2.4. Action plan

What are our short term goals that suits the school’s strategy?
What actions are to be taken?
What resources are needed? What do we have and what needs to be developed / acquired?
What is the logical arrangement of actions (sequence, interconnections)?
What timeframe would work for us?
Who are responsible and who participates in each actions?

Action plans are used in the educational arena as well. In the development phase these short term plans are used to introduce new activities and establish new routines in schools. Action plans are for establishing EWS. In this respect the basic requirements for preparing an action plan that they have to follow the questions above. First of all the plan has to be in line with the strategy decided in the goal setting phase. It is best to make plans in a chart format which

Should contain a measurable goal

a) Therefore success criteria

b) Well detailed tasks

c) Timescale

Deadline
Assigned responsibility
List of staff who will be actively involved
Leadership consent (time and equipment is provided)

In operating the EWS action plans are also needed but are usually not named “action plans” on a student level. These will be individual development plans or contracts with students but the logic is similar. During the operational phase of EWS on school level further developments and improvements require action plans as well.

On a student level the PDP or the personal development plan is following a similar logic. Plans are not only sacrifices on the altar of bureaucracy, once written and then forgotten. Plans are to be followed, modified if needed and when successfully completed a bottle of champagne must be opened. This is half joke. Students must know the plan, they have to agree and work on it. Personal development is a joint effort by student and teacher and sometimes by other actors (sports coach, psychologist, a friend etc.). If one party is not committed the other cannot be successful. Preventing ESL is NOT saving students. It needs commitment and hard work from both sides and plans are to create a contract for reaching a jointly wanted aim.