Department Planning
Resources for CS Departments
Strategy and self-assessment tools for CS departments. Practical frameworks to help your department identify where it is strong, where it is not, and what to do about it.
These resources are for CS departments, not students. The focus is on the decisions that sit above individual lessons: curriculum coherence, assessment consistency, staff development, and how the department as a whole knows whether it is improving or standing still.
The first resource is a self-diagnostic that works for any member of a CS department, whether you are the HoD or a classroom teacher with a view on how things are going. More planning and strategy resources are in development and will be added here.
Eight Questions Every CS Department Should Be Asking
A practical framework for evaluating where your department really is and what to do about it
A self-diagnostic for CS departments. Eight questions, eight concrete actions, and a full department self-assessment framework included in the appendix. Works as an individual read or as a structured department activity.
- Q1 Does your curriculum build towards something, or does each year cover the same ground?
- Q2 Do your students understand their code, or can they just produce it?
- Q3 Is your theory teaching preparing students for exams, or just covering content?
- Q4 Is the way you assess programming fair, consistent, and sustainable?
- Q5 Are all your teachers equipped to teach everything in your curriculum?
- Q6 Does your department have a clear position on AI, or are you working it out as you go?
- Q7 Do you know how your students are performing right now, or do you find out at the end of the year?
- Q8 Is your department sustainable, or does it run on individual effort?
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How to use this with your team
Individual read
Work through the eight questions alone with your most recent results in front of you. Each question ends with one concrete action you can take in under an hour.
Department activity
Share the self-assessment appendix with your team before a meeting. Collate scores anonymously and focus on where they vary most between teachers.
Line management conversation
Use the framework to articulate clearly where your department is and what you are prioritising next. Gives structure to conversations that can otherwise stay vague.
More resources coming
Additional planning and strategy resources for CS leads are in development. More will be added to this page, including curriculum mapping tools and CPD planning frameworks.