Strategic Curriculum Leadership: Evaluating, designing and delivering for every learner

Curriculum leadership has never been more challenging. School and trust leaders are balancing rising learner need, inclusion and SEND pressures, workforce constraints, accountability expectations and finite resources, while maintaining ambition for every pupil.

This three-part webinar series provides a practical framework for reviewing, designing and delivering a curriculum that is both ambitious and achievable. Led by curriculum specialist Chris Jones, the series takes participants through the complete strategic curriculum cycle: evaluating current provision, designing for diverse learner needs and translating curriculum intent into sustainable delivery through staffing and timetabling decisions.

Whether you are leading curriculum development across a school or trust, reviewing your provision in response to changing learner needs, or seeking greater alignment between curriculum ambitions and operational realities, this series will provide practical tools, strategic insight and actionable next steps.

**You can sign-up for session two on 3 February 2027. Session one has now passed and a recording is available on request.**

Speaker

Chris Jones

Founder and CEO of SMARTcurriculum

Session 1: Curriculum in Focus: Evaluating What Really Matters

** This session has now passed. If you wish to join the series, the recording and resources are available upon purchase. **

Schools are constantly reviewing and refining their curriculum, but how do leaders know whether it is truly delivering the outcomes intended for all learners?

This session explores how to evaluate curriculum effectiveness beyond performance measures alone, helping leaders identify strengths, gaps and priorities for future development. Participants will consider what evidence matters most and how evaluation can inform strategic decision-making.

Session 2: Curriculum by Design: Planning for Every Learner

As learner needs become increasingly diverse, curriculum planning must balance ambition, inclusion and practicality.

This session examines how leaders can design curriculum provision that meets the needs of all pupils while remaining coherent, achievable and aligned with their school's vision. Delegates will explore approaches to curriculum design that promote equity, engagement and long-term success.

Session 3: From Curriculum to Classroom: Turning Intent into Reality

Even the strongest curriculum plans depend on effective implementation. Staffing structures, curriculum time and organisational decisions all influence what pupils actually experience.

This session focuses on translating curriculum intent into sustainable practice. Participants will explore how workforce planning, timetabling and resource allocation can support successful curriculum delivery and help ensure strategic ambitions become classroom reality.

Why this matters now?

How do you know whether your curriculum is truly delivering what learners need?

With schools navigating changing learner needs, increasing pressures on budgets and staffing, and growing expectations around inclusion and educational outcomes, curriculum leadership has become a critical strategic priority.

This series supports leaders to move beyond curriculum intent alone and focus on the full curriculum journey: evaluating what matters, designing for every learner and ensuring that implementation is both effective and sustainable.

Drawing together curriculum evaluation, inclusive design and sustainable implementation, this series will equip school and trust leaders with the tools and strategic insight needed to make confident curriculum decisions in a rapidly changing educational landscape.

Learning outcome

Evaluate the effectiveness and impact of their current curriculum offer.
Review curriculum provision through the lens of pupil need, inclusion and educational equity.
Design curriculum models that balance ambition, breadth and practicality.
Understand how staffing, deployment and timetabling decisions influence curriculum delivery.
Identify opportunities to improve coherence, flexibility and learner outcomes.
Develop a clearer strategic approach to long-term curriculum planning and implementation.

Fees

ASCL member: £149 +VAT

Non-member: £169 +VAT