How to run a calm, high-impact registration: setting the tone in the 15 first minutes of the new term.

Posted on by J.J. Hamilton

I’m entering my 7th year as a full-time History Teacher, and it’ll be my 2nd year as a Head of History. I’ve done my fair share of fresh starts to a new academic year, and this September will be no different. 

With the new academic term starting soon, it can be easy to spend the dying embers of the summer thinking exclusively about all of the work that you’ll have to do in the first week or so. You’ll have your lessons sorted and your priorities set out, but be careful – you could quickly forget about all of your students’ pastoral needs. Before you know it, the first week, month or term will be done and your chance for a strong first impression will be done, your time up and your Monday morning a scene of chaos.

How about we do our best to avoid that?

Here’s what to do in the first form time of the year to ensure that you’ve set the tone within your first fifteen minutes inside the classroom.

Predictability works

We all thrive from routines. It makes our nervous system feel stronger and our mental and physical health feel better. Believe it or not, students also thrive from a strong routine. Endeavour to pick the same things to do in the morning every day, catering to certain needs on certain days.

Of course, this may well be predetermined by your school – or you might be left to your own devices in this department. In my school, your class’ routine depends very much upon the year that they’re in. For instance, when my old form group was in year 7, we’d stick to:

  • Monday: Reading
  • Tuesday: PSHE
  • Wednesday: PSHE
  • Thursday: Review of the week
  • Friday: Assembly

But when they got to the latter half of year 11, students were expected to spend their review and one of their PSHE sessions doing independent revision, while their reading session was reserved for an expert to deliver additional English or Maths tutoring, depending on their needs.

Automate your routines to ensure high standards

There are, sometimes, dozens of messages to deliver during Form Time. This kind of administrative overhead can sometimes cause your session to devolve into chaos. You need to be the students’ guide to set the tone for a calm, efficient, relationship-focused registration period that sets a positive tone for the rest of the school day.

So, let’s take an example morning Form period, of around 30 minutes. Take the first 10 minutes to reaffirm expectations, checking students’ equipment and uniform and ensuring that they’re ready for the day. Deliver any daily messages, such as that the field is open for student usage or that Students X, Y and Z need to see the head of behaviour for a lunchtime meeting.

While checking equipment is correct, ask about their days. Learn a little something about them to continue to build your relationships. This should dramatically improve standards, since students know that, while you are interested in what they got up to over the weekend, you’re also interested in ensuring that they have a pen – and that there will be some kind of consequence if they don’t have one (whether that is to simply give them a spare pen, issue a detention or contact home – remember to stick to your school’s policy).

High expectations and seating plans

I have met some teachers who let their students decide on their seats; don’t do this. From the off, you need to show that you are in charge – and seating plans help with this. I would make the priority with your seating plan to address students’ needs: are you placing certain people on the ends of rows to make them easy to reach? Are your priority students going at the front or back? Why?

Think carefully about how they’re arranged in your room and don’t be afraid to make ad hoc changes as and when to continue to maintain high standards.

Is there anything that I’ve missed which you think should be in this list? Let me know in the comments below. And if you need more advice on being the best form tutor in the world, click here.

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