Our Guide to Everything Teachers Need to Know to Plan a Great Cover Lesson

The last two years have showcased just how important an uninterrupted, reliable schedule is for children’s learning. The coronavirus pandemic is still disrupting the education of an estimated 800 million school children worldwide. Closer to home, during one week in October, 1.8% of teachers in England were absent from school because of Covid, meaning that other teachers had to cover their lessons.

Cover lessons can be tricky, yet getting them right has never been more important to children’s education. As a cover teacher, you are required to perform the duties of the teacher that you’re standing in for and provide an enriching experience for the students. To give you a helping hand, we’ve detailed everything teachers need to know about how to effectively cover a lesson.

Preparation is key

Any good teacher knows that preparation is one of the most important aspects of any lesson. Before your cover a lesson, be proactive and approach the teacher of the class you are covering. Try to get as much information as possible from the teacher, including lesson plans, typical behaviour of the class and if there are any students that may need extra attention.

It’s possible that you may need to cover a class at the last minute or the teacher might ask you to cover a different lesson than the one you had originally discussed. Therefore, it’s always beneficial to have backup lesson plans ready, just in case you haven’t been left one. It is worth amassing a good stockpile of lesson plans that you can pull out whenever needed.

Get to know the students as quickly as possible

Finding out students' names helps to establish a more comfortable classroom atmosphere and builds a healthy rapport. When teaching a cover lesson to unfamiliar pupils, first impressions matter. Making a genuine effort to learn each student’s name will help them warm to you.

A great way to learn names is to ask each student to write their name on a label and place it on the table. If you’d like a more engaging way of getting to know the students, try to go around the class and ask each pupil to say their name and one interesting thing about them. This way, you’re immediately promoting teacher-student engagement and learning something significant about everyone. This kind of icebreaker could put your class at ease and ready to really enjoy the lesson ahead of them.

Be assertive but approachable

Pupils in your cover lesson need to understand your expectations as early as possible. Give them clear instructions as they enter the class and use positive reinforcement and praise for those students following your instructions.

Behaviour management skills will make or break a cover lesson, and dealing with any misbehaviour immediately can set the standard for the rest of the lesson. Even if it’s as simple as reminding the students that they must not talk while you or another student is speaking, consistent enforcement of rules ensures that the class is aware of what your expectations are.

Your body language and tone of voice is very important when meeting a cover class for the first time. Ensure that you are open to any questions that your class may have and adopt an approachable manner when it comes to group and individual interactions. All of this can contribute to a positive, engaging class and a successful cover lesson.

Move around the classroom

A great cover teacher is never static and will rarely be seen sitting at their desk while students are working. Make sure you are always circulating around the classroom, ensuring that each student is following your instructions, and monitor their progress on the task you have set.

As a cover teacher, some students may not be used to your teaching methods or could be reluctant to ask for help if they are confused. However, by being proactive and approaching them to ask if they understand the instructions for the task, you’re much more likely to ensure that each student is on the right track.

During the preparation phase of the cover lesson, you may have found out if some students have special education needs. If they are present, it’s always a great idea to head over to their table to double-check that they have all the resources that they need and are comfortable with the task that you have set.

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