If you are asked at work to develop an action plan for the division you are working in you would be able to follow a reasonably straight forward and well tried path. You would probably start by finding a consultant. Or you would find and read books on current theories and you could naturally research your topic through the internet.

You would be urged to start with a SWOT analysis.

SWOT stands for:

Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats

Using this tool you start to sketch out your Eleven Plus plan.

Strengths

What are your strengths? (Patience, determination, clear vision, organised your own wedding with 580 guests.)
What are your child’s strengths? (Brains, beauty and a sharp tongue.)
What strengths exist in the family? (Granddad is a maths teacher!)
The strengths of the school (26 out of 30 children passed last year.)
A tutor’s strengths (helped a number of children to pass last year.)

Weaknesses

What are your weaknesses? (Everything must be just right or you do tend to explode.)
Your child’s weaknesses? (Won’t read, won’t work at home for you, loves sport too much, and no longer thinks that you are always correct.)
Weaknesses in the family (Older sister passed last year and always lets everyone know, younger bother has a behaviour problem.)

Opportunities

Your child is able. Your child is capable.
The school have never let you down.
Your child loves work once he or she gets started.
Your partner is supportive and is very good at verbal reasoning.

Threats

Listening to other mothers and fathers who have every single thing organised in great detail.
Your child will only work if there is a big enough bribe.
Grandmother keeps saying: “Oh don’t keep pushing the little dear. You never did any work at school so why are you forcing your child.”
The big five: Sport, TV, Computers, Obstinacy and hatred of extra work outside of school.

Your ACTION Plan

Write down your ACTION plan.
Agree your ACTION plan with your child, the rest of the family and your teachers at school.
Take a deep breath.
Step back from the plan to see if it really is feasible.
Revise and rework the plan.
Adhere to the plan – when it is convenient to you.
Use the plan as a tool to whip your child and the rest of the family into shape.
Monitor and evaluate through observation, work sampling and reviews.
Revise your targets.
Allow for variation. (Especially when it suits you.)

It all dead easy. It is just what being a parent is all about anyway. There is no mystique about the eleven plus.