The start of a new school year is always a mix of excitement and nerves (the Sunday scaries multiplied times over!!). As teachers, we’re not just thinking about lesson plans and curriculum—we’re setting the stage for a whole year of learning, growth, and relationships. What will our students be like? How will they get along? What will the dynamics be? Will they respond to me? How we kick off this journey can make a huge difference in shaping the classroom environment that we want for the year to come.

Gone are the days of cringing through icebreakers and stiff introductions. This year, let’s focus on creating a welcoming space where students feel seen, heard, and ready to engage. From establishing a positive classroom culture to setting clear, collaborative expectations, and even getting ahead with parents, every action we take helps build a foundation for a successful year.

So, how can we make the first days of school truly count? Here are my top 5 strategies that will leave your students—and you—feeling excited and optimistic about the year ahead.

1. Breaking the Ice (But Remember, It’s More Than That)

Let’s be honest—icebreakers can be a bit of a cringe-fest. I still remember the dread of playing those icebreaker games where you have to say your name and an adjective. Calm Claire, Kind Claire, Compassionate Claire. Cringe. And yes, of course, I then went on to subject my students to this same fate.

But after 13 years of teaching, I’ve realised that ‘getting to know you’ really isn’t the goal (well, authentically, anyway). It can’t be. Some icebreakers require a level of social risk that just won’t happen when young people are in a new environment together.

Instead, icebreakers should be approached as a way to create an environment students leave feeling excited and positive about. Genuine connections will happen. They will come over time through consistently warming that ice up throughout the year.

So what do I do on the first day of school? I play low-risk, funny, and fun games that get us all chatting and moving about.

If you want to grab a bundle of four card games that can be used as icebreakers AND all year round community warmers, they are included inside The Behaviour Club or available for purchase on TPT!

2. Setting Expectations That Students Actually Buy Into

You don’t want students leaving on the first day feeling weighed down by a list of “don’ts.” While it might seem like a good idea to lay down the law and not budge, it can be a huge behaviour backfire. What you really need, especially for students who might struggle with behaviour, is buy-in. I will shout it from the rooftops all day, every day. BUY IN BUY IN BUY IN. Without buy-in, we have nothing.

So, how to gain buy-in whilst still setting expectations?

A lesson on expectations must have elements of:

• Connection: Students need to understand and connect to the concept of expectations. We make a lot of assumptions about students during the expectation process, mainly that they get what they are, why they exist, and where they exist!
• Collaboration: Students need to be a part of the expectation-setting process. They need to have a voice. They need to know that it is a part of being a positive and functioning community.
• Modelling: A sense that we are all in it together, rather than it being about an imbalance in power. As the teacher, the students still have expectations of us! This is really powerful to highlight and discuss.

If you want to take the guesswork out of it, check out my lesson on setting expectations here or as part of the Behaviour Club for August.

And remember, while it’s important to communicate these expectations explicitly and clearly, THE most effective guidance comes from your everyday actions and language. How you follow up on behaviour, address challenges, and model the values that you want to see from your class, such as respect and consideration, will have far more of an impact than a list of rules ever could.

 3. Setting a Seating Plan

It might seem like something pretty old school to some, but seating plans are bread and butter in my secondary classroom. Getting to know student names is crucial for both behaviour and rapport, and with 180 to get to know, I certainly need all of the help I can get!

Establishing a seating plan from the get-go provides me with a cheat sheet to look at every time I address a student. I know who I am talking to, and they know they matter as an individual. 

One other huge benefit of a seating plan on behaviour is that having a set spot for students to sit reduces anxiety and prevents the dysregulated behaviours that can come from uncertainty. It’s an all-round classroom management win.

Image: Ferrantraite on Canva

 4. Get Ahead of the Game with Parents and Carers

Make a priority list of parents and carers that you know are going to be crucial to developing that trust and rapport. With well over 100 students, there is no way I will get around to every single one of them. So I write a list of students in my classes I know have struggled with their behaviours the year prior. I then go through the list of giving their parents and carers a call with the purpose of:

• Introducing myself
• Acknowledging the issues
• Requesting any information that might help me support their child
• Expressing excitement and optimism for the year ahead
• Making a follow-up plan for contact if necessary

This simple act breaks down the barriers with families who may have struggled to get on board with the school the year prior and sends a big message that “here, with me, there is a fresh start!”

You can find scripts for having these discussions with parents inside The Behaviour Club monthly focus: Starting the Year Strong!

5. Balance Warmth with Credibility

Being warm and approachable is important, but don’t forget to balance it with your credible teaching persona. This doesn’t mean “not smiling until the holidays” but rather finding a balance that ensures we are sending the right non-verbal messages, at the right times, to get the right ‘vibe’ of the room.

Every single moment we are communicating through our body language. One of the biggest mistakes teachers make is leaning more towards the approachable in moments that call for a credible persona. One where we practise stillness, we stand up straight, we pause, we pace ourselves. All of this communicates to our students that we are calmly leading the room and what we are doing at that moment is important.

You can learn more about the approachable vs credible teaching personas here on episode 9 of The Unteachables Podcast: The most common teaching mistakes we make with classroom management, and the very quick and easy fixes that can transform behaviour.

Finally... Remember to Keep Your Eye on the Prize!

The goal for that first week back needs to be about creating a classroom culture where students are excited and enthusiastic to come back. One that sets the tone for a successful and positive school year ahead. Where they walk through the door after the first day, put their bags down, and feel that this year is going to be a good one!

You are going to do incredible things, teacher friend!

Join us inside of The Behaviour Club, your teaching village, to access a mini course on Starting the Year Strong, along with all of the resources mentioned in this blog and so much more.

If a membership isn't your thing and you want a stand alone product, head to The Behaviour Hub, my TPT store. Wishing you all the best for the back to school season!