A Christmas Formula - Kate Owbridge

You'll all manage Christmas best if there's a formula to it and everyone knows what to expect every year. If it's your first year in the job, it's probably best to "do what we normally do" and decide what you like and don't like. What's stressful, what's not. E.g., do you need to ticket the nativity next year, or can you just let parents fight it out at the door like it's Boxing Day sales?

First, decide when you want Christmas to begin. For me, it was always after the PTA fair, which was early in December. After that, the post boxes for children's cards went out and the trees went up. Our Green Team held a competition a few years ago for each class to make a tree out of recycled materials, with a prize for the best one. For the cards, if you're in a school with more than 6 classes, make sure the boxes are emptied and cards distributed EVERY DAY. I say this from experience. There have been years when the overwhelming number of cards would have flummoxed even Santa's elves—and those guys handle global logistics.

Then spread out your events over the remaining weeks. It's a hard slog for staff, and if you can spread things out, it's a little more manageable. And just because another school has a party in every class doesn't mean you have to! Are you happy with them watching films willy-nilly, or do you want to limit it? If they're watching films, what is your policy (written or not) on food, popcorn, allergies, etc.? Sometimes you have to be the Grinch. It's finding the balance between being the head of a primary school and ensuring you're still an educational establishment. Some parents will not send their kids in if they think it's all fun and games, and that will affect your attendance. Everything in moderation is my advice.

Tell the parents the dates of things they can come to way, way, way in advance. Some will need to book time off. Some will need to manage grandparent expectations if tickets for nativities are limited (and trust me, grandparents have opinions about this).

On nativities, what is your photograph and video policy for parents? You'll need to set this expectation out clearly—preferably before someone's uncle turns up with a full broadcast setup.

As you go through the years, you'll work out your own way of doing Christmas in school (even though technically, according to the Christmas calendar, it's only Advent that we're in school for—worth remembering if you're a church school!). Once you have it, make it your formula. Everyone will thank you in the future, and you'll be so organized you'll have time to actually enjoy it.

It is the one thing I'm missing already (apart from my office manager!).

PS This is our formula from my last school (2FE split site infants/juniors):

Last week of term:

Staff xmas lunch both sites

KS2 carol concert at church

PTA funded pantomimes/show

Infant parties x3 afternoons

One DVD time per two classes

Staff shared lunch and secret santa

KS2

Penultimate week:

Children’s xmas dinner

Y1/Y2 Christmas performance

EYFS nativity plus dress rehearsal

Week before that:

PTA fair

Non-uniform day