A new teacher is nervous, wants to do well, and does not yet know how your school works. How you handle the first week affects how quickly they become confident, how well they teach, and whether they stay. Many schools hand over a timetable and a class register and hope for the best. A short checklist does better.
This is a checklist for the head teacher or the school administrator.
Before the teacher arrives
- Confirm the class, subjects and timetable. Make sure the new teacher knows exactly what they will teach, which classes, and at what times.
- Prepare the paperwork. Appointment letter, a short staff handbook, and the school calendar for the term.
- Prepare the room and materials. A desk, a place for their things, chalk or markers, the class register, and the textbooks for their subjects.
- Tell the current staff. Send a short message announcing the new teacher and asking colleagues to welcome them.
- Create their school login. If your school uses software for scores, give the teacher an account and link their subjects before they arrive, so they see their classes on the first day.
Day one: welcome and orientation
- Meet the head and the team. A few minutes with each key person, such as the head, the bursar and the class teachers of the classes they will teach.
- Walk the school. Classrooms, staff room, toilets, assembly ground, library, sick bay and fire exits.
- Explain the daily routine. Arrival time, assembly, break times, closing time, and what happens if a teacher will be late or absent.
- Hand over the essentials. The handbook, the timetable, the class list, and a contact number for questions.
- Name a buddy. One experienced teacher who answers small questions, so the new teacher does not feel they are disturbing the head.
Day two: your standards
- Lesson notes and schemes of work. Show what is expected, and share a good example.
- Marking and homework. How often, what style, and how marks are recorded.
- Discipline. What the school does for lateness, noise and rudeness, and which problems go to the head.
- Dress and conduct. Be clear and kind about what is expected.
Day three: records and scores
This is where new teachers often struggle, because every school does it a little differently.
- Attendance. How and when it is taken, and where it is recorded.
- Scores. What counts as CA, what the maximum mark for each test is, and where the marks are entered. Show them the exact screen or book, and watch them enter a few scores themselves.
- Deadlines. When scores are due, and who checks them.
- Report card comments. If they are a class teacher, show last term's comments as a model.
If your school uses StudyPat, the teacher signs in on their phone or computer, sees their subjects, taps Enter scores beside a subject, and types each pupil's marks. Class teachers also see attendance and remarks. A short demonstration takes about ten minutes.
Day four: meet the parents' side
- How parents are contacted. Calls, notes, the class WhatsApp group, or the school portal.
- What the teacher should say, and not say. Never discuss another pupil, never promise results, and send serious matters to the head.
- Handling complaints. Listen first, write it down, and report to the head.
Day five: review
- A short meeting. Fifteen minutes with the head. What went well, what was confusing, what do they need?
- A first observation. Offer to sit in on a lesson later in the term, and say so now, so it is not a surprise.
- Agree the first goals. One or two simple goals for the first month.
During the first term
- Check in briefly every week for the first month.
- Visit a lesson, then give one specific compliment and one specific suggestion.
- Make sure the teacher's scores are entered on time, and thank them when they are.
- Ask for their opinion about something. New teachers often notice what longer-serving staff no longer see.
Common mistakes
- Leaving them alone with a full timetable. They need a buddy and a quick way to ask questions.
- Explaining the rules only after they break one.
- Handing over scoring on the last week of term. Show them in the first week.
- Forgetting to introduce them to parents. A short note at the start of the term helps.
A quick summary
Prepare the practical things before day one, meet the people on day one, explain standards on day two, teach the records on day three, cover parents on day four and review on day five. A teacher who gets this welcome usually repays it with loyalty.
If you would like your teachers to enter scores from their phones, you can start free and add your first teacher in a few minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What should a head prepare before a new teacher arrives?
Confirm their classes, subjects and timetable, prepare the appointment letter, handbook and school calendar, arrange a desk and materials, tell the current staff, and create the teacher's school login if you use software for scores.
What should happen on a new teacher's first day?
A welcome and orientation: meet the head and the team, walk the school, explain the daily routine, hand over the handbook, timetable and class list, and name a buddy who answers small questions.
When should a new teacher learn how scores and records work?
By the middle of the first week. Show the teacher where attendance is recorded and the exact screen or book where scores are entered, and watch them enter a few scores themselves. Explain what counts as CA and when scores are due. See how to choose a CA and exam split.
How long does it take to show a teacher how to enter scores in StudyPat?
About ten minutes. The teacher signs in, sees their subjects, taps Enter scores beside a subject and types each pupil's marks.
Should the head check in after the first week?
Yes. Review how the week went and keep checking in through the first term, so small problems are solved before they grow.