I am not sure that I can give you a guaranteed definitive list – each school is so different and will be serving a distinct community and therefore will have different priorities and targets. However, I will try to put something together which offers guidance on the various areas which all schools should address.
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Let’s start with the “new” curriculum. Have your subject leads considered all the changes and put in place redrafted plans for the year? Are there new policies in place and have they been agreed with governors? Are you ready to teach internet safety in the primary school? Remember, this should include parents!
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Have you ensured that resourcing is sufficient to match need in every subject area, but especially perhaps in new areas such as teaching a modern foreign language? This should be the role of the subject leads and they should therefore also know what expenditure their subject is going to need in the coming year. This should have been done when the budget was being set but with so much on their plates regarding curriculum change temporary budgets may have been set which will now need to be returned to with realism in mind.
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Have you redrafted your staff handbook and are your expectations clear within this – for example, on staff absence, timing of the day, policy on discipline, safeguarding and who to report concerns to, whistleblowing, health and safety?
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Are staff aware of their own targets for the year and school priorities as seen in the School Improvement Plan? How can they show what their contribution to school improvement through the year has been, how is this recorded? I would have a file ready for each member of the team, including teaching assistants, with targets clearly identified within sections in the folder so that each can record through the year what their own, hopefully significant, impact has been.
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Have you set the timetable for staff training and development for the year and is this ready to share with all staff? This includes staff meeting time.
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Is the team aware of how finance is to be spent this year, such as the Pupil Premium? If parents need to know then surely all staff should be involved and informed too?
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Are all rotas ready, including playground supervision, first aid cover (if this is needed), assembly duty?
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Check all technology to ensure that staff are not held back as they prepare to make the technology invisible and effective within the curriculum.
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Is your website up-to-date and does it contain all the statutory requirements? See the Department for Education website or www.legislation.gov.uk
Finally I always have a clear “Welcome Back” message for all staff to give a flavour to the coming year. The most important message of all which I used to give teachers was that if they did not enjoy what they were doing in the classroom, why should the children enjoy it?
So my message to you would be that when you give your team all this information, remember that the most important message of all is to enjoy what they do. Have a great start to the year!
ASK BRENDA
Brenda Bigland CBE is an education consultant, trainer and coach and a former primary school headteacher. Visit www.askbrenda.co.uk
If you have a question that you would like Brenda to advise on, email Headteacher Update at pete.henshaw@markallengroup.com