Get ready to go back to school with the ultimate teacher checklist setting you up for the year ahead. From prepping your classroom for the kids to return, to getting ready to meet new students, and ensuring you’re looking after your own wellbeing. Our checklist will have you prepared in no time for the beginning of September! 

Table of Contents:

• 4 Important Areas of Your Back to School Checklist
  • Preparing Your Classroom Environment
  • Get Ahead of Classroom Organisation and Admin  
  • Preparing Introductions For Your Students  
  • Taking Care of Your Own Wellbeing

4 Important Areas of Your Back to School Checklist 

We’ve narrowed the back to school teacher checklist down to 4 key areas to focus on. Come with us as we dive into how to get your classroom ready, getting ahead on organisation and admin, preparing introductions for students, and taking steps to look after your own wellbeing. Arriving back to school in September has never been easier. 

Preparing Your Classroom Environment

Your classroom is where you and your students will spend the majority of each school day, so it’s important it’s a nice environment conducive to learning. Here’s the top things on our teacher checklist for getting your classroom back to school ready:  

• Decide on desk layout - Do you want rows of desks all facing the front, clusters of desks to allow students to work in small groups, or a horseshoe shape to encourage class discussion. 

• Organise other areas of your classroom - If you have a relaxed seating area or even a place to keep classroom pets, decide on how and where you want this within your classroom. 

• Decorate & curate your displaybulletin boards - Whether they’re full of helpful information for the kids or themed for the upcoming term’s focuses, make sure your display bulletin boards are how you want them ahead of students returning. 

• Make sure all your classroom tech is working - From electronic whiteboards, to DVD players, do a test run to make sure all your essential tools are working before the first day of term. 

• Decorate your front door & classroom - Make learning fun for your students by decorating the room, from colourful posters when they enter to bunting - make the space your own. 

Get Ahead of Classroom Organisation and Admin  

From classroom organisation to teacher admin, here’s our checklist of what you need to do before term starts: 

• Get ahead on lesson planning - The more lesson planning you can do ahead of the first week of September, the less pressure you’ll feel throughout the term. With Pango’s expertly curated lesson planning resources it’s never been easier or quicker! 

• Choose your scheme of work - There’s lots of schemes of work out there to choose from, do your research now and choose the right one for you and your kids. 

• Gather your supplies - From pens and pencils, to workbooks and calculators, make sure you have everything ready to go in your classroom for the first day of term. 

• Organise your desk - There’s nothing like a tidy desk, it helps put you in the right frame of mind first thing in the morning - so if you left it a little messy at the end of last year now’s the time to bring some order back! 

• Create a handbook for supply teachers - When you’re surrounded by lots of kids all day, it’s likely that at some point in the year you may need a sick day. Prep ahead with a handbook about your class and their work throughout the year for any supply teachers that step into your shoes. 

• Prep for tracking your class’s progress - Decide how you’re going to track your pupils’ progress, whether it's a school system, or a spreadsheet - get it set up now. 

Preparing Introductions For Your Students 

Whether you’ve got a brand new class or new students to the school, making sure you introduce yourself properly can help to set you up for a year of success. Here’s our back to school teacher checklist for introductions:  

• Set the scene and create a short presentation on who you are for your students. Why not tell them your favourite subject and what they can expect from your teaching for the year. 

• Plan where they are sitting - if you’re a teacher who loves a seating plan make sure you get one prepped ahead of students arriving. If you’re taking on a class from a colleague why not ask them which students work well together to create the ultimate plan? 

• Prep a fun first day - from introducing new classmates, to writing their names on their new books, and playing games in break times. Make sure your students go home saying just how much they love school. 

Taking Care of Your Own Wellbeing 

You can’t take care of your students properly if you’re not taking care of yourself which is why the final item on our back to school teacher checklist is selfcare. 

• Savour the summer days before term starts to really unwind from picking up a book to turning off the screens.  

• As term starts, make sure you’re managing your teacher workload efficiently so you don’t feel overworked later in the term. 

Prepare for a New School Year with Pango 

Made by teachers, for teachers, Pango understands the need for making lesson planning easy. Lighten the load with our library of resources that spans the whole national primary curriculum. From history resources, to geography activities and PSHE worksheets, our high-quality teaching materials are just a click away. Why not try our premium resources? Sign-up today and receive a free 7-day trial.