Tell me the good things that happen at your Speech Day

[SueSueDonnahue]

Independent School Speech Days - i went to the 8th different school I have had different kids at/worked at this morning, and it was easily the worst.

It dragged on for well over two hours. Possibly the UK's worst orchestra and choirs featured rather too heavily in the programme. Cheap coffee, shop bought biscuits, no wine and only lunch served to special invited "VIP" guests and not the normal parents.

It made me think, what's the nicest things that happen at your Speech Day that make you think "oh Wow, I am happy for all my income to go towards schools fees 😆"

Well I didn’t put all my income towards fees so maybe never expected much. However, I’ve been to a couple of shockers too. Too long is the main problem. The best ones don’t do loads of children’s participation. Just a small section. If your children go to a school with a poor orchestra and choir I’d not be paying for mediocre music anyway.

Even when my children got to secondary and occasionally got prizes the actual event was a bit naff. However, our school used to get it right until a new Head appeared. Initially we all took lunch/picnics and could start from 11.30. Gazebos could be put up and lunch was relaxing. Speech day started at 2.00. Lasted 90 mins. We’d all had a drink! Decent speaker and Head Girl, Head and Chairman of Govs kept it short. Champagne reception for 6th form leavers after. Tea served for everyone else. Packed up and went home.

New Head changed it round to an early start for speech day, let it drag on with longer speeches, and then parents were supposed to get out all the picnics after. People started to just go home. It didn’t work as well but suited the ones who didn’t want to see anyone. She started a Governors lunch with invited guests. There was such a hoo ha it stopped. They were expected by parents to mingle, not slope off to their gourmet lunch.

It’s always hard work if your DC don’t get anything and the class favourites get everything. There’s frequently not a lot of fairness to it. Same children rewarded every year for very dubious achievements.

It’s very boring and it sounds to me that your school is existing on a shoe string for speech day. Some schools do a prize winners day so the rest of us don’t go. Perhaps they could do this?

The best thing at our school speech day when I was a pupil was the School Captain's speech.
His job was to remind the visiting speaker to ask the head to give us a half holiday.
However in year 8 they asked for a day and a half and it was granted, which of course we swiftly took as tradition.

Most prizes were for year 10 and above, and even then not that many prizes, so it wasn't something you felt bad if you got nothing (as I usually did)

Witchend Did you go to school with Jennings and Derbyshire?

Sorry if this is a really stupid question, DD in Y12 at new school, our first ever speech day is next Saturday. Are all parents expected to go? We had initially planned to arrive after the speeches, but in time for the performances.

At my school speech day in L6th the speaker collapsed and had a cardiac arrest on stage. Fortunately there were several doctors and nurses in the audience and amazingly he was successfully resuscitated (I'm now a doctor and he is one of a handful of patients I've seen survive an out of hospital arrest).

Kind of puts some crappy coffee into perspective! But you have my sympathy OP, it must have been hellish in this weather.

At the school where I work the Mum of the Head of School (aka head boy/girl) makes a speech. Nerve racking for them, but always good, but in different ways and totally embarrassing for the child!

Our school tends to have past pupils as the guest speaker, which I think is nice for the pupils, as they get inspiration from it. In 2012 they had an Olympian, which was really exciting for the pupils (primary).

I think, error, you go to the whole lot. I’ve never known anyone pick and choose.

At the school where I work the Mum of the Head of School (aka head boy/girl) makes a speech. Nerve racking for them, but always good, but in different ways and totally embarrassing for the child!

This has the potential to be amazing or terrible I love it! A bit of jeopardy is what makes these things interesting.

I once went to a school which announced the next head boy/girl at speech day- and the children didn’t know before it was announced that was lovely.

Also the school where the head boy of the CCF has to do something crazy with a real sword quite close to the visiting speakers head is quite the highlight!

@BubblesBuddy thank you.
Looks like an early start on Saturday then 😢

Error: you could of course lurk in the car park and see what others do! Do you know any other parents to ask about it?

sounds tempting!

Actually I don’t mind going, it’s just that to get there for the 10am start means leaving home at 7am! Our original plan was to arrive at about 11:30 as there are performances etc through to around 4pm.

Ours are great and everybody looks forward to attending.
Starts off with picnics first, then thefirmal part. Headmaster delivers a rousing speech including talking about everything the school has achieved that yr. Then chairman of governors has amuch shorter speech. An old boy comes every year who everyone excitedly listens to as they tell the children about all the escapades they got up to whilst there, and we still have 1 or 2 staff that have been there about 30yrsso there legs are pulled a bit. Students love it. Head boy and head girl both read out their carefully planned speeches which elicit more roars of laughter and cheering of said head boy/girl.

There’s a great jazz band that serenades all. Loads of prizes are won by a variety of children. The top students do not necessarily win all the acedimc prizes because effort etc are taken into account. Every student in yr 8 is called forward for an ‘alumni tie’, whilst also announcing which school they are proceeding to, families all clap, shout and cheer their child. I could go on really, afterwards ALL parents including governors are treated to champagne and other nibbles. Nobody is treated to a special gourmet meal . Kids busy themselves taking photographs, hugging and saying goodbyes if leaving the school. Then home. It’s brilliant!

Well it was yesterday, had an early start but so worth it. A fantastic day!