ECT Tip: Ensuring a Smooth Start to the Term

This is an excerpt from my book ‘A Little Guide for Teachers: Thriving in Your First Years of Teaching’ which you can buy from Amazon or any good bookshop. 🙂

When I start working at a new school, I always ask myself the questions below to ensure that I have everything I need to ensure I have a smooth start to the term:

When I enter the school, do I need to sign in and out to register my attendance?

Where and how do I do this?

Do I have my staff ID card?

Have I received my login details for the computer/ laptop?

How do I access the photocopier? Where are the different photocopiers around the school?

How do I take the register? Do I have login details for this if it is an online system?

How do I find out more information about the learners?

How do I record a safeguarding concern?

How do I record rewards and sanctions?

Who is the SENDCo and how can I contact them?

How do I contact families of learners?

Do I know how to get support during a lesson if a learner does not persistently follow instructions?

When and where are my duty locations at break and/or lunchtime?

In order to thrive in any school though, know the key policies and systems so that when you need, you can lean on them to thrive.

As you learn and grow in your school, lean into the systems of your school and your colleagues to support you. There will be senior and middle leaders who have responsibilities for different aspects of school life so find out who they are and what they do.

The first policy which is key is the safeguarding policy and the second is the behaviour policy. It is important to know who your designated safeguarding lead is and how you report a safeguarding concern about a young person. As part of the safeguarding policy, you cannot keep anything confidential and it is always important to let a young person know this.

Whether you are new to teaching or experienced, the behaviour policy is a significant policy to be aware of as you will have to implement it daily. Most schools have a behaviour policy which you can usually find on their website. It’s crucial to know what role you play and what role others play in upholding the behaviour policy.

Activity: Summarise your school’s behaviour policy here in three sentences.

1.

2.

3.

Draw an image for each step to help you remember it.

I have found that knowing key policies in advance helps to reduce overloading the working memory; in those challenging circumstances when you will need to apply the behaviour policy, your emotions are high and can lead to choosing your own sanctions if you don’t know the school’s policy. This can lead to students feeling like you are being unjust or unfair whereas if you know and stick to the behaviour policy, it distances you from the sanction.

To see the behaviour policy in action, use the first half term to observe your mentor and other teachers within and beyond your subject/ phase. Ask colleagues about the specific routines they have in place to ensure a smooth start to the term and write it down. This might include standing on threshold to welcome students at the door in a friendly and warm way. It may also include have a consistent Do Now task so students know what to do and expect the minute they walk into your classroom. It might be that they need to stand behind their desks before you begin the lesson.

Whatever it is, be consistent in its implementation so that it becomes a habit for students and a part of their routine.

Read the rest of the book for more on this.

Have a great start to the new academic year!