‘Without a sense of caring, there can be no sense of community’, a famous quote that echoed throughout the halls of Shooters Hill Sixth Form College on our second open event of this academic year, the 6th of November 2024.
In the afternoon of our second Open Day of the year, our volunteered staff and students awaited the arrival of potential students and parents, pulling on the edges of tablecloths and tucking chairs beneath tables in an orderly fashion. As banners were displayed and maps were placed into the folds of our prospectuses, nobody could've predicted the record-breaking turnout ahead.
At 4:30pm, our visitors began pooling through our gates. They were welcomed by our dedicated security staff and directed to our Aspire building. Met by our smiling students at our Welcome desk, they were handed a prospectus each and escorted by our Events Team and student council members to the Coffee Corner.
Our Coffee Corner is just one of our many food and drink spots in the college, alongside our City View Restaurant and Bamboo Cafe. Here, prospective students were greeted by members of staff specialising in well-being and mental health, as well as our Personal Development tutors. This opened up the potential for conversation and answered any questions whilst our visitors waited.
When the time was right, our brilliant student council members began directing our visitors to the Drama Hall, where Theresa Bray (Deputy Principal), the President, and the Vice President of the Student Council were ready to welcome everybody into their seats. Once everyone was seated, Bray exhibited our college with integrity and honesty before welcoming our President and Vice President of the Student Council onto the stage, where they gave heart-warming accounts of how Shooters Hill College improved their confidence and gave them a space to grow as individuals.
Open events are notorious for being unpredictable in their functionality, depending on how well it has been organised - we didn't have that problem. Once the speeches had come to an end, our visitors were called out by course interest, and taken on tours by our volunteers who were keen to give their knowledge and insight to both potential students and parents.
We recognise that attending open events in any capacity can be daunting, so we encourage freedom and exploration in our guided tours. If you are looking for a construction course, we never want our visitors to feel as though they have to stay with their guide throughout the entire college and end up in the art department - teachers are waiting in every classroom, waiting to welcome you in and give you an insight into what it is like to be a SHC student.
If you're interested in attending one of our Open Days, here are the upcoming dates:
Wednesday 29th January 2025
Thursday 13th March 2025
Thursday 12th June 2025
We hope to see you at the next one!
Written by Amy Boyle