Here at TPTC, most of us are former teachers so we've been there and done that when it comes to Teacher Training. The Teacher Training Planner has been designed to help you, as trainee teachers, be organised, prepared and supported.
Whether you're opening your planner for the very first time or looking for fresh ideas, here are our favourite tips to help you get the most from every page.
Getting Started: Set Yourself Up for Success
The first things to do in your planner are to complete the key information pages. Once you've done that, use your year overviews and monthly calendar spreads to mark in your term dates, placements and any other important dates you need to remember. As you find out about lectures, assignments, meetings or training sessions, simply add them to your monthly calendar so everything is in one place. When you begin your placement and you start to get to know your timetable, you can start to set up your Student Notes and Records pages so they're ready to use when you need them.
How to Plan Your School Year
Your monthly calendar pages are some of the most useful pages in your planner, especially before the new academic year begins. Use the monthly pages to mark school holidays, INSET days, parents' evenings, training courses and more but make it fun!
One of our top tips is to colour-code using different colours for meetings, observations and assignments, making it easy to see what's coming up at a glance.
Decorate your monthly spread with planner stickers, washi tape, coloured pens or doodles to make your planner uniquely yours. Many members of our TPTC Planner Inspiration Group often decorate their monthly spreads with seasonal themes throughout the year.
Join the TPTC Planner Inspiration Group here!
If decorating your planner is your thing, this is definitely the place to let your creativity shine! It's also home to over 16,000 teachers and school staff who are always supportive and willing to advise or share their top tips so don't be afraid to say hello over there!
Break It Down Into Manageable Chunks
Starting your teacher training can feel overwhelming, especially when you're trying to think about lesson planning, university assignments, observations and everything else that comes with your placements. Rather than trying to plan everything at once, take it one placement, one topic and one week at a time.
Use your Placement Overview and Placement Planning pages to map out your ideas, lesson sequences and key priorities. As you become more familiar with your classes and school routines, you can build on your plans and adapt them as you go.
If you're still exploring ideas or waiting for information from your mentor, sticky notes are a great way to capture thoughts before committing them to your planner. They're perfect for moving lesson ideas around or making changes as your planning develops.
💡 Teacher Tip
Don't be afraid to change your plans. Teacher training is all about learning, reflecting and adapting. Just because you've written something down doesn't mean it can't change. Some of the best learning happens when a lesson doesn't go exactly as planned, so use your planner to reflect, refine your ideas and celebrate how much you're growing throughout your training journey.
Capture the Moments You'll Never Want to Forget
Your Teacher Training Planner is brilliant for keeping you organised but your training year is about so much more than lesson plans and timetables. It's a year full of milestones, challenges and proud moments that you'll want to look back on for years to come.
That's exactly why we created our Reflective Journal for Trainee Teachers and ECTs. It's the perfect companion to your planner, giving you space to celebrate your achievements, record feedback from mentors, reflect on what you've learned each week and remember all those special "firsts" that make your journey into teaching so memorable. It's a lovely way to capture your first year in the profession while building confidence and recognising just how far you've come.
Make Your Weekly Pages Work for You
This is where your planning really comes to life. Every trainee teacher uses their Teacher Training Planner differently so don't feel like you have to use every box in the same way. The beauty of the weekly pages is that they're flexible enough to work around your placement, timetable and the way you like to plan.
💡 Top Tip
Plan your week before Monday arrives. Spend 10–15 minutes on a Sunday evening or before your placement week begins setting up the days ahead. Add in your lessons, mentor meetings, observations, deadlines and any school events so you can start the week feeling organised and prepared.
As you become more confident in the classroom, you'll quickly find a planning system that works for you. Many trainee teachers like to use highlighters or colourful pens to colour-code different subjects, classes or year groups, making it much easier to see what's coming up at a glance.
Another great tip is to use planner stickers for recurring events such as mentor meetings, university sessions, assignment deadlines, observations or teaching commitments. It saves time each week and makes your planner easy to read.
Your weekly pages are much more than just a timetable. Use them to jot down reminders, resources you need to prepare, reflections after lessons or quick ideas you'd like to remember for next time.
And don't forget to make your planner your own! Many members of our TPTC Community love decorating their weekly spreads with washi tape, planner stickers and colourful pens. Not only does it make planning more enjoyable, but creating a planner you love opening can make even the busiest placement weeks feel that little bit more manageable.
Want some more inspiration? Our TPTC Planner Inspiration Group is full of teachers sharing their weekly spreads and clever planning ideas.
Join the TPTC Planner Inspiration Group here!
Personalise Your Teacher Training Planner
One of the things we love most is seeing how every trainee teacher makes their Teacher Training Planner their own.
Some trainees love colourful weekly spreads filled with planner stickers and washi tape, while others prefer a clean, simple layout. Some use every page to record reflections, mentor feedback and placement notes, while others mainly focus on their weekly planning pages and lesson organisation.
Remember, your planner is there to support your training journey. As you progress through your placements, you'll naturally discover what works best for you and develop a planning style that suits the way you teach.
There really isn't a right or wrong way to use your planner.
Teacher Training Planner Accessories You'll Love
Looking to complete your planning setup? These are some of our favourite accessories to help you stay organised throughout your teacher training year.
📒 A5 Planner Notebook
Perfect for jotting down lesson ideas, mentor feedback, observation notes or those brilliant teaching ideas that pop into your head during the school day. It also fits perfectly inside the front pocket of your Teacher Training Planner.
📔 A4 Hardback Notebook
Ideal for university lectures, assignment planning, CPD sessions, meeting notes or keeping all your placement paperwork organised in one place.
✨ Planner Sticker Books
Perfect for colour-coding, highlighting important events and personalising and decorating your planner.
🎨 Washi Tape
Perfect for decorating your planner, marking school holidays, highlighting placement blocks or adding a splash of colour to your monthly and weekly pages.
📝 Sticky Notes
A must-have during teacher training! They're brilliant for jotting down lesson ideas, making temporary notes, planning activities or moving things around as your timetable and placements evolve.
None of these are essential, but they can make planning quicker, easier and even more enjoyable. Choose the accessories that suit your planning style and help you get the most from your Teacher Training Planner throughout your training year.
We'd Love to See Yours!
However you choose to use your Teacher Training Planner, remember that it's there to support you throughout your training year, not add extra pressure. Don't worry about making every page look perfect or feeling like you have to use every section straight away. As you move through your placements, you'll naturally find a planning style that works for you.
We'd love to see how you're using your planner, so come and join thousands of teachers and trainee teachers in our TPTC Planner Inspiration Group. It's a brilliant place to share ideas, discover new planning tips and find inspiration from classrooms everywhere.
Join the TPTC Planner Inspiration Group here!
Your Teacher Training Planner is designed to grow with you as your confidence grows. Whether you prefer colourful pages filled with stickers and washi tape or a clean, simple layout, the best planner is the one that helps you stay organised, prepared and confident throughout your training year. Make it your own, enjoy experimenting with different planning styles and create a system that supports you every step of the way as you work towards becoming a qualified teacher. 💛
