Our open days are a bit different. Sure we want lots of people to come and see what we are up, but more importantly it’s a chance for the pupils we work with to really get involved and cement the feeling of being part of the team. That sense of belonging and ownership is really important to what we do.
In the week leading up to the open day all pupils were asked to chip in to make the place presentable – cutting back overgrown paths, moving piles of manure, chopping wood for the pizza oven etc.
The reason we decided to move our open days to a Friday is so more pupils can attend – a chance to show off what they do and be proud of their achievements and if their parents and carers come, a chance for us to big them up.
One of our lads showed off his bushcraft knowledge to a couple of volunteers from Neo who told us ‘M spoke really intelligently about woodwork and survival skills – he was very engaging, patient and encouraging.’
Others did tours, helped on the gate, with the smoothie bike and pizza making.
So was it a success? In terms of pupils helping and parents/carers coming along it beat the rest hands down with former pupils adding to the numbers and making it a memorable day for everyone.
On the smoothie bike
Making pizzas – all day!
Picking fruit