Getting Ready for the New School Year: Key Jobs for the Summer!
As the current school year draws to a close, thoughts turn to September and the new term, full of new beginnings and fresh starts. Getting to the end of a school year is an achievement in itself, but education doesn’t stand still; things are always moving and improving! It is always good to get ahead of the game if possible, and plan for improvements to the school that you want to get done before your students return.
It can be hard to prioritise all the jobs that need doing and equipment that needs updating – the to-do list is always so long! To help you plan, here are 5 jobs that usually go to the top of a list for school improvements over the summer. All you need now are willing volunteers and a paintbrush!
Out With the Old and In With the New… Furniture
School furniture goes through a lot of wear and tear during a year. Thirty children in a classroom equals lots of bumps and scrapes, which means furniture may need replacing more regularly than usual. Each teacher likes their classroom to be laid out in a certain way, but there are some resources that should be in every room, for example tables and chairs. Broken furniture can be a hazard, so it is important that it is replaced as soon as possible. The summer holidays are a great time to do this, as it doesn’t have any impact on daily lessons. It is important that teachers and staff have a say in the furniture purchased, as they know best what will work for their children and what will not. For example, the size of tables and chairs will vary, depending on the age of the children in the classroom. Also, tables should ideally have rounded edges, to prevent injuries if children (or teachers!) walk into them.
Display Your Best Side
Fantastic Science Display by a Year One teacher, @teachingdiaries_ over on Instagram. Used with permission.
Classroom displays are designed to be changed regularly. Topics are completed every half term and displays should reflect the current learning in the classroom. Children are visual learners and rely on a display to prompt or remind them of key knowledge. This could be a times table fact or the various types of punctuation. Whatever it is, displays need to be clearly presented, neat and accessible. Due to their regular usage, they can often become frayed or torn, leading to improvements being made. The summer is a great time to start again, particularly if you are moving classrooms or teaching a different year group. Bright backing paper does wonders for a dull classroom and a neat border makes work look presentable and professional. If your classroom has a set of windows, displays can often fade, leading to them needing a regular change-over. However, there is nothing more satisfying than picking out the staples on a display and ripping down the paper ready for a fresh start!
A Lick of Paint
It can never be under-estimated how good a classroom looks when it has had a new coat of paint. Children feel excited about being in an updated learning environment and teachers feel valued and their area respected. Some schools may paint murals or motivational sayings on their walls, whereas others stick to neutral colours that don’t go out of fashion. Whatever it may be, investing in a regular schedule of painting ensures everyone feels ready to learn come September. It is important to plan it out in advance, so teachers know if there will be any disruption for them. They can then work around it, making a smooth transition for everyone!
Book It In
A key part of the environment in a primary classroom is a book corner. This is an area of the room that is given to a small library and a space for children to read and have some quiet time. There are hundreds of examples of book corners on the internet, some wildly creative and others easier to replicate. However, if you can source a small carpet/rug and some shelves, you already have your own book corner. Encouraging children to read is part of every teacher’s job, and this is a good way to ensure they are interacting with books at their own pace. Students can contribute to a book corner and claim ownership of it by bringing in books they have already read and swapping them for a new one, or writing reviews and recommendations for their classmates. Each class could have its own book corner monitor who tidies the area and refreshes the books. The possibilities are endless, but all ensure children are engaging with books and reading as much as possible.
Invest in Your Staff
One way to earn goodwill from your staff and create a positive atmosphere from the get-go is to invest in the staffroom. This could be through installing a coffee machine or putting in some comfy chairs. Whatever it is, a staffroom is often a haven for busy teachers and they appreciate whatever can be done to make the room as comfortable as possible. Once you have got staff on board, you may find they are willing to help with some painting!
Contact Us
If you’d like to know more about how Paper Plus can provide your school with the supplies and stationery it requires, please get in touch. Call us on 01444 238 050 or pop us an email at sales@paperplusuk.com
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