As teachers – we love to be organised! There is a real therapeutic feeling in getting yourself (and your classroom if you can/want to) prepared for the new school year. In this blog we’ll explore some top tips and ideas for getting organised and prepared for going back to school. Not too early though – as we need to enjoy the summer holidays too!
Paperwork Organisation
1. Decluttering and Sorting
Firstly declutter. Go through your classroom resources and paperwork and decide what you want to keep, donate, discard or file away for another year.
Once you’ve decided what you need for this year sort the materials. Group similar items together and store them in labelled trays, files and containers. Colour-code for simplicity making it easier for both you and your pupils to find and return items after use.
Put the paperwork that you do need in good-quality folders and label them up clearly.
2. Planning
Plan lessons and gather necessary resources for topics together. Use digital tools to save time and reduce paperwork. Digitally organising your lessons and resources makes it easy for sharing with others, colleagues, supply cover, and pupils. Work can then be easily adapted and updated as needed.
3. Looking ahead
Have a classroom calendar to display key events such as visits, class birthdays, etc. Also think about using a teacher planner or academic diary to keep track of key dates, plan events, school trips, assessments, etc.
Classroom Organisation and Layout
Consider your classroom layout to maximise space and accommodate different teaching styles and activities.
4. Layout and Furniture Arrangement
Start by considering the layout of your classroom. Think about how you want the children to interact with the space. Perhaps having flexible seating arrangements where furniture can be moved easily to suit different lessons and meet everyone’s needs.
Consider the right position for your desk and ensure essential areas, like the whiteboard and resource stations are easily accessible to all pupils.
Create specific areas within your classroom such as creating an area for group work, setting up a cosy reading corner, a designated art area, a science exploration zone, an area for the computers and tablets. Use rugs, bookshelves, drawer cupboards, etc to define these areas and label the zones with appropriate displays and labels so that the children know where to go for specific activities. Designated spaces for different types of resources make it easy to find things when they are needed.
Decorate the classroom thoughtfully with visual aids and interactive displays to engage pupils in new topics. Also provide areas to showcase pupils’ work to celebrate their achievements.
5. Organise Your Workspace
Utilise storage solutions to keep your classroom organised. Use clear boxes, labelled drawers and shelves to store materials neatly. Label each container clearly to make it easy for pupils to find and return items. Consider using vertical space like wall-mounted shelving or hanging organisers to maximise storage without taking up valuable floor space.
Print off class lists to use for reading and homework checklists. Tidy and sort your workspace and filing systems.
6. Stationery and Essentials
Make sure you have all the back to school stationery essentials you need. Stock up on back to school supplies like pencils, paper, markers, glue sticks and so on.
7. Outdoor Classroom
Don’t forget to plan your outdoor spaces and highlight in your planning where you can use the outside areas to enhance learning across all subjects. Consider shelter, seating, equipment, labels and resources. Spending time outside, enjoying the fresh air and appreciating nature, can be beneficial for everyone’s physical and mental health.
Planning
8. Plan your first week back
Plan activities to help you get to know your class and enable everyone to feel a sense of belonging. Here are a few suggestions you might like to include:
- Classroom Hunt– Read clues to find things in the classroom helping pupils to learn the layout of the room and discover where things are. Look out for any resources that have not been labelled and create labels together.
- Team Building Challenges– Ideas could include bridge building with newspaper and masking tape.
- All About Me projects– Create collages, posters, share information about interests, hobbies, likes and dislikes.
- Mindfulness activities– Use colouring sheets and other relaxing activities to enjoy. Play calming music. Use meditation to promote a positive mindset.
9. Sense of Community
Build a sense of community. Encourage pupils to take part in classroom organisation, giving them ownership and responsibility. Assign classroom jobs and rotate these weekly or monthly to give each pupil an opportunity to participate. Create a job board, displaying the job with a description of the task.
Encourage the children to take responsibility for their own workspace with desk caddies and pots to store their resources. Establish a daily clean-up routine to keep the classroom organised and clutter free. Make decluttering a regular part of your classroom routines.
Consider how you are going to communicate with parents. Consider reading records or homework diaries, notice boards with regular updates on classroom activities and upcoming events. Create a communication plan for talking about pupil progress and opportunities for parents to ask questions and provide feedback.
10. Wellbeing
Finally remember to look after yourself. Establish healthy habits and try to get a good work/life balance. Make time for things you enjoy and plan activities for you and your class to have relaxing times together.
Conclusion
By setting up your classroom thoughtfully, implementing practical back-to-school hacks and maintaining effective organisation will help to create a positive classroom environment.
Here’s to an organised and rewarding year ahead!
Our full range of back to school essential supplies are available to view here – get organised for the new school year!
Further Reading
If you would like to explore some more back to school ideas, here are some blogs you may find useful:
- Back to school suggestions – //www.tts-group.co.uk/blog/2017/08/21/back-school-10-activity-suggestions.html
- Collaborative projects for the new school year- //www.tts-group.co.uk/blog/2018/07/11/whole-school-collaborative-projects-for-the-new-school-year.html#q=top%20for%20the%20new&start=16
- Outdoor Space- //www.tts-group.co.uk/blog/2017/02/20/makes-perfect-outdoor-space.html#q=outdoor%20space&start=6
- School Stationary- //www.tts-group.co.uk/blog/2024/09/13/the-ultimate-guide-to-school-stationery.html#q=back%20to%20school&start=1
- Settling children into Reception- //www.tts-group.co.uk/blog/2024/07/19/settling-children-into-reception-class.html#fdid=blog-articles&q=back%20to%20school&start=72&sz=36
- 60 minutes of physical activity a day- //www.tts-group.co.uk/blog/2024/03/18/importance-of-60-minutes-of-physical-activity-a-day.html
Blog update in August 2025.
Updated and revised by Rachel Betteridge. Rachel is our primary curriculum content editor. She is a qualified teacher with 26 valuable years experience, teaching from Early Years to Year 6.
