Teach Secondary 13.5

have become restless and tired – prompting school leaders to decide whether a student (or even the cohort as a whole) should be granted study leave, if only to diffuse the tension and release some of that built-up stress. The very last day of Y11 brings with it the now hallowed practice of shirt signing and mad scrambles for pens and signatures. I’ve often wondered what happens to those signed shirts in the subsequent weeks and months. Do the students keep them? Do they ever see the light of day again? Or are they left to languish underneath beds until parents and carers finally decide to bite the bullet and throw them out? And then come the tears – often from staff and students alike – but also no small amount of joy and jubilation: ‘ I’ll never have to wear a school blazer again! ’. Some plucky members of staff will take it upon themselves to record a song video as a combined treat and farewell for those students who’ll be leaving (which can sometimes prompt the tears all over again). One tradition our school has put in place more recently is for staff to form a line after the final assembly and then clap the students out of the building, by way of a final salute. The end ofyear prom Does your school hold an end of year prom?We’ve hosted annual proms and sixth form graduation dinners for the past 20 years, and both events have historically been well-attended by staff and students. Inmany staff offices and workrooms you’ll see photos taken at numerous proms in years gone by. I feel we’re lucky in that we regularly have over half of our staff attend these events, at which there will be many students asking for pictures to be taken of them with their teachers by the event’s official photographer. A good number of students will, of course, have been planning their attendance at prom for years beforehand – what they’ll be wearing, the transport they’ll be arriving in, how their hair will look, the nails and jewellery they’ll have – and we’ll have been hearing about the formation of those plans over a similar CROWD CONTROL For many schools, the Y11 prom will be a much-anticipated highlight of the year – but for those staff tasked with organising the event and ensuring everyone has a great time, it can also involve negotiating some tricky challenges. Here’s my own checklist for devising a great evening that will have everyone talking – for the right reasons... VENUE SELECTION Make sure that the venue you choose can cope with the numbers and plans you have in mind, and will actively help you create a successful event. Some venues will lazily coast by on their reputation and repeat bookings; it’s worth remembering that there are some great venues out there that will go the extra mile for you. WORKING OUTTHE DETAILS As you set about hiring all those third party firms to take the photos, provide the music or just make candy floss, sharing what you’ll be doing early on will help the venue to better deliver on your decisions and promises. Be sure to share your contractor details with the venue, so that they’re clear as to when the various set-ups will commence. CHECKING FOR CLASHES Proms are big business for hotels and other large venues. For some years, we would hold our prom nights at a hotel that usually had another local school in, hosting a prom night of their own. More than once, we’d observe some unfamiliar students ‘visiting’ our prom to see what was happening and then staying.We now try to avoid this at all costs, in favour of keeping the focus on our own event and students. VEHICLE PARADE PLANNING The arrival parade is always a spectacle that starts the evening off in spectacular fashion. The best hotels will know how to organise this so that vehicles don’t have to wait too long and can be seen by everyone, while giving students sufficient time to savour the warm welcome from their peers. By clarifying the details with the venue in advance, you can ensure that your event timings stay on track from the start. ARRANGING PROPER SECURITY Your school’s SLT will likely be monitoring events throughout, while various other members of staff remain on the lookout for youthful tomfoolery. Hiring proper security guards will see to it that students don’t bring in anything they’re not supposed to, and ensure that any signs of possible trouble are acted on immediately. This can help to take pressure off staff, freeing them up for other tasks – such as searching bags for smuggled alcohol and/or other substances... FINAL FAREWELLS Decide who’ll manage the end of the night and ensure everyone travels back safely. Students will often be in a hurry to head off to their own after-parties, but you can always rely on there being some stragglers who have left it too late to organise their own lifts. At our past few proms it’s been my job to make sure all students have left – which can sometimes be awkward when a parent gets lost and arrives two hours late... 67 teachwire.net/secondary S UMM E R S E N D - O F F