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 a way that focuses on the key ideas of the strands of each attainment outcome, for example the relationship between the properties of materials found on Earth and their uses. 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-term and short-term planning is essential if learning and teaching are to be effective.