Starting out as a supply or cover teacher can be daunting, yet with some key preparation and a toolkit of ideas this just might turn out to be an incredibly inspiring and developmental aspect of your career. These ideas may help:
Before you turn up
- Gather some resources together. These could be some quizzes or worksheets on key themes in curriculum subjects, paper, pens, pencils etc and some tissues. Aim to think ahead so that you are prepared for as many eventualities as possible. Some time fillers may be useful! Back-up lesson plans will be a godsend if no cover work has been set. Some reward stickers can work wonders, too, regardless of the age you are teaching!
- Ask about any tech you will have to use. If you are not familiar with it, ask for someone to be available to show you what you need to know before lessons begin.
- Plot your route to school ahead of time. It will be good to get there early so that you have time to familiarise yourself with where you will be working and what you need to know about the day. If you are driving, ask about parking. Not all schools can accommodate cars on site.
- Pack all the things that you need for comfort during the day. Enough food, a mug for hot drinks, a water bottle… whatever you need to get through the day. Have some cash, too, in case you need to pay for drinks and snacks.
Behaviour
- Make sure you have a copy of the school’s behaviour policy before you start teaching. It’s important to stick to the rewards and sanctions that are used school-wide for the sake of consistency.
- Find out who you need to report incidents to. It’s good to pass on when children have behaved well, too. It is also worth finding out if there is someone in a classroom nearby who you can call on if necessary.
- Greet each child as they enter the classroom if you are able to be there before they start arriving. This is a great way of setting expectations and starting to build relationships. Smiles help!
- Know how you will gain attention. Do you need something that makes a noise, such as a bell or whistle? Will you clap, or raise your voice? Does the school have a routine for gaining attention? If it does, you need to be familiar with it, to ensure consistency.
- The class may have a seating plan; use it if so. If they don’t use a seating plan, make a rough one once the children are seated, and note down their names. You cannot hope to learn them all in one lesson but you do need to show that you are keen to get to know them.
- Remember, you may not be their usual teacher, but you are the boss for that lesson or day. You are leading the learning in that room and can expect to have authority. Keep your standards high and adopt a firm but fair approach.
Teaching well
- Always introduce yourself at the start of a lesson with a new group of children. This is a good time to explain your classroom rules, too. Just one or two clear guidelines will help. For example, when you are speaking you expect everyone to listen.
- Explain your expectations in more depth and detail if the class is not settling down. The aim is to minimise the time you spend reiterating expectations and maximise the time the class spends engaged in learning.
- You are teaching not babysitting. It is not an extended break for the children. If work has been set, and it should have been, then get it done.
- If you are using supply teaching as a route to a permanent job, make sure you are the teacher you want them to employ. See the role of supply or cover as a job as real and crucial as any permanent teacher in any classroom.
- Keep your subject knowledge up to date. If you are covering an area of the curriculum that you are not sure about, aim to top up your knowledge if at all possible. If you are booked ahead of time, ask what you will be teaching so that you can more effectively prepare.
- During the lesson, be available to students. Circulate the room, give feedback, offer specific support to those with SEN.
- Before the end of the lesson do a quick recap to check learning and reiterate content.
End of the day
- Make sure you leave the room layout as you found it and as tidy as possible.
- Leave a handover note for the usual teacher of each class. What went well, what was achieved, who worked well and who needed support if possible. Mention behaviour issues and how they were dealt with.
- Mark any work set unless told otherwise.
- Tell someone when you leave at the end of the day. This would usually be the year or department head, or whoever booked you.
- Do a review of the day. Reflecting on what went well, what didn’t go as well as you would have liked, and what you learned from the day can be invaluable, and significantly contribute to your professional learning. You might like to consider keeping a learning journal for your supply teaching. In particular, make a note of what you think would make things easier for you in the future.
- If your wellbeing took a hit, make a note of why, and what would have made things more positive. What might you do differently next time, or what support would you need, to make sure that the day doesn’t cause your wellbeing to plummet?
Supply teaching can be a great way of boosting your professional network, so if you get a chance, make links and contacts with colleagues at the school. You never know when they may be able to help you and vice versa. Relationships are so important in education and this is a great chance to develop them!
Are you looking to delve into the world of supply opportunities to see what it could bring to your education career? If you're in the South Wales or Bristol areas, our CoverStaff platform lets you find and accept direct supply bookings from local schools and manage your supply career, all in one place. Register today to find out more. If you're not in these areas, you can register to show your interest and keep your eyes peeled for more schools working with CoverStaff for their supply needs very soon!
About the author
Elizabeth Holmes
After graduating with a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Reading, Elizabeth Holmes completed her PGCE at the Institute of Education, University of London. She then taught humanities and social sciences in schools in London, Oxfordshire and West Sussex, where she ran the history department in a challenging comprehensive. Elizabeth specialises in education but also writes on many other issues and themes. As well as her regular blogs for Eteach and FEjobs, her books have been published by a variety of publishers and translated around the world. Elizabeth has also taught on education courses in HE and presented at national and international conferences.
