Dream: to think strategically and with vision about our work in schools.
Develop: to consider different skills we need to grow for our work in schools.
Do: a resource idea related to this theme that you can take and use in your work.
Each month we will link you to downloads and continued reading at schoolswork.co.uk.
Dream
Enabling every young person to end school well
Thousands of teenagers across the country are preparing to sit GCSE or A level exams this summer. We all want to end well, whether it’s at school, college, work or in our relationships. A solid, neat end to something provides much needed closure and helps us to focus on the next thing; while a messy and unplanned finish can be unsettling, cause anxiety and even prevent us from trying again. Ending school traditionally involves sitting exams, and ending well for many is the outcome of those results. For some young people however, simply reaching year 11 may, in itself, be a significant achievement, and they could be unlikely to ‘end well’ academically for a number of reasons.
Rather than use exam results as the only indicator of a positive finish to school, how can we enable all young people to achieve a good end and celebrate both academic and non-academic achievements meaningfully, as they begin to focus on the next thing? Reflect for a moment on a time in your life that didn’t go to plan or end the way you had hoped. Even if the outcome was not what you would have liked, what positives can you draw from it now? What would have helped you end well at the time?
Develop
The Bible is full of examples of people who ended well despite taking an unconventional route to get there, because of bad choices or things that happened as a result of others’ behaviours. Moses had everything he ever wanted, but blew it by committing murder and ended up fleeing in fear to the desert (Exodus 2). That could have been the end of the story, but God had a plan which ultimately ended well. Moses did not just go on to step up as an incredible leader - he led God’s people to freedom. In the New Testament, Peter, an uneducated fisherman is called to follow Jesus. He witnessed miracle after miracle, and yet still messed up and denied Jesus right before the crucifixion. That wasn’t the end of his story either, because in John 21 Peter is restored when asked three times if he loved the now-resurrected Christ. He went on, with the other disciples, to change the course of history in establishing the early Church.
What does this look like for students in years 11 and 13? They are coming to the close of something and we want them to have a sense of ending well. Here are a collection of reflective ideas that could be used to help students explore this theme, for use in oneto- one or group work settings, or even in lessons or tutor time.
Drawing
- Draw a storyboard of your time at school and discuss the various memories that these bring back. Leave the last square blank and think: how do I want my time at this school to end? What does a good finish mean for me?
- Design a poster for a film. The film is your story of being at school. What would you call it? What type of film would it be and why? How do you want the film to end? What would the sequel be?
Music
- What would the soundtrack to your time at school sound like? Can you put together a playlist of music that represents your experience of school? Now think about what your grand finale could sound like, and what that might represent.
Writing
- Write a poem or story; this could include a challenge such as not using certain words or having to name two positive moments for every difficult one.
- Write a letter to your 11-year-old self. Knowing what the last few years have looked like, what advice would you give? Think about what this kind of letter, written to their younger selves, by Moses or Peter would look like.
- Outline hopes and aspirations for the future, however unlikely they might seem at the moment. When David was a shepherd boy, would he have believed he might one day be king? We cannot let current situations or realities detract from what tomorrow might bring.
Groups
In groups ask your young people to share, either publicly or as a written exercise, thoughts for each other to reflect on:
- A funny memory of time spent at school (making sure they respect others).
- A time they admired someone because of their character or integrity.
- A Talent(s), gift(s) or skill(s) they see in someone else that they will take with them when they leave school.
Do
Here is a challenge: deliver a leaving assembly for years 11 or 13 without making a single mention of exams! Illustrations can be helpful in allowing students to picture the season they currently find themselves in, in a new light. Consider an aeroplane ride. For students leaving school, you could use the illustration of a plane coming in to land from their school ‘flight’, and get them to think about how that flight has gone, and where they will be going when they get off the plane. Here are further questions you can use:
- What was good about the flight? What was difficult? (Everyone has a different experience and idea of what makes things positive or negative. You can encourage them that this is ok.)
- Who did you meet on the journey that you want to stay in touch with?
- Which pieces of luggage will you keep and which will you leave behind at customs?
You can tell your own story about a journey you have been on, using examples from the Bible (above). These illustrations can demonstrate how certain journeys have looked turbulent, but have been turned around because of good choices, hard work or new opportunities. Encourage students that they have a choice to finish well.
