How to Keep Your School Running Smoothly During Exam Season

Is there anything more stressful than exams? Managing nervous year 11s, organising a small army of external invigilators, and making sure students follow the rules and stay quiet is a massive job.

For teachers, students, and school business managers, the pressure is on. To keep your school running like clockwork through the exam period, we have put together an essential list for you to follow.

1. Preparing for new faces on site: Digital Visitor Management

• Pre-register guests: Prevent a backlog of visitors waiting in your reception area. A digital visitor management system lets you pre-book guests so they can sign in in seconds, not minutes.
• Make it clear who your visitors are: Help your team adhere to safeguarding regulations by printing specific badges for exam staff. This helps teachers instantly identify who is authorised to be in exam areas.
• Keep a record of visitors: If Ofsted or ISI arrive, they will want to see a complete record of visitors to your site. While you are busier than ever, it is best to have a seamless, compliant digital record that you can simply open and show them.

2. Silence is Golden: Strategically placed signage

Nothing distracts students sitting exams more than a group of rowdy year 7s making noise in the corridor. You need signage that makes it clear exams are in progress.

• Place large-format signs at the entrance to exam halls to remind students of prohibited items like phones, watches, and opaque water bottles.
• Use floor graphics to divert students away from the exam hall. Students on the way to lessons are usually on autopilot and might miss eye-level signs. But they will not miss a bright yellow arrow on the floor.
• Place banners outside the exam hall saying "Quiet please: Exams in progress". This is the best way to tell people to keep the noise down.