Circular 52/2026: Support for the redeveoped curriculum 26/27, Whole School Curriulum Planning Guidance, Updated Preparation for Teaching and Learning Guidance

There were 3 documents released today

1. Circular 52/2026
2. Updated Preparation for Teaching and Learning Guidelines
3. Whole School Curriculum Planning Guidance

Circular 52/2026 -  Support for the redeveoped curriculum 26/27

Things to note 

• New time allocations should be implemented by all schools by the end of the 27/28 school year
• Schools pick at least one curricular area to begin enacting from Sept 26. (I strongly recommend you stick with one). 
• Schools will have support from an Oide advisor for one curriculum area next year. 
• Schools will submit preferences to Oide. Oide will consider then when assigning an advisor. Details on this application will be shared in May.
• Wellbeing must be one of the first 3 areas enacted.
• There is an optional consolidation/pause year anytime after Year 3. (Plan to take this and give yourselves time to breathe)
• Suggested language for informing parents about the closures.
• Funding - there will be annual funding but amounts will depend on budget

Supports for 26/27

There will be 4 school closure days all schools (5 if you also have child protection to do).

• 1 for language awareness, including MFL, supported by Oide
• 2 will be closures support by an Oide advisor for the subject are chosen.
• 1 will be a school-led collaboration day for their chosen curricular area. 

Leadership supports

• 1 day seminar on leading curricular change - Principal only
• 1 day seminar on leading the introduction of MFL - 3 school leaders (very questionable distribution here!)
• Online leadership clinics available

Other supports

• Language upskilling courses from PPLI/Languages Connect

My thoughts on supports for 26/27

Welcome to see the 4 closure days. Hard fought by those involved so thank you for your work on that. They will be needed and valuable in schools. Disappointed that there's only 1 leader on the leading curricular change day. That makes developing leadership capacity and the chance of this being effectively shared difficult.

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Updated Preparation for Teaching and Learning Guidelines

Notable changes

• For the first it specified that short term planning can be weekly, fornightly or monthly. Still weekly for SET and NQTs
• Assessment brought into the guidance title and centred. Nothing particularly new, but more explicit throughout.
• Focus on agency (child and teacher) in language. Also focus on strengths and individuality as well as needs and interests
• Updated to align to new curriculum
• 'Focus of new learning' changed to 'focus(es of learning'. These should be linked to a learning outcome.
• Re-iterates that recorded plans are for the teacher, and should work for them. It should be concise, useful and flexible. 

My thoughts on the updated Teaching and Learning Guidance

No significant changes but welcome change to monthly plans being acceptable.

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Whole school curriculum planning guidance

• This is one you need to read the document. Set some time aside for it. I'll do key points below, but go read it. It's too relevant for the next few years.
• Whole school curricular plan should be seen as a 'living and evolving' document. (not something on a shelf that isn't read 

It describes the features of effective planning:

• Identify the key contextual factors for curriculum enactment in the school.
• Support all children in developing the key competencies of the Primary Curriculum Framework.
• Support the consistent and effective enactment of agreed whole-school pedagogical approaches across all curriculum areas.
• Balance agency and accountability.
• Guide and inform teachers’ individual preparation for learning, teaching and assessment.
• Support the use of assessment.
• Provide ongoing opportunities for review and improvement.

It breaks the process into 3 stages

• Reflect
• Select
• Enact

Reflect specifies being context specific and it gives good questions you can use to explore with staff. Focus on the key competencies

Select is the subject area ye choose.

Enact is well, do it. Do it, monitor and reflect and make changes as needed. 

Some helpful questions for the reflecting as assessing how it's going to use with the community. 

School Plan

It mentions using SSE to support the enactment process and it outlines a suggested outline for a whole school plan. 
Section 1: Our school context (considerations of the unique community)
Section 2: Curriculum Enactment
Section 3: Curriculum Plans (evolving over time)
Section 4: School self-evaluation and action planning
Section 5: Appendices

It gives more questions to consider for each, and a list of the things a curriculum plan could record.

It mentions SSE again but the circular hasn't been released yet.

My thoughts on the whole school planning guidance

Solid guidance with some genuinely useful tools for school leaders to use when engaging in curriculum change over the coming years. Well done to those involved