How it works
Wednesday: ask it for real
“There’s loads of support here.”
Who exactly would I go to, and how?
“Most of our students do really well.”
What did last year’s students go on to do?
“There’s help with costs if you need it.”
How much, and how do I apply?
These are three of the eight answer cards for Year 10 and 11. One student reads out the vague answer, and the other keeps asking follow-up questions until the answer means something.
Each morning, five questions go up on the board. Students rank them from must ask to could skip, add one question of their own, and compare their list with a partner. By Tuesday, every student has their own top five.
On Wednesday, students work in pairs. One reads out a vague answer from an answer card, and the other follows it up with a question. On Thursday, eight students play the staff at four made-up places, and each one reads their stall card.
Turn the desks into stalls, and the rest of the form visits each one with their questions. You can run one quick round in 10 to 15 minutes and finish the next morning, or give the whole thing a tutor time slot.
Not every student will be going to an open evening or an open day, and for some the question of what comes next is a difficult one at home. The activity focuses on practising how to ask questions, so nobody is asked where they are going next or which evenings they are attending. A student heading for an apprenticeship or a job still asks most of these questions of whoever they are visiting.
A look inside
Get the activity
Pick the slides for your form, print its question sheet one per student, and cut out its answer cards and stall cards. Run the week just before the open evenings or open days start. Want to know when the next set goes up? Sign up here.
Slides for Year 10 and 11
Seven slides for a sixth form or college open evening: the week, a slide for each morning, and one for the week after.
Download PowerPointSlides for sixth form
Seven slides for a university open day: the same week, with questions about the course, the teaching, the people, money and what happens if it goes wrong.
Download Printable PDFTeacher resource pack
Nine pages: the guide, then for each set a two-page question sheet, eight answer cards and four stall cards to cut out.
DownloadNew resources are added as they are made. Leave your email and you will get one email each time something new goes up, and nothing else.
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