Our About Planning webpages provide a rich introduction to the world of town planning and how the decisions made today shape the places we live, work, and spend time in. These pages are ideal for helping pupils understand what planning is, why it matters, and what a career in planning might look like. This page outlines a range of ideas for using the tool in the classroom, either as preparation for an RTPI ambassador workshop, or as a follow-up activity.
About Planning – Overview activity
This overview works well as an introductory activity or as the base for a mini-project.
Ask pupils to explore the page and come up with three questions they’d like to know more about – then challenge them to find the answers using the different sections below.
Alternatively, pupils can design an information leaflet or display board summarising “What is Town Planning?” in their own words, drawing on all six sections on this page.
- Priming task - Before the planner’s visit, ask pupils to choose one of their three questions to ask the planner directly during the session. Encourage them to pick a question that explores the real-life challenges planners face or the skills they use most.
- Follow-on task - After the planner’s visit, pupils can add a section to their leaflet or display titled “What I Learned from a Real Planner,” summarising one insight they found especially interesting or surprising.
1) What is Planning? – Vocabulary & definitions task
2) Why Plan? – Debate & discussion activity
3) What a Town Planner does – Careers role cards
4) What to study – Subject mapping exercise
5) How to plan your career – timeline task
What is Planning? – Vocabulary & definitions task
This section introduces the basics of what planning involves – from designing new homes to protecting green spaces and guiding sustainable development.
After reading the page together or in small groups, pupils can work to define key terms in their own words (e.g. sustainable, development, infrastructure). These can be compiled into a classroom planning glossary or added to personal vocabulary journals.
You might also ask pupils to write a short explanation of planning aimed at younger pupils, reinforcing their understanding through clear, simple language.
- Priming task - Before the planner’s visit, pupils can choose one planning word they find tricky or interesting and write a question about how that term applies in real planning work. For example, they might ask how “infrastructure” is planned in growing towns.
- Follow-on task - After the planner’s visit, pupils can revise one or more of their definitions based on the session—for example, adding examples the planner shared or noting how the term is used in practice.
Why Plan? – Debate & discussion activity
This section explores the reasons we plan our places – from managing climate change to ensuring everyone has access to schools and transport.
Set up a classroom debate based on this question: “Is planning more about protecting the environment or helping communities grow?” Pupils can use the information from the page to build their arguments, either individually or in teams.
Alternatively, pupils can create posters highlighting the benefits of planning, using the five key points from the page as headings.
- Priming task - Before the planner’s visit, ask pupils to write one debate question for the planner based on the topic “Why do we plan?”. This could relate to environmental priorities, housing needs, or public services, and should connect to something they found on the page.
- Follow-on task - After the planner’s visit, pupils can use a quote or idea from the planner to support or challenge one of the arguments made in class. They could add a “Planner’s View” section to their posters or discussion notes.
What a Town Planner does – Careers role cards
Use this section to introduce the range of specialisms within planning – from transport and heritage to regeneration and climate adaptation.
Pupils can each take on a different type of planner (e.g. Environmental Planner, Urban Designer) and create a ‘career role card’ including:
- A job description
- Skills required
- A day-in-the-life paragraph
These can be used in a careers display or shared as short presentations.
- Priming task - Before the planner’s visit, pupils can prepare one question based on their chosen role card—for example, “What’s the hardest part of being a regeneration planner?” or “What skills does an environmental planner use every day?”
- Follow-on task - After the planner’s visit, pupils can add to their career role card with a “Real Planner Insight” box, summarising one thing the guest planner said that connects to their assigned specialism or career path.
What to study – Subject mapping exercise
This section links school subjects to pathways into planning, making it ideal for helping pupils reflect on their personal interests and strengths.
Ask pupils to list their favourite subjects and explore how each might connect to a planning role. For example, someone who enjoys Geography might look into environmental planning; a Design and Technology enthusiast might be drawn to urban design.
Pupils could then complete a short writing task: “Why planning could be for me”, linking their school subjects and aspirations to what they've learned.
- Priming task - Before the planner’s visit, pupils can highlight one of their favourite school subjects and write a question for the planner about how that subject might be useful in the planning world—e.g. “How does Maths help with town planning?”
- Follow-on task - After the planner’s visit, when completing the “Why planning could be for me” task, pupils can include a reference to the planner’s experiences, describing how a skill or subject the planner mentioned might align with their own strengths.
How to plan your career – timeline task
This section outlines steps into the planning profession, from school choices through to university and professional accreditation.
Pupils can use the information to build a career timeline, showing key decisions and milestones along the way. This could be designed as a visual poster or flowchart, encouraging reflection on short- and long-term goals.
As a follow-up, ask pupils to set three career-related goals based on what they’ve learned – one for this term, one for the next year, and one for after school.
- Priming task - Before the planner’s visit, pupils can write one question about a step on the planning career timeline they find confusing or exciting—for example, “What is the most important decision you made on your journey into planning?”
- Follow-on task - After the planner’s visit, pupils can include a “Planner’s Advice” section in their career timeline, showing where the real-world insights from the visit fit into their own possible journey into planning.