How to get your teachers through the last few weeks of summer term

Children are tired, parents are tired and more importantly, your teachers are tired! 

So here are our top tips for getting your teaching staff through the last few weeks of the summer term. 

Encourage teachers to reflect on their positive achievements and celebrate their successes with them

Teachers are good at evaluating their pupils learning and achievements and recognising their successes. The same should apply to their own annual journey. Reflection allows teachers to see just how much they have achieved over the course of the year and what valuable lessons they have learnt along the way. It also lets the positivity flow, which in turns should lift spirits and help support them through their final weeks. Thank them for their hard work and ensure they know just how much they are valued and appreciated. 

Ensure they take time to relax and stay healthy

A recent Tes article documents what teachers are feeling at this time of year. With both tired children and teachers, classroom situations can escalate quickly, and both parties can be irritable, which doesn’t make for a conducive learning or working environment.  

Make sure your teachers and children have time to relax over the summer term. Let them take the time out of learning to relax and have fun with each other. One afternoon spent enjoying a class picnic in the sun or rewarding the children with a class film can help re-charge both parties and will only have a positive impact on getting them through the rest of the term. 

Support your teachers with any challenging behaviour

For some children school is their only safe place and it is important to remember that not all children look forward to having the summer holidays at home. The upcoming change in routine can be unsettling for some children and it is important to support your teachers with any challenging behaviour. Children may be anxious about moving to a new classroom, having a new teacher, missing their friends, or simply about the fact that they are not going to have a set routine for the next 6 weeks and these anxieties can often present themselves through challenging behaviour. 

During this period running up to the end of the year it is beneficial to these children to keep as many routines the same as possible. This way the children still have firm boundaries in place which help them to feel secure and less wobbly as the end of the year approaches.  

Eat, sleep, exercise, repeat

Encourage your teachers to leave their classrooms at lunch time and come to the staffroom for a decent lunch. Offer your support and advice where possible to help them to manage their workload as efficiently as possible so that they are able to get home at a decent time to spend time with their family and get a good night’s sleep. So often teachers feel overwhelmed with the amount of work that needs to be done before the end of the year that they forget to take the time to look after themselves. By making sure the teachers are taking care of themselves you ensure that they are well enough to see the year right through to the end. 

A problem shared is a problem halved

Talk to your staff. Check in with them, ask how they are and encourage them to seek the advice of other teachers in the school when they feel like it is all too much. Teachers often feel like they are all alone in their struggles. It looks like everyone else is taking it all in their stride and teachers often question why they are the only one struggling. By talking to each other and asking each other for advice and help they will soon realise that they are not the only one feeling overwhelmed! 

Prioritisation is key  

Make sure your teachers spend their time effectively. There are certain things which need to be completed before the end of term and certain things which can wait. Senior leaders can help share knowledge and experience around how best to manage workloads – so try and find a way for them to share this knowledge. 

Where possible give them time to complete paperwork so they can head into summer without endless admin hanging over their head.  

Get the class involved

Are there tasks pupils can help with? Let’s be honest what children don’t love laminating or helping to tidy and organise? Could this be turned into a fun task and rewarded? Even if teachers can get a handful of tasks off their list by involving the children and/or parents it could help. 

More info?

If you would like more information about how our products can help save teacher time as well as prepare students for summer, get in touch.