As the summer holidays draw to an end, I’m starting to think about adjusting back to a life of to-do lists. As a teacher, form tutor and Head of Department at a Secondary school, being organised has always been critical for me. There are so many plates to spin as a teacher that I don’t think I could survive otherwise!
So, as we prepare to return to the classroom, I thought I’d share my September ready to-do list for teachers – the things I like to do to make sure I start the year organised and ready, including things that will help with time management, classroom management and lesson planning.
Separated into checklists for each of my three roles, I hope these might prove useful to anyone new to teaching, new to middle leadership or returning to the classroom. Some of these points are specific to Secondary schools, but many will be helpful for Primary teachers too.
I’m sure I will have forgotten something so please do let me know of anything else you do in the comments below!
| Teacher to do-list | |
| ☐ | Print my own timetable three times: for my planner, for my desk and for reference at home. |
| ☐ | Put key dates from the whole school calendar into my diary. |
| ☐ | Create seating plans for each of my classes. If possible, speak to the teacher who taught them last year to help inform classroom management. |
| ☐ | Check SEND information and student documents for new classes. Print if required. |
| ☐ | Create markbook and homework tracker for each class. Include all key information within this. |
| ☐ | Plan my first lesson with new classes: how will I approach this? How will I share my expectations and embed my classroom culture from day 1? |
| ☐ | Start a new ‘CPD Record’ document ready to record training sessions, including any webinars, that I attend and key takeaway points from each. |
| Form Tutor to do-list | |
| ☐ | Print my form’s timetable and teacher list for my planner. |
| ☐ | Highlight my free periods against their timetable – which lessons will I be able to drop into? |
| ☐ | Check in with their teachers – offering support if/when needed and looking after student learning needs and wellbeing in the classroom. |
| ☐ | Start a ‘Report Record’ document ready to record any student that goes onto a report card and for how long. |
| ☐ | Start a ‘Praise and Rewards’ document ready to record which students I nominate for praise in assemblies or via weekly certificates etc. |
| Head of Department or Subject Lead to-do list | |
| ☐ | Print the timetables of the other department members and put in the front of my planner. |
| ☐ | Ensure new teaching resources and exercise books are in each classroom ready for the first lessons. |
| ☐ | Check that each staff member has the stationery supplies needed and top up if required. |
| ☐ | Have a one-to-one chat with each member of the department: what are their priorities for the year? What do they want to work on? How can I support them in this and help to reduce teacher stress? |
| ☐ | Start a new document ‘Extra-Curricular Record’ ready to record the extra-curricular opportunities that we offer students throughout the year (competitions, guest speakers, trips etc). |
| ☐ | Arrange a departmental meeting to discuss the scheme of work preparation. What is the core knowledge in each topic? How will people approach the delivery of the topic? What links can we draw to previous content when teaching this topic? How can we bridge gaps in learning? |
Kate Stockings is Head of Geography at The Hampstead School having completed her PGCE at the University of Cambridge 2014-2015. She is an author for OUP and has completed her Master’s in Education.
Strategies for time management or managing stress, teaching plans and resources, finding and bridging learning gaps – whatever your priorities for the new school year, we’re here to help you get prepared and inspired for September. With exclusive discounts on teaching resources, support for wellbeing in the classroom, online and face-to-face professional development, and much more, start the new school year with Oxford by your side.