The Drop Day That Taught Me More Than It Taught the Kids

Last year, I took part in a drop day at a secondary school. The topic was healthy relationships, and as usual, I was armed with a session plan I was excited to see in action, and printouts I had left to the last minute to print.

It was a Friday in early September. I hadn't given that a second thought when I accepted the booking, but I really wish I had. Turns out, not only was it a Friday in the first week of a new school year, it was the first day back at school after the six-week holidays! Somehow, I had to find a way to keep each group engaged and focused on topic throughout the day. I failed. And here's what I learned.

The room didn't help

I was in the gym. Two classes in a space built for a whole year group, with PE equipment stacked around the edges. There was no table for my laptop and no power socket anywhere near the screen, so I balanced everything on a chair and hoped the battery would last.

I've delivered in all sorts of spaces over the years, and I know by now that the room shapes the session before you've even opened your mouth. When students walk into a sports hall, they spread out. They get louder. Their bodies are expecting movement, not a conversation about healthy relationships. Two classes in a normal classroom with chairs pulled into a horseshoe would have been a completely different day. But I didn't ask about the room beforehand, and I should have.

The kids were somewhere else entirely

They were lovely. But they'd just walked through the school gates for the first time in six weeks. They had new haircuts and new shoes and a lot of catching up to do. They were buzzing. Asking them to sit and think about boundaries and consent before they'd even had a proper lesson that term was a big ask, and I don't think I appreciated how big until I was in the middle of it.

A couple of weeks into the term, those same students would have had their school heads on. They'd have known their timetable, settled into the group, and been ready to give me their attention. Day one, I was competing with everything else that was happening for them, and I lost.

What I do differently now

I make sure my school contact has read, signed and returned my service level agreement. It covers things like room setup, staff expectations, and a few other things that are too easily assumed.

I also check the requested date against the school's own calendar. It's rare for a school to change a drop day once even a couple of providers are booked, but it helps me and my team prepare for the kind of energy we're likely to get from the students.

That Friday in September was one of my roughest days in a school, but it made every drop day after it better.

If your school is planning a drop day this year, get in touch. I'm always happy to have a planning call beforehand.