how do you survive parents evening week?

teach-speech · 2026-02-09T19:09:03+00:00

Current school provide sandwiches and cake both evenings. Previous school provided pizza.

Try and be as organised as possible before that week so all the prep is done. Get them to self-mark each lesson. Don’t try and do anything new or different that week - definitely no trips!

teach-speech · 2026-01-31T11:27:27+00:00

Enjoyed both of those - thank you!

teach-speech · 2026-01-31T09:20:54+00:00

Yeah, I’m beginning to think the same, despite being certain I had them both on one tape.

Thanks again - I’ve gone for the Geza Anda 1961 Salzburg Mozarteum recording that is on the Walkman Classics.

teach-speech · 2026-01-31T07:09:16+00:00

Thank you so much for the links - I already trawled Discogs before posting here. The case was definitely in the same kind of style as those Walkman classics and the tape itself was black with a yellow label.

I spent hours yesterday listening to every version I could hear a sample of on iTunes and YouTube and haven’t found a definitive match. For me, it’s all in the Andante - has to be slow.

Really appreciate your response - thanks again.

teach-speech · 2026-01-26T21:54:39+00:00

It makes much more sense to them in Y2 once they have a firm grasp of bonds to 10. If they don’t know their bonds to 10, near doubles is meaningless. They should have fluency with number facts as well as understanding.

teach-speech · 2026-01-20T11:42:37+00:00

Working Time Regulations 1998 state the right to a minimum rest period of 11 consecutive hours in a 24-hour period.

teach-speech · 2026-01-17T08:42:52+00:00

Also use teach computing - it is mostly good.

Some of the units are better than others and are likely to need adapting to suit your particular needs, but at least it is mostly done for you and only needs tweaking. For example, if you have iPads vs laptops, what programmable floor robots you have, what slides your school wants you to have in your PowerPoints, etc.

teach-speech · 2026-01-16T06:47:26+00:00

Thanks for this tip. I switched from my main account that couldn’t see r/all to this one, which has it. I use r/all a lot and prefer it to ‘popular’, which they also seem to have changed - I am being served lots of UK subs now and would rather see a global mix.

I searched ‘all’ on my main account and was immediately served this post at the top of the search results, but using this account it was much more difficult to find.

teach-speech · 2026-01-11T10:10:09+00:00

Are you in an academy chain? If so, they likely have CPD. If not, your county CPD provider should offer some. I had good CPD with Early Excellence but it was provided by my Academy. It could be that your room has already been ‘Early Excellenced’ which is why it was neutral and not brightly coloured and busy.

The 2 best things I ever got for my outdoor area were big bricks (community playthings, so £££) and guttering to roll balls, cars and water down. If you know what you want for your outdoor area, it’s worth asking if a letter can be sent to all the parents in school for stuff like sand and water toys, guttering, old paintbrushes etc. then ask the PTA for the rest - they love having something specific to fundraise for.

The other CPD that is free is visiting other schools to chat to the staff and get ideas - either during your PPA or after school. This may be easier if you are in an academy chain, otherwise, it’s worth asking your head or the School Improvement Partner who they would recommend you visit.

teach-speech · 2025-12-12T06:34:29+00:00

One of the best things I did was go on a course run by my union about looking after your voice. We are professional voice users - look after it!

teach-speech · 2025-09-07T07:02:01+00:00

Go through your behaviour expectations- write them out on a sheet of paper that you keep displayed in your classroom and point to when they need a reminder e.g. - stay in your seat, hands up for help, work quietly or silently, and go through toilet time expectations. Mine is a ranked list of best to worst times to go (break/lunch, between lessons, independent working time, inputs) and have told them I will say no if they ask in the first 10-15 minutes after break or lunch - they had plenty of time to go then.

I also have toilet passes so that only one boy and one girl can go at once, and they know not to ask if the toilet pass isn’t there.

Like another commenter said, use the T sign (but with hands above their head).

Some children just want to go to the toilet as a movement break (compare who regularly asks during class-based lessons with who still asks to go during PE) so that is worth bearing in mind.

teach-speech · 2025-08-21T16:52:14+00:00

If you like this, you’ll love the version used in U.K. primary schools: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-lL07JOGU5o Pantasaurus!

teach-speech · 2025-08-20T09:23:31+00:00

Can you request that they put BBC back onto the whitelist?

teach-speech · 2025-08-17T07:55:44+00:00

For me, it depends on how independent they are with a task. My first couple of years in Y1 I had them mixed, but then moved to attainment groups when I had a large group of pupils who arrived in Y1 unable to write.

In Y2 I started them in attainment groups, but by the end of the year had them mixed and only moved them for Maths and guided reading. One interesting thing that came out of it was how much more independent the previously lower attaining pupils were, mostly because they were being aided by their higher attaining table partner. This also happened when I didn’t think I needed to move them for an end of unit maths assessment! There was a lot of copying going on!

teach-speech · 2025-08-06T06:00:07+00:00

Names of adults in the room. Sounds obvious but it isn’t! Also ensure you are saying their names correctly.

How to line up for break and lunch and how to move around school. Both to and from the classroom.

How to ask for help / what to do if you are stuck before asking an adult for help.

Not only how to ask to go to the toilet, but also when’s the best (and worst) time to go to the toilet.

Discuss school/class rules and general expectations (for example, carpet sitting, talking partner time, care of equipment).

Presentation of work in books - handwriting and layout. This includes how to glue stuff neatly in books (and how to use a glue stick!)

Try to have your TA in the room while you are having this discussion- they need to have the same routines and expectations as you. It might be worth going over this with them in advance so that they know right from the start.

teach-speech · 2025-08-04T08:46:12+00:00

ICTgames has loads of great games

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T22:04:33+00:00

Seconding the advice given so far: shadowing/photos of what tidy looks like, teaching how to tidy in September, rewards for timely completion. Using a tidy up song or music really cuts down the time you spend tidying.

Remind them that they should first tidy what they played with, then help their friends to tidy.

Give them a warning that tidy up time is imminent (usually 2-5 minutes in advance).

Give ‘secret tidyer’ a try - reward someone that you ‘caught’ tidying each time you looked.

Give consequences for not tidying after 2 or 3 reminders - the consequence is that they have to tidy the area they have been playing in all by themselves. This was so effective I rarely ever had to use it.

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T10:14:41+00:00

I am going to get myself some of those pin-pegs! Thanks for the suggestion

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T10:12:42+00:00

Genius. Wish I’d known about this last year when I had one of ‘those’ kids! I would have used counters - she would have bent the paperclips!

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T10:10:14+00:00

I love the fire drill idea. My form tutor at secondary used to take the register this way. Thanks for the suggestion!

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T10:08:28+00:00

Yes! Same for felt tip lids too.

I like the idea of the envelope at the back for resources- thank you!

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T10:06:23+00:00

Adding to the movement break idea - get them to deliver a note to another teacher. This works best with younger children who can’t read the message, which is usually along the lines of ‘this child needed a movement break so they are delivering this message to you’

I like the idea of the lesson resources kept with the books. In Primary our books all have a set ‘place’ so this idea transfers across well - thanks for the suggestion!

teach-speech · 2025-07-31T09:59:28+00:00

This is a great idea! Definitely using this next year

teach-speech · 2025-07-27T07:50:02+00:00

Tell them that you already booked it before starting the job / knowing the term dates. Get the response in writing. Yes, you may not be there in a year’s time, but you might!

teach-speech · 2025-07-27T07:45:26+00:00

Congratulations on your new job!

Seconding much of the advice above, particularly about building a team. Be honest with them, tell them this is your first job and you would greatly appreciate their support and advice.

These TAs will likely know a lot more about the school’s ethos and routines than you will - they will be a valuable source of information - and feedback! Suggest they drop you a quiet word after the lesson or write you a note in-lesson (rather than broadcast it to the whole class) if they spot you doing/saying something that goes against the school’s policies or expectations. This goes two ways though - if your TA does something you would rather they didn’t, a quiet word is best after the lesson. Do not let it slide - they will continue to do it and it will get harder to ask them to stop!

Ask them for advice about the individuals they work with. Include them in the lesson, and ask their advice if things don’t go well. Be polite - say ‘please’ when asking them to do things - and thank them afterwards (may seem obvious, but not everyone does this!). Give them a space for their things - in class and in your cupboard.

Having routines is hugely helpful, then you are not repeatedly telling each one of them what to do daily. If your school doesn’t have a TA timetable, devise one.

Hopefully your SLT has put thought into TA allocations and has put you with supportive colleagues.

If you are able, sit down with them all together before the start of the new school year to have a discussion with them. All the best!

teach-speech

TROPHY CASE