SO, YOUR FIRST DAY IN A NEW SCHOOL HAS ARRIVED … HOW TO BE A GREAT SUPPLY TEACHER.

So your first day in a new school has arrived! Your probably feeling very nervous and want to make a great impression. Read on for a few tips that will help you along your way!

I’m not going to talk about timekeeping or punctuality or being smartly dressed, these things are a given. Instead, I’m going to use my experience as a school leader (until 2014 I held a Deputy Leader role), before that I spent 5 years as a HOD, more recently I have been supply teaching and in 2014 launched an educational recruitment agency called Teachers today.

So, let’s start. Ultimately you want to make a good impression on your first day, and key to this is to be personable; not only with students but with key colleagues and importantly your Head of Department (HOD).The supply teacher who takes an interest in their students is more likely to be successful. Apart from making your day run more smoothly, it will create a purposeful learning atmosphere from the outset and reduce the risk of behavioural issues arising. Students will ask questions, they are inquisitive beings, don’t be scared to engage with them and find out about their lives.

Next, build the HOD’s confidence in you as great teacher. HOD’s are under extreme pressure, they need to be reassured that you are there to support and take control of the class. From my experience as a school leader, when a supply teacher turned up into my department, there was a certain amount of trepidation and fear of the unknown from both us. It is imperative that you put the HOD at ease in your first meeting. Introduce yourself, share your background and experience. Make sure to arrange a time to discuss the day with them, you want to use this time to discuss the things that have gone well, and reasons why. This reassures the HOD that you are somebody worth keeping hold of.

The person who organises cover is a key player, their first impression of you must be positive and you should create this the very first time you walk through the door. You do this through your body language, your interactions, and willingness to engage and show a positive persona. Make sure to speak to them at the end of the day and explain how much you have enjoyed working in the school, if you cannot find them, take time to leave a note. There will be positives you can take, for example, how well the day was organised, the department, and of course the students. Don’t be scared to ask if they would consider you for more work moving forward.

Behaviour management is crucial. A HOD wants to see that you are proactive within the classroom. Explain your expectation at the start of the lesson to the students, be organised and follow up on any issues. Importantly, don’t wait until the end of the day to approach the HOD with a list of names of challenging students. At some-point I do suggest you explain how you dealt with any potential issues and diffused the situation, therefore avoiding a more serious outcome. This will show that you have been proactive, challenged negative behaviour and ultimately fill the HOD with confidence. Be self assured, only by telling the HOD will they realise just how good you are.

Please refer to the link below for top tips dealing with behaviour in the classroom.
www.teacherstoday.co.uk/behaviour-management

A top tip is to be actively involved in the lesson, students love to see this and it shows that you care. Even if you are not teaching your core subject area, show your enthusiasm, ask questions and get the students to tell you about their learning. Be positive and reward students. The number 1 question to ask to the Cover supervisor when you first step into a school is ‘how do I give reward points?’ everybody loves praise, especially students!!  You can always find a way to praise a student, work, smartness of dress, equipment, handing out books, picking something up, opening the door for you, answering questions, the list goes on. My advice, any good teacher can identify the students who are going to be challenging when they walk through the door, do this and find anything you can to praise them, trust me it will work!!

Be adaptable and flexible in your approach. There are going to be times when things will go wrong, the work not left, the whiteboard not working, class mix up, books that cannot be found… So what do you do? Trust your instincts and rely on your ability, you are an expert! Have something up your sleeve to engage the learners, paired talk, writing down their views on a subject matter, group work, independent reading or finding information on a topic area. Don’t get flustered, the students will jump on this. If you have successfully organised the lesson let the HOD and the cover organiser know! That will go a long way in you being asked to return.

I truly believe if you take some of these points on board you will be successful, and should be considered when future position becomes available.

My final point is talk to your agency, be up front with them and let them know that this is a great school for you, it is the agencies job to promote and develop you.