Advice on teaching in long and short term positions

Learn through us, we have been teaching in supply roles for 9 years, don't make all of the same blunders we did!

Daily Supply Advice

Turn up early - use the time to collect work from the heads of department or liaise with them

Take a packed lunch – it's cheaper and probably tastier than a school meal and you don't have to queue for it!

Make sure you have registers – a list of names give you much more control of your classes

Learn pupil's names – no, not the whole class, but learn five while introducing the lesson

When pupil's ask whether you are a supply teacher – tell them anything but admit to that. I like to say "no I am a human being", because admitting to being a supply teacher can be taken to mean otherwise!

Misbehaviour – unless it affects everyone's learning deal with it at the end of the lesson, in the mean time, get the majority on task.

Misbehaviour ii – if many pupils are affected by this ailment, accept that you cannot sanction each after your first lesson, but prioritise the worst 3 or 4. Trying to detain too many results in chaos.

Teach actively – grasp the subject matter and teach it, you should be a step ahead of the kids in almost all subject areas. Do not simply write work on the board and leave them to it.

Tidy classroom – in practice, allow 10 minutes to tidy classroom at the end of the lesson. Good marks for daily teachers who leave tidy classrooms