Back to school ideas for secondary teachers

Welcome your tutor group with top resources, fun activities and practical ideas to build connections, set expectations and foster a positive classroom culture

Tes Resources Team

10th August 2026

Back to school resources for secondary teachers 2025

Engaging ideas to help you feel prepared, confident and inspired for those all-important first days back in the classroom

As the back to school buzz begins to build, your mind might be turning to those first few lessons, tutor time sessions and assemblies. To help ease the transition from holiday mode to classroom routines, we’ve gathered a selection of tried-and-tested resources and ideas designed to support a smooth and positive start to the new academic year.

Welcoming your students back to school

mrspatersonteaches

Welcome Back to School Lesson (Introduction to School Year, First Lesson Back, Class Expectations)

£3.90

(2)

Want impactful slides to welcome your students back to the new school year. This **EDITABLE** download consists of 7 slides to introduce your students back to class. Features: -Waving welcome back slide - Class Expectations - Teacher Expectations - Presentation: The Basics - Setting up the first ...

mrshopehistory

Getting to know you icebreaker activities

£3.00

(0)

A highly presented and detailed getting to know you/ meet your class pack of ice breaker activities. This resource is perfect to back to school and/or getting to know your new class or tutor group and helping them bond with one another. Included in the PPT are a total of 9 different activities des...

RAResources

Year 7 School Induction Welcome - Tutor Form Group Activity Pack - Icebreakers

£4.80

(2)

**This resource includes 5 printable icebreaker activity sheets and 2 teacher led activities to help new students in their tutor group get to know each other - ideal for Year 7 students in their first few weeks of secondary school.** The PPT resource pack includes: - Slide 1: Welcome slide with mo...

MathsByHeart

All About Me Editable Art & Writing Booklet

£3.75

(0)

Help your students to get to to know each other with this interactive "All About Me" phone booklet back-to-school activity! Perfect as a transition day activity too! Your students can personalise their phone with drawings and answer fun "chat bubble" questions to share their in...

ArtyBoxx

GETTING TO KNOW YOU - Tutor Group Induction Worksheet

FREE

(1)

A good resources to help welcome a new tutor group in to your classroom and get to know them a little better. This worksheets asks students to fill in lot's of information about themselves, which is useful at the start of the year. Ideal for new Year 7s or groups you are meeting for the first time.

SchooledResources

Back To School Assembly- Learning Mindset KS3 KS4 + Form Time Activities

£3.50

(0)

Do your students struggle to get back into a learning mindset when they return back to school? This informative and supportive assembly reminds students what skills they need to be ready to learn. The assembly discusses key skills such as organisation, equipment, resilience and attitude to learning ...

Engaging activities for your form group

Katherine Chung

Back to School Activity Booklet

£3.00

(0)

Start the new term off with a bang! This booklet contains a range of activities from art to designing an app, to coding and sharing a powerful message with the world! There are 18 printable worksheets that can be used as stand-alone tasks or as a series of activities to get students engaged and exci...

Maths4Everyone

Tutor Time Quiz (1)

FREE

(45)

A self-playing multi-topic quiz with 20 questions (and answers). Ideal for tutor-time. Click tes.com/../tutor-time-quiz to download similar-style quizzes. Suitable for older primary and all secondary students. The self-playing version is timed to last 15 minutes, but I have included a non-tim...

mrshopehistory

Dingbats Quiz - Back to school edition

£1.25

(0)

Included in your Dingbats: Back to School edition download is a Dingbats quiz sheet, instructions on how to play/ideas on how to use in the classroom and a full answer sheet. Dingbats is very literally a game of say what you see ! Use as a starter, plenary, part of a quiz, form-time fun or si...

Matthew White

Tutor notices

FREE

(0)

I have created this template for tutor notices to share messages with your class, with space for Star of the Week/Day, and outline the week ahead. For neon light effect download and install Las Enter font (FREE for personal use) https://www.dafont.com/lasenter.font

Miranda Pemberton

Smart Goals, Smart Goals Spinner, Smart Target Wheel

£1.00

(1)

Smart Goals, Smart Goals Spinner, Smart Target Wheel This is a fun way to record students' SMART goals. They can record their goals and then use the wheel as a handy reference when they need reminding of their targets. The Smart Goals poster included with the pack also helps them to remember to m...

englilearn

Four Corners back to school getting-to-know you activity

£2.50

(0)

Welcome to the ultimate **icebreaker** for your** middle and high school classrooms**! Kickstart the school year with this engaging and interactive Back to School Get-to-Know-You Four Corners Activity. This unique resource is designed to **foster connections, encourage interaction, and create a posi...