Speech Day: What do you celebrate?
As we reach the close of the academic year, it’s a natural time for reflection. What we choose to celebrate in our schools says a great deal about what we value. So here’s a question for you and your leadership team: What do you celebrate?
I work with a group of schools, supporting Heads and senior leaders in shaping culture and practice. One of the great privileges at this time of year is attending their Speech Days—an important tradition in many UK schools. More than just an end-of-year event, Speech Day offers a powerful opportunity to reflect on the school’s journey, recognise student achievements, and celebrate the values that define the community.
A well-designed Speech Day doesn’t simply spotlight the highest grades or test scores. It showcases the whole story of learning—academic progress, yes, but also personal growth, community contribution, and the habits of mind that will carry students into the future. What we choose to honour on a stage—what we take time to say out loud—helps build the culture we want.
That’s why I was especially inspired by a recent visit to Ardingly College, an excellent IB school in the UK. At their Speech Day, the usual academic awards were present, but so too were awards grounded in the school’s values. This wasn’t just about what students achieved, but who they became over time. I found myself particularly moved by the awards for character, which included:
- Resilience Prize – For a student who consistently showed resilience in all aspects of life, taking risks, bouncing back, and demonstrating courage when things didn’t go to plan.
- Pelican Prize – Celebrating a student who best embodied the school’s core values of Collaboration, Compassion, Engagement, and Resilience throughout their time in the Sixth Form.
- Engagement Prize – For a student who showed consistent engagement across College life, placing value on participation, intellectual curiosity, and open-mindedness.
- Compassion Prize – For daily acts of generosity, kindness, and care—recognising the power of compassion to shape culture.
- Collaboration Prize – For someone who led through teamwork, embraced co-creation, and strengthened the fabric of the community.
These awards were not ornamental. They were deeply connected to the mission of the school, and the message was clear: this is who we want our students to become.
So, as you look ahead to your next end-of-year celebration, ask yourself: What do we celebrate? What kind of graduate are we shaping, and are we recognising those qualities publicly? Speech Days are an incredible opportunity to align celebration with vision. And what you choose to spotlight will echo far beyond the final school bell.