1.  First Impressions Count!   Wherever possible arrive 30 minutes before the start of the school day. Make yourself known to the office on arrival and ensure you have your ID card, DBS Certificate and proof of Safeguarding training with you.  Keeping all relevant documents in a folder for staff to examine will provide a smart and professional first impression. Comply with any school policy requests – you may be asked to hand in or switch off your phone whilst at the school.

2.  Ask for any “need to knows”.    School timetables vary and you do not want to miss assembly or be late for break or lunchtime. It is also good to know if there are any children with needs you should be aware of and accommodate.

3.  Have a Supply Bag Ready.    Keep a lesson bank for year groups in case there is no pre-planning.  Your lessons need to show differentiation and should not be reliant on specific classroom resources such as a laptop as you may not have access to these. You should use lessons that you are familiar with and that you enjoy teaching as this will give you confidence.

4.  Behaviour Management.   Familiarise yourself with the school’s behaviour policy. Demonstrate you understand this early on and utilise any rewards system which is endorsed by the school. Adopting a positive system early on will help you engage with your students.

5.  Appreciate your Teaching Assistant.   Work with your TA, they are your most valuable asset! They will understand how the class runs and are usually happy to help. They may also be the main source of feedback on your performance to the school.

6.  Time Fillers.   Have some 5-minute fillers ready to go – quick games, songs or stories which can help engage the class between structured lessons. There are lots of websites that provide these and links can be found in the teacher’s section of the WCEA website.

7.   Try something new.   Supply can be a good way to push yourself out of your comfort zone.  If there is a lesson plan in music, PE, or a language that you would not normally be comfortable with then this is a good opportunity to give things a go.  It can also be an opportunity to try a year group that you have not felt comfortable with before. A day of teaching in a school you know with the work planned but a year group you are unfamiliar with could lead to a pleasant discovery.

8.   Learn Names of Children and Staff.   Try to learn the names of children, take some large blank sticky labels with you or make your own name cards.  These can help with learning the children’s names and decorating them with something they like or that interests them can provide the children with a nice start to the day and you with a little insight into their personalities. Make a note of some of the staff names, your TA, the admin officer, the class teacher you are covering and senior management you may interact with are all useful people to know.

9.   Smile.   Try to keep calm, the children will pick up on your mood if you are flustered or stressed. Humour and lightness bring relief to everybody’s day. If you can smile at yourself and shrug off negatives you will all have a better day. Stay professional and don’t complain to other staff on site – if you have any issues then raise them with West Country.  Be positive and adaptable and remember you are there to make the school day easier!

10.   Become a Magpie.   You are entering lots of schools with many different teaching methods, tools, and resources.  You will see some fantastic teaching materials on your travels – don’t be afraid to ask for copies to add to your own resources.

Other top tips include:      Take tea bags or coffee with you – these are not always provided. 

 Ensure you have coloured pens for marking,  maybe invest in a stamp so as to allow you to note work as “Marked by Supply Teacher”. 

Decide on a call back strategy to get children to listen to you.

Explain to children that you might do things a little differently to their usual teacher.

Always carry your own “Good book” everyone loves a story.

Complete your handover sheet to leave for the class teacher – they can then understand how your day went.

Finally, remember everyone wants you to have a good day so try to enjoy the experiences of Supply teaching and leave your schools on a high – all schools like to hear something positive that you have taken away from your day!

We look forward to hearing about all your experiences working for West Country.