Streatham & Clapham High School on its leavers' action plan

Cathy Ellott, Headteacher of Streatham & Clapham High School, on her Action Plan to help departing students navigate the next step with confidence

As our Year 13 students face the looming challenges of A-level exams, they also look forward to setting sail from the metaphorical safe harbour of school and venturing into the choppy waters of adult life. With a crew of great friends, they are already equipped with their metaphorical sea-legs and have honed crucial life skills, from articulating complex ideas to navigating the changing tides of leadership, consent, and living well online. They may not have Leonardo di Caprio at their side, but they have the ambition and vision to stand at the bow of their ship facing into their future, exhilarated by the view. They are ready for adventure.

Or are they? In our schools, we unite in wanting to ready our students for adult life, yet more and more young people are struggling with poor mental health and loneliness at university, sometimes with devastating consequences. With my son starting university last September, my mind was more focused than ever on how we remind our students of all that school has cultivated. How do we ensure that the hedonism of Freshers’ Week doesn’t lobotomise our otherwise resourceful and resilient brood?

Last May I came up with a Year 13 Action Plan that I’m looking forward to repeating this year. Like so much of what we do as teachers, I don’t know how much impact the Action Plan had – we rarely know where the ripples of our guidance land – but I have faith that the Action Plans might bob to the surface, like a message in a bottle.

I will remind my Year 13 students that they need have no fear of what lies ahead (after all, our school motto is: “Towards wisdom unafraid”). They have the skills and resources to flourish – they just need to remember to use them. I will give them a two-sided sheet of paper for them to complete in good old-fashioned longhand. They will do this privately, then put it in a sealed envelope and address it to themselves at home. In September, I will post it to them, for them to read as a reminder before they pack their bags for university. My advice is that they take the Action Plan with them to reflect on when it catches their eye on their bookshelf or tucked in their sock drawer.

“I want them to keep safe their precious school cargo of good sense, active engagement, friendship and resourcefulness”

So, what’s in the plan? It’s simply a list of reminders of who they are and what they love doing. They need to list three things they are proud of, five things that make them laugh; five people they know they can call or message if they’re feeling sad or lonely; three current activities they enjoy (think sport, music, art, drama – being active, creative, reflective and connected); three new activities that they will explore at Freshers’ Week; and finally – a message to their future self embarking on the uni adventure.

As our students pull up the anchor and set sail to their futures, I want them to keep safe their precious school cargo of good sense, active engagement, friendship and resourcefulness that will be their armoury, comfort and sustenance for all that lies ahead. And perhaps my little Action Plan will bob up, like a message in a bottle on a turbulent sea, at just the moment they need it.

Streatham & Clapham High School schs.gdst.net

Further reading: Berkhamsted on staying one step ahead in educating for tomorrow