensure that pupils encounter a range of ICT tools, including those required by qualifications such as functional skills. 

Case studies

The example case studies below demonstrate how two sample schools completed the process of reviewing schemes of work. School A predominantly used the sample teaching units. School B mainly used units that it created.

School A

ICT sample teaching unit overview (33.5 KB)

This file lists the Year 7 National Strategies sample teaching units, with codes for ordering. There is a brief overview of each unit plan.

ICT sample teaching unit curriculum map (52 KB)

This file shows how school A reviewed its scheme of work.

When reviewing a scheme of work, each unit needs to be checked against the substrands of the renewed ICT Framework to establish full or partial coverage against the learning objectives. Full or partial coverage can only be recorded after discussion in the department of the depth of work covered by the existing unit. Full coverage should only be recorded if the learning objective has been taught in some depth so that assessment of pupils' work would show that learning had taken place.

The audit may reveal that there are some areas where there is little or no coverage, and may point to areas where the existing scheme of work needs to be adjusted.

School B

School B unit summaries (43.5 KB)

This file contains a brief overview of six unit plans being used by school B before the revised National Curriculum.

School B curriculum map (41.5 KB)

This file shows how the six unit plans for school B cover the revised programmes of study for ICT. Each unit has been checked against the substrands to establish full or partial coverage. The audit reveals some areas where there is little or no coverage, and points to areas where the existing scheme of work needs to be adjusted.