Even teachers with relatively few teacher days under their belts will be able to reel off the necessary ingredients of the average inset.

First, allow roughly half an hour of largely mundane and superficial holiday-based chat such as:

“Can you believe we’re back already?”

“Did you go anywhere?” (Bear in mind that by ‘anywhere’ they always mean abroad.)

“Wow! Don’t you look tanned?!” (This is only if you actually turned a beautiful shade of golden brown.)

“Wow! Didn’t you catch the sun?!” (This is the polite way of  telling someone that they are bright red and look like a cooked salmon.)

 

Secondly, allow for between one and two hours of data being spewed by someone within the senior management. If you’re lucky  this will be comprehensible and relevant. Have any of you guys ever been lucky?

Thirdly, break time does usually allow for free tea, coffee and biscuits. I’m not sure if this is bribery enough.

Next, allow for the ‘motivational’ speaker. Typically these are people who’ve moved out of teaching because they couldn’t engage with a class so, obviously, they’re fascinating.

Finally, time with your faculty. Depending on your results or the approach of your head of department, this might be a free for all where you’re left to get stuff done (heaven!) or it might be a meeting where you get a telling off about results.

Fantastic.

Does any of that sound familiar?

I guess that it probably sounds quite cynical and, as the idealistic teacher, I should probably turn it around and avoid some of that painful realism…

If used properly, these days are not only survivable, they can set you up well for the year.

 

How do I survive?

1. Make sure that you’ve got enough drinks and snacks.

It might sound simple but it’s all so much more manageable if you’ve stocked up on appropriate drinks and some quiet snacks. These things have a habit of over-running and so something to nibble on is just the treat!

Plus, everyone around you will be super grateful if you’ve brought biscuits to pass around. It’ll cheer up your whole department!

 

2. Wear appropriate  clothing.

If you’re allowed to dress down, wear something comfortable, something you really like to wear so that it cheers you up as you go back.

If not, in fact either way, make sure that you have layers. Schools have a tendency to put the entire staff in huge, cold halls and then ensconce small groups in scorching hot classrooms. Layers make it all more bearable.

 

3. Bring something simple to do.

For those of us who are millennials and, therefore, used to multiple media distractions at all times, one focus for a number of hours can seem a little dull or even like wasting time. Bring something to do…

• Write the dates into your diary.
• Bring your timetable to colour.
• Draw out your seating plans.
• Write out your to do list.

 

If you’ve got something low level to do, even labeling columns in your mark book, you’ll feel like you’ve achieved something.

4. Be prepared to actually learn something.

Having experienced some terrible speakers or sessions during teacher inset days, it’s easy to write them all off before they even happen. I don’t know about you but if I approach something with low expectations, I’ll always get less out of it.

It’s only if I approach each session with an open mind that the day will be worthwhile at all.

Whilst it might seem like the umpteenth CPD you’ve attended on behaviour management or the data might seem overwhelming or irrelevant, why not give listening to the head, deputies, assistant principals and outside speakers? Give them a chance. See what you can get from it.

It might just surprise you!