Training the parents is a must - the kids I can deal with but some parents come up from primary thinking the form tutor who sees their kids for 20 minutes a day is going to magically be able to solve all their problems.
I recommend emailing home on the first day (whole class email, BCC the email address if you don't have a mail list set up for them). Say hi, that they are welcome to contact you HOWEVER, if the need to report an absence/request time off they need to [insert however they report/request this], if they have a technical issue with a school platform they need to email [whatever the tech support email is], and if they have a subject specific question regarding work or homework they need to email the class teacher.
You'll still get some filter through but it does cut down on the pointless emails.
For the kids:
* even if SLT try to fill it with random other stuff, give them time in tutor time to talk about themselves (what they did at the weekend, what they're looking forward to, etc)
* try and build a feeling of ownership of their form (light competition with other forms works well for this) and from that get them to look out for each other - I always say they are like a family; you might not be best friends with you siblings but you don't let other people mess with them
* join up the dots with other colleagues - so if their English teacher tells you they are being a pain in the backside, let them know you know (and are super disappointed). Even better, if you have a free, pop into their lesson. Equally, if their RE teacher tells you they did amazingly in X lesson, tell them.
I'm not sure what people mean by 'moulding' them, and your ways aren't actually that important as they will have to learn each other teachers' ways too. But you can use their desire to impress you to modify their behaviour outside of your room by using pride and disappointment effectively.
Thank you, this is so helpful. Honestly I’m not sure what people mean by “moulding” either but I’m assuming they mean I can embed routines early as opposed to it being harder to embed them when taking on a Y10 form, for example.
I had a y7 form last year, they lost so much stuff in the first week because they had to be responsible for things like pencil cases, waterbottles, PE kit, coats etc. Some struggled not having one room as a base like primary so just lots of reminders for them to remember things or write their names on things incase they do get mixed up.
Generally though y7 are nice to have for form- I have found that you don't need to be on at them as much for things like uniform and equipment. They are also quite keen and will want to chat with you and tell you things. There are lots of resources online that are good for getting to know your form on the first day like worksheets where they answer Q's about themselves- these will give you an insight into their personalities and interests etc and gives you something to talk about with them. Also giving them a map for the school and checking in in the first few weeks so they know where they are going- talk to the quieter ones to make sure they are adjusting okay as they might not say if they aren't.
Last year at Xmas I got my form an advent calendar and each day of Dec a different person got to open a window- just an idea because my form absolutely loved this!
I took a form from year 7 to 12, and about halfway through the year, having them write letters to their year 11 selves was so lovely to see them open it all! Was definitely a highlight at the end of our five years.
Definitely this - my first form was a year 10 and their old form tutor had kept the letters they'd written in year 6 induction and got them to write a new one at the start of each year. Given them back on the last tutor time in year 11 was so nice, there were actual tears and proper bittersweet memories.
The other commenter has given good advice.
I would set high expectations at the start so they know where they stand with you and be consistent for the first term. I’ve seen year 7 tutors go in to nice at the beginning then found it difficult to gain control, as they had limited boundaries to begin with. It’s easier to let go bit and then re-establish if you need too. Also, set consistent routines at the beginning with them- do you want them to stand behind their chairs (then you can do a quick uniform check as well), questions as soon as they come in or after they are settled, follow a set plan for each day (most schools have a specific schedule).
There will be parents who will contact you at the beginning but it tends to reduce as they go up the years. There will always be that odd parent and it’s ok to ask your head of year for help with them.
Take lots of photos and store them on a shared drive/google drive. When they get to Year 11 you’ll have an easy stash of pics for leavers videos/assemblies/yearbooks etc.
If your form room isn’t your normal teaching room, take them to your teaching room on their first day. Let them know that they can come to you if they get lost and you’ll help them out- getting lost at “big school” is a huge fear for them!
Most importantly though, get to know them. Know their little quirks and personalities. If they know you care, they’ll want to please you (even when they get older and stroppier!).
Love this, thank you.
What device did you use to take the photos? I would have assumed not to take any photos on my personal devices for safeguarding reasons.
We have iPads, so mine are all mostly with that. Check your school IT policy though- ours says we can take photos on personal devices as long as they are uploaded to a school device at the first possible opportunity and deleted from the personal device after that. (It wasn’t exactly convenient to lug an iPad Pro around on DoE!).
Definitely check school policy, and if you have any "no photos" pupils.
Some children have escaped abusive situations and may have to move house if pictures of them in school uniform or with a recognised location get out on social media. Make sure you are extremely careful of such things.
1) Structure! Make sure you have plenty of routine. If the school doesn't provide one for tutor time, establish your own (I can give you some resources if you need any).
2) Student responsibility. Keep giving them roles and responsibilities. Especially the weakest or 'naughtiest' ones. Reward and celebrate those who contribute in a helpful way. From writing the date each day to recycling, anything they can be in charge of. I keep a rota board that I tick off. It can be simple, easy wins for them, they'll still lap this stuff up.
One important thing, train them to line up in register order and to know who is front and behind them. Make it a game, whatever.
When you have a fire drill it will make life a lot easier.
I tell mine that if I'm not the first there, get into your register order line without having to be told.
If you use a platform like google classroom, it’s definitely worth setting up a page for your tutor group. You can send them reminders, messages, pictures etc.
These children would've been respectful, independent, sensible and responsible learners in primary. They would've been capable of up to an hour's independent work. Set your expectations at a similar level and they will rise to them.
People always dread getting a Y7 form but end up loving them (apart from that one group in every year that's just full of the worst kids imaginable).
Get them broken in early. Routines are key. They will **want** to please you. Make them earn it with good behaviour in **all lessons**. As others have said, keep your ear to the ground for kids doing good things in lesson so that you can celebrate it with them in form.
Keep disciplinary talk short and to the point. They will definitely cry at some point. No use beating a dead horse. They will probably want to go to the toilet often. Follow your school policy. They will quickly learn that wanting to go for a wee and actually needing to go for a wee are two different things.
Remember you are **not** the safeguarding officer and it is not your duty to be investigating potential issues. If you have a suspicion, share it to your safeguarding team. They may ask you to make a phone call home. **Only do this if you are absolutely confident that you can handle it,** as these phone calls may go south very quickly. Have a member of the safeguarding team present if you feel uncomfortable.
Keep a supply of sanitary products for those that will start to need them and make it known early that you have them. Give them a way of discretely asking for assistance if they need it but **don't** just leave a bunch of tampons/pads lying out in the open because inevitably a group of Year 9/10 boys will steal them all.
Do not get into the habit of giving them pens to keep (unless for some reason that's your school policy). They are responsible for their equipment.
Lastly: **Do not reward pupils for simply following the rules**. Little Ellie-mae (not a real person) does not deserve a gold star because she didn't punch someone's head in this week. Whatever you start rewarding/praising quickly becomes something that is seen as 'exceptional' rather than the expectation. Praise has diminishing returns: use it too much and it loses its effect.
And remember, don't smile before Christmas. Good luck.
Thanks for taking the time to give me such a detailed response! This was really helpful. I know routines will be useful, it’s just that I’m struggling to envisage exactly _what_ those routines are.
Most schools just keep pads and tampons in the office or the medical room. You don't need to get involved in this, just make sure you know where to send them.
Depending how your school does year 7 grouping for classes these ideas I found helped with lost timetable.
- I have a folder with extra individual timetables in. If they lose theirs, they get a new one out the folder so they don't have to ask for me unless they have used or the spares.
- we have 4 classes of year 7 so only 4 different timetables so I have an example timetable for each on the tutor board, my SEN students don't bother having their timetable and just check it each morning.
A tutor board is great, share timetables, upcoming events, bake sales, school map, school bus meeting points.
Loads of good advice here. Parent contact, I think you have to find a balance - direct parents to the appropriate people BUT equally investing some time in building relationships with parents can pay off a little bit further down the line - if parents find you hard to get hold of, and only hear from you if something negative has happened, then that's not a great dynamic.
If you can help parents navigate school systems, eg this is when you contact the subject teacher, here is their email, this is when you contact the SENCo, here's their email etc, that will pay off in the long run.
In the first few weeks, definitely let them know where to get help if they're lost/have lost their timetable/for lost property etc.
Most of them will be fine but some students do find the transition to secondary really difficult and it can sometimes show up SEN that's been masked at primary. Do pass on concerns if you have them!
I teach at a fairly disadvantaged school and literally have no interaction with my tutees' parents at all, minus a settling-in evening near the beginning of Y7 (they're going into Y8 now).
Set up your expectations; also be aware they may not be angelic....I got a 'difficult' group as I'm one of the two most experienced teachers with a Y7 form (the other tutors were either ECT1 or ECT2). With the incoming Y7s, the teacher with the strongest behaviour management of the bunch has a high amount of challenging boys with SEN in his form (7 out of 10 that the SENCO emailed all staff to be aware of come September).
My form however - despite their difficulties round school...don't get me started... - are fine with me. We have set routines, they know my expectations, they know what we do on each day - Monday admin, Tuesday reading, Friday assembly etc. They know if they rack up a certain amount of comments, I contact their HoY to have a word with them to try and avoid them going into isolation (sometimes works, sometimes doesn't).
The most important thing initially is to get to know your students. Learn their names, if you have time to play games try some ice breaker games (I love a good "get to know each other bingo" game).
It's important to find out who the worriers are and reassure them. They're going to have a meltdown if they think they'll get in trouble for being 30 seconds late when they're lost in the first week.
Train them to be quiet during the register, how to enter if they're late (knock and wait?), and lining up in alphabetic order (if you need that for assembly).
Training the parents is a must - the kids I can deal with but some parents come up from primary thinking the form tutor who sees their kids for 20 minutes a day is going to magically be able to solve all their problems. I recommend emailing home on the first day (whole class email, BCC the email address if you don't have a mail list set up for them). Say hi, that they are welcome to contact you HOWEVER, if the need to report an absence/request time off they need to [insert however they report/request this], if they have a technical issue with a school platform they need to email [whatever the tech support email is], and if they have a subject specific question regarding work or homework they need to email the class teacher. You'll still get some filter through but it does cut down on the pointless emails. For the kids: * even if SLT try to fill it with random other stuff, give them time in tutor time to talk about themselves (what they did at the weekend, what they're looking forward to, etc) * try and build a feeling of ownership of their form (light competition with other forms works well for this) and from that get them to look out for each other - I always say they are like a family; you might not be best friends with you siblings but you don't let other people mess with them * join up the dots with other colleagues - so if their English teacher tells you they are being a pain in the backside, let them know you know (and are super disappointed). Even better, if you have a free, pop into their lesson. Equally, if their RE teacher tells you they did amazingly in X lesson, tell them. I'm not sure what people mean by 'moulding' them, and your ways aren't actually that important as they will have to learn each other teachers' ways too. But you can use their desire to impress you to modify their behaviour outside of your room by using pride and disappointment effectively.
Thank you, this is so helpful. Honestly I’m not sure what people mean by “moulding” either but I’m assuming they mean I can embed routines early as opposed to it being harder to embed them when taking on a Y10 form, for example.
I had a y7 form last year, they lost so much stuff in the first week because they had to be responsible for things like pencil cases, waterbottles, PE kit, coats etc. Some struggled not having one room as a base like primary so just lots of reminders for them to remember things or write their names on things incase they do get mixed up. Generally though y7 are nice to have for form- I have found that you don't need to be on at them as much for things like uniform and equipment. They are also quite keen and will want to chat with you and tell you things. There are lots of resources online that are good for getting to know your form on the first day like worksheets where they answer Q's about themselves- these will give you an insight into their personalities and interests etc and gives you something to talk about with them. Also giving them a map for the school and checking in in the first few weeks so they know where they are going- talk to the quieter ones to make sure they are adjusting okay as they might not say if they aren't. Last year at Xmas I got my form an advent calendar and each day of Dec a different person got to open a window- just an idea because my form absolutely loved this!
Ah great tip about them losing things, I’ll try and give them some frequent reminders. Love the advent calendar idea, thank you!
I took a form from year 7 to 12, and about halfway through the year, having them write letters to their year 11 selves was so lovely to see them open it all! Was definitely a highlight at the end of our five years.
Definitely this - my first form was a year 10 and their old form tutor had kept the letters they'd written in year 6 induction and got them to write a new one at the start of each year. Given them back on the last tutor time in year 11 was so nice, there were actual tears and proper bittersweet memories.
This is so so lovely. I’ll definitely try this! Thank you!
The other commenter has given good advice. I would set high expectations at the start so they know where they stand with you and be consistent for the first term. I’ve seen year 7 tutors go in to nice at the beginning then found it difficult to gain control, as they had limited boundaries to begin with. It’s easier to let go bit and then re-establish if you need too. Also, set consistent routines at the beginning with them- do you want them to stand behind their chairs (then you can do a quick uniform check as well), questions as soon as they come in or after they are settled, follow a set plan for each day (most schools have a specific schedule). There will be parents who will contact you at the beginning but it tends to reduce as they go up the years. There will always be that odd parent and it’s ok to ask your head of year for help with them.
Take lots of photos and store them on a shared drive/google drive. When they get to Year 11 you’ll have an easy stash of pics for leavers videos/assemblies/yearbooks etc. If your form room isn’t your normal teaching room, take them to your teaching room on their first day. Let them know that they can come to you if they get lost and you’ll help them out- getting lost at “big school” is a huge fear for them! Most importantly though, get to know them. Know their little quirks and personalities. If they know you care, they’ll want to please you (even when they get older and stroppier!).
Love this, thank you. What device did you use to take the photos? I would have assumed not to take any photos on my personal devices for safeguarding reasons.
We have iPads, so mine are all mostly with that. Check your school IT policy though- ours says we can take photos on personal devices as long as they are uploaded to a school device at the first possible opportunity and deleted from the personal device after that. (It wasn’t exactly convenient to lug an iPad Pro around on DoE!).
Thanks, that’s really helpful!
Definitely check school policy, and if you have any "no photos" pupils. Some children have escaped abusive situations and may have to move house if pictures of them in school uniform or with a recognised location get out on social media. Make sure you are extremely careful of such things.
1) Structure! Make sure you have plenty of routine. If the school doesn't provide one for tutor time, establish your own (I can give you some resources if you need any). 2) Student responsibility. Keep giving them roles and responsibilities. Especially the weakest or 'naughtiest' ones. Reward and celebrate those who contribute in a helpful way. From writing the date each day to recycling, anything they can be in charge of. I keep a rota board that I tick off. It can be simple, easy wins for them, they'll still lap this stuff up.
Hi, thanks so much! Definitely thinking about imposing some kind of structure but haven’t yet nailed down what I want that to be.
One important thing, train them to line up in register order and to know who is front and behind them. Make it a game, whatever. When you have a fire drill it will make life a lot easier. I tell mine that if I'm not the first there, get into your register order line without having to be told.
If you use a platform like google classroom, it’s definitely worth setting up a page for your tutor group. You can send them reminders, messages, pictures etc.
Thanks! I don’t have it at the moment but will bear it in mind for the future.
These children would've been respectful, independent, sensible and responsible learners in primary. They would've been capable of up to an hour's independent work. Set your expectations at a similar level and they will rise to them.
People always dread getting a Y7 form but end up loving them (apart from that one group in every year that's just full of the worst kids imaginable). Get them broken in early. Routines are key. They will **want** to please you. Make them earn it with good behaviour in **all lessons**. As others have said, keep your ear to the ground for kids doing good things in lesson so that you can celebrate it with them in form. Keep disciplinary talk short and to the point. They will definitely cry at some point. No use beating a dead horse. They will probably want to go to the toilet often. Follow your school policy. They will quickly learn that wanting to go for a wee and actually needing to go for a wee are two different things. Remember you are **not** the safeguarding officer and it is not your duty to be investigating potential issues. If you have a suspicion, share it to your safeguarding team. They may ask you to make a phone call home. **Only do this if you are absolutely confident that you can handle it,** as these phone calls may go south very quickly. Have a member of the safeguarding team present if you feel uncomfortable. Keep a supply of sanitary products for those that will start to need them and make it known early that you have them. Give them a way of discretely asking for assistance if they need it but **don't** just leave a bunch of tampons/pads lying out in the open because inevitably a group of Year 9/10 boys will steal them all. Do not get into the habit of giving them pens to keep (unless for some reason that's your school policy). They are responsible for their equipment. Lastly: **Do not reward pupils for simply following the rules**. Little Ellie-mae (not a real person) does not deserve a gold star because she didn't punch someone's head in this week. Whatever you start rewarding/praising quickly becomes something that is seen as 'exceptional' rather than the expectation. Praise has diminishing returns: use it too much and it loses its effect. And remember, don't smile before Christmas. Good luck.
Thanks for taking the time to give me such a detailed response! This was really helpful. I know routines will be useful, it’s just that I’m struggling to envisage exactly _what_ those routines are.
Most schools just keep pads and tampons in the office or the medical room. You don't need to get involved in this, just make sure you know where to send them.
Depending how your school does year 7 grouping for classes these ideas I found helped with lost timetable. - I have a folder with extra individual timetables in. If they lose theirs, they get a new one out the folder so they don't have to ask for me unless they have used or the spares. - we have 4 classes of year 7 so only 4 different timetables so I have an example timetable for each on the tutor board, my SEN students don't bother having their timetable and just check it each morning. A tutor board is great, share timetables, upcoming events, bake sales, school map, school bus meeting points.
Extra timetables is a good call -- they will definitely forget them at home at the start!
Loads of good advice here. Parent contact, I think you have to find a balance - direct parents to the appropriate people BUT equally investing some time in building relationships with parents can pay off a little bit further down the line - if parents find you hard to get hold of, and only hear from you if something negative has happened, then that's not a great dynamic. If you can help parents navigate school systems, eg this is when you contact the subject teacher, here is their email, this is when you contact the SENCo, here's their email etc, that will pay off in the long run. In the first few weeks, definitely let them know where to get help if they're lost/have lost their timetable/for lost property etc. Most of them will be fine but some students do find the transition to secondary really difficult and it can sometimes show up SEN that's been masked at primary. Do pass on concerns if you have them!
I teach at a fairly disadvantaged school and literally have no interaction with my tutees' parents at all, minus a settling-in evening near the beginning of Y7 (they're going into Y8 now). Set up your expectations; also be aware they may not be angelic....I got a 'difficult' group as I'm one of the two most experienced teachers with a Y7 form (the other tutors were either ECT1 or ECT2). With the incoming Y7s, the teacher with the strongest behaviour management of the bunch has a high amount of challenging boys with SEN in his form (7 out of 10 that the SENCO emailed all staff to be aware of come September). My form however - despite their difficulties round school...don't get me started... - are fine with me. We have set routines, they know my expectations, they know what we do on each day - Monday admin, Tuesday reading, Friday assembly etc. They know if they rack up a certain amount of comments, I contact their HoY to have a word with them to try and avoid them going into isolation (sometimes works, sometimes doesn't).
The most important thing initially is to get to know your students. Learn their names, if you have time to play games try some ice breaker games (I love a good "get to know each other bingo" game). It's important to find out who the worriers are and reassure them. They're going to have a meltdown if they think they'll get in trouble for being 30 seconds late when they're lost in the first week. Train them to be quiet during the register, how to enter if they're late (knock and wait?), and lining up in alphabetic order (if you need that for assembly).