The contract’s signed, the job’s yours and you’re looking forward to a well deserved break before the September onslaught. Here’s a quick checklist to help you prepare for the new term so you can attend to that Pina Colada, knowing you’re in control of the situation. Review this sense of ease after your first term!

* Check access to your classroom over the holidays. Some teachers prefer to organise their room at the start of the holidays for peace of mind, but leave any re-arranging of furniture until the start of the autumn term as this generally is the time when the building gets a deep clean. My first Changing Rooms-type makeover, with much furniture shifting, was reduced to a stack of tables piled in the middle of a gleaming, newly polished floor.

* Swot up on the school handbook and any school policies - this will be the only chance you’ll get to study such tomes at leisure.

* Ask for copies of any planning formats and schemes of work so that you’re familiar with these before you start.

* Check the curriculum map or topic list for the year, particularly the first term, so that you’ve got time to collect and make resources. Find out what resources are available in school or through the local authority and how you can lay claim to them. Some schools will be very well equipped; in others the atmosphere can be likened to a Harrods sale. Some teachers can be real magpies - the fastest and the fiercest grab all!

* Get a class list and learn names.

* Check out induction arrangements and non-contact time.

* Find out what support you’ll have in the classroom, if any. I’ve been reliably informed that some schools now have “helpers” who will also stand in for domestic duties such as waiting in for the plumber. I doubt this extends to housekeeping duties, but you might be able to come to a private arrangement regarding that pile of ironing, ahem!

* Butter up the school admin officer and school keeper (otherwise known as site services officers or, more prosaically as caretakers). Forget the head - these two are the fount of all power and hold the key to your success in school. Wait till your salary goes wrong, the photocopier won’t work for you or you want that extra half hour to finish your display and you’ll see what I mean.

* Indulge in the company of family and friends. Collect photographs of those dear to you - you could well forget what they look like once term starts! Likewise, overdose on all your favourite activities: reading for pleasure, Radio 4, East Enders will all fade into insignificance after September.

* Set up direct debits for all bills - access to a phone and privacy is very limited in most schools. Don’t imagine you’ll have the luxury of a lunch hour - that display’s still waiting to go up!

* Organise all appointments now: visit the dentist, have a flu jab, stock up on throat lozenges and multi-vitamins. Schools harbour all sorts of noxious viruses to which new entrants are particularly susceptible. Don’t kid yourself that you, as the perfect specimen of health and vitality, will not succumb.

* Join a gym and work out. You’ll not only need plenty of stamina but also muscle power to cart around all the paper work and restrain the occasional overheated pupil.

* Sort out your wardrobe. Schools vary in dress codes but the general rule is, if it’s new or expensive leave it at home. Choose old, comfortable clothing that you don’t mind sacrificing to paint stains, school lunch remnants or worse - and that doesn’t only apply to early years practitioners. Schools are usually grimy and accident-prone places. The temperature changes radically daily so keep a supply of cardies to hand.

* If you’ve never got to grips with the ancient art of feng shui, now’s the time. Go for the minimalist look at home - you certainly won’t have time for domestic chores once you start to teach. Invest in as many labour-saving devices as you can afford. A microwave is a must - you won’t have time to prepare proper meals. Treat yourself to a dishwasher or find a partner or flatmate who’s house-trained. Believe me, the attention to detail and perfection you lavish on your classroom will not be reflected in your home environment.

* If you’re one of a number of new entrants, you could arrange a social before you all start. This gives you an opportunity to swap ideas and build up an informal support system.

* Plan a really dynamic activity for your first day. You’ll soon get bogged down in the curriculum so make this day creative and capture the kids’

imagination. Include some team-building activities so you can observe how the class fits together. And, voila, your first display!

Finally, but most important, as all hardened professionals will vouch, get a list of next year’s holiday dates.

Virginia Hunt is early years co-ordinator at John Stainer primary school, Lewisham