Preparing for a new academic year

As you well know, the first few weeks of the new academic year can be an exciting, yet challenging time as both pupils and teachers settle into new routines and get to grips with the expectations of the year ahead. Here are our best tips to give you a head start:

Don’t wait until September to de-clutter your classroom and department

Tempting as it may be to wind down and sprint out of the classroom on the last day of term, you should really consider having an annual clear out. Bin any documents you won’t be using again and send old display work and exercise books home with children.

Leave your classroom ready to return to

Spend some time getting your classroom ready for the next year. Before you break up for the summer, get the children involved with organising and the book corner, tidying the art cupboard, restocking pencil pots and helping take down displays. Get your boards backed with fresh paper and get some new display bits put up to inspire your new class when they arrive.

A little bit of work won’t hurt

Prepping for the new year is one thing that plays on every teacher’s mind. When the final day comes, everyone wants to rush off home and enjoy the peace! But doing a little bit of planning for the first week or two, will really help you not feel under pressure, or out of your depth, when you walk back into that classroom in September.

For our customers with DB Primary and the DB Learning Library, prepping nightmares can be a thing of the past.

The DB Learning Library offers 1,000s of resources, from English to Maths to Computing – all easily assignable at the click of a button. All of the homework is self-marking, which cuts down the time taken to mark individual pupils’ work.

Prepare some icebreaker activities

Some of your children will be excited to return to school, some may have a mixture of excitement and nerves and some may be terrified (especially if they are starting at a new school). Prepare some collaborative games and icebreaker activities to help the children in the class get to know each other and to remind them about how to work together as a team. They are going to be together in the same classroom for the next year so it’s essential that they know how to get along with each other. 

Lastly – but most importantly, take some time to reward yourself and relax!

Being a teacher is hard. Taking some time to relax will help to improve your psychological health and also your physical health. In order to be the best for your pupils, you need to take time to rest and relax so you can be at your best. We’ve all heard the saying ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup’! Whether it’s reading the latest book, watching a funny film, or even just taking some time to see family and friends you have earned the time to rest and take some time just for you.