There is one common concern among teachers and teaching assistants who are anticipating the new school year: classroom behaviour management. Even the most experienced teachers worry that they may have ‘forgotten how to teach’ after spending 6 weeks enjoying the freedom. This is a normal part of the nerves we feel returning to such a high responsibility role, and most teachers slip back into the swing of things quickly. However, it is always worth spending some time reflecting on your behaviour management strategies for your new class.

It’s important to get off to a strong start with classroom behaviour management in September

Why is classroom management important?

It is absolutely crucial to get classroom behaviour management for the start of a new year. The first few weeks in September are where the dynamic between teacher and students is established. You’ll want to make sure your expectations for a calm, respectful and hardworking learning environment are understood by the

So how do we get those first lessons back off to a great start? We asked a few of our most experienced teachers for their advice. Check out our top behaviour tips below:

If you are in primary school you may be meeting your new class for the first time and you’ll be spending the whole day with them both getting to know them as young people, introducing yourself and setting up a myriad of classroom routines.

At secondary school, it can also vary depending on school policy, the department and your classes. Here are some things for you to think about:

• Admin – new exercise books, explaining the curriculum, register and seating plan.
• Behaviour expectations – you may want to clarify your expectations for your classroom and possibly agree on a set of class rules.
• Run a stand-alone lesson – plan a ‘one-off’ lesson or start an investigation for the first week.
• Assessment – it may be that your school or department runs baseline assessments.
• ‘Get to know you’ activities – there is a multitude of Q&A activities out there that you can run with your class to get to know one another.

No matter what you end up planning there are some things to always be careful of:

• Time – with introductions, seating plan sorting and lots of admin your lesson will definitely not need to be full length!
• Be prepared – it is worth spending that extra hour or two each day after school to ensure you have enough new exercise books etc. for each class to avoid any tedious searching and timewasting during lessons.
• Name tags – students can easily write fictional names or swap labels…
• Not smiling until Christmas – you’re not a heartless robot (we hope!) so be sure to show students that you are human. But remember to be consistent, fair and firm with expectations and school behaviour policy and ensure you remove your own emotions from and classroom management issues that may arise.

Entry routines are also vital to maintaining calm and composed lesson starts. Particularly at secondary school where you are likely to have 3-5 different year groups visiting your classroom each day. Below are our top four tips for setting high expectations for classroom behaviour management in the first few minutes of your lessons:

1. Meet the class in the corridor

Firstly, follow the school expectations for entry. If it is usual to ask students to line up outside the classroom, ensure their behaviour is exactly as you want it before bringing the class in. If your school has a policy of keeping the corridor clear, you can still ask individual students to wait until you are happy with their behaviour/attitude.

2. Controlled entry

Greeting all students on the threshold is essential – make sure every student is entering the classroom ready to learn. The idea of the teacher being present at the threshold (classroom door) is so that students are allowed into the room. If their behaviour, uniform, etc. does not meet the classroom expectations, they should not be allowed to enter the classroom. This does not need to be a conversation with the students – they know the school rules – the teacher can give a non-verbal signal or quick comment ‘you’re not ready to learn’ or ‘try again’. The teacher should not make this into a discussion. Don’t over-instruct – sometimes waiting and giving non-verbal signals is far more powerful than constantly giving instructions.

3. Take your time

It’s OK to take extra time bringing the students into the classroom because it means you will save time having to deal with behaviour issues later. The added benefit of not allowing students in until you are happy is that anyone walking past from SLT etc. will be able to see if you need their support in getting the students in the right frame of mind. The point of controlling the threshold is to show students that YOU are in charge of the space, this is your classroom and they need to meet your expectations before they are allowed in.

You don’t need to be explicit about this, for example, you don’t need to say: “This is my classroom and you’re not coming in until you behave well” – because some student might then take the opportunity to mess around for the rest of the lesson and stay outside. The idea is that you show the students with your tone, body language, facial expression etc. that you are confident and that you are in charge.  Students will respect this approach far more than someone that they perceive as trying to plead with them to stop messing around.

4. Have a ‘do now’ or starter prepared

Make sure all students are silent and ready to enter, before giving very clear and concise instructions about what they need to do upon entering. ‘Find your book from the front desk, have a pencil ready, you have 10 minutes to complete the ‘Do Now’ activity.’ But what about the students IN the classroom? You are spending all this time sorting out behaviour at the door, and meanwhile, they could be messing around inside.

Unfortunately, you need to be in two places at once. Stand in the doorway or at the doorway as the students are entering and pause the flow of people coming in if behaviour inside is not good. Remind the students inside what you expect. The students inside should be doing your Do Now or starter activity. That’s why it is so important that a Do Now needs no explanation from the teacher and is engaging for the students. Do Now activities could be displayed on the whiteboard or handed to students as a sheet. These activities are best done individually and in silence as this will reduce the opportunity for students to mess around. They should last for no longer than ten minutes before the main learning objective of the lesson is introduced. If you’re stuck for new Do Now ideas just send us an email.

Thank you for reading our blog on classroom behaviour management, we hope you found it insightful!

Remember that when working with Prospero Teaching, you have access to our Training & Development Team (all qualified teachers with experience as interviewers) for any advice needed.  If you would like feedback on your lesson plan, please feel free to send it to us via your consultant. They will always be in touch before the interview to go over a few details and answer any questions.

Check out our current vacancies if you’re looking for primary or secondary teacher jobs, we currently have short-term, long-term and permanent opportunities. If you’d like to have a chat with a friendly consultant, then register your interest and we’ll be in touch!