Setting cover work at secondary

Make secondary cover lessons both engaging and worthwhile with these specially selected lesson ideas, activities and booklets for class and supply teachers

Tes Resources Team

Teacher planning for their secondary cover lessons

Take the stress out of devising cover lessons with these ready-to-use activity ideas for a range of subject areas

Making sure that cover lessons are both valuable and interesting can be time-consuming, whether you’re a supply teacher or a teacher having to set work. To make the process simpler, we’ve hand-picked some of the best resources to make sure your students remain stimulated and engaged.

Whole school

For more resources to use in tutor time, why not take a look at this hand-picked collection of Tutor-time ideas and activities?

Activity Bank: Tutor Time
Amy Banks

Activity Bank: Tutor Time

(1)
A completely editable bank of tutor time activities in the following categories: * Podcasts * Games and group activities * Meditation and motivation * Discussion and debate * Videos and documentaries + a blank slide for staff and students to share their own recommendations The bank includes: 15 d...
Tutor / Form Time Activities - Cover
RAResources

Tutor / Form Time Activities - Cover

(3)
**This pack contains x20 A4 printable activity sheets which have been created to keep students busy during tutor/form time and great for cover lessons. If used once a week, this pack will last over half a year! They are also ideal for homeschooling!** Each activity sheet contains a set of tasks w...

English and humanities cover lessons

If you need an extended project for your English students to get stuck into, this English class project ideas collection is a great starting point.

English Home Learning Packs KS3
Sarah Graham

English Home Learning Packs KS3

(156)
Here are two 30+ page English work packs I made for my SEMH Y8 and Y9 students who are self-isolating. It has sections on SPaG, reading and writing, with an extras section at the back with some fun creative tasks. They will easily suit upper KS2 though. They might look a bit wonky in the preview...
English Cover KS3
EnglishGCSEcouk

English Cover KS3

(6)
English cover for KS3 lessons that includes: 2x Analysing fiction texts (English Language Paper 1 Q1-3) 2x Analysing non-fiction texts (English Language Paper 2 Q1-3) 2x Descriptive/narrative writing (English Language Paper 1 Question 5) 2x Non-fiction writing (English Language Paper 2 Question 5) ...
English Cover KS4
EnglishGCSEcouk

English Cover KS4

(5)
KS4 English pack: English cover for KS4 lessons that includes: 2x Analysing fiction texts (English Language Paper 1 Q1-4) 2x Analysing non-fiction texts (English Language Paper 2 Q1-4) 2x Descriptive/narrative writing (English Language Paper 1 Question 5) 3x Non-fiction writing (English Language P...
WWI Introduction Tasks - Ideal Cover Lesson
SeanRutter

WWI Introduction Tasks - Ideal Cover Lesson

(1)
This is booklet which is introduces the First World War. It gives the context of 1914, an overview of the reasons, a brief summary of the alliances (including a map to shade) and an introduction to Propaganda. The sheet contains reading tasks and comprehension questions, as well as extension tasks ...
Christian worship guided read worksheet
Danielle99

Christian worship guided read worksheet

(1)
A worsheet to cover the basics of Christian worship for KS4 on Christian Practices - worship. It has information and questions in the form of a guided read on liturgical, non-liturgical, informal and private worship, this is the first two pages and the third page has two longer questions for student...
History Cover Lesson - Black Death
EC_Resources_EXTRA

History Cover Lesson - Black Death

(2)
Easy to use source work history cover lesson. All you need to do is print it out and leave it with the cover teacher - all the instructions are on the worksheets. This doesn't contain any of our previous material so you don't need to worry about students having already completed any tasks, **The pa...

Maths, science and computing cover lessons

Looking for even more choice for secondary maths cover lessons? Check out the Maths cover lesson collection.

Emergency maths cover lesson? Enrichment materials
Jon O'Neill

Emergency maths cover lesson? Enrichment materials

(19)
Ready-to-go, standalone enrichment activities. These are NOT simply colouring-in or wordsearch activities! Rather they are an attempt to productively use any spare curriculum time, perhaps when a colleague's lesson needs cover and it is not practical to organise suitable work. Can use as whole class...
Understanding forces Cover lesson
Cath McGuinness

Understanding forces Cover lesson

(1)
**This ready-to-use cover lesson, based on my understanding forces lesson, allows Year 7 students to work independently and develop their understanding of how forces interact with and affect objects through clear explanations and engaging activities. Ideal for unexpected staff absences**. This les...
COVER WORK - App Design - DT-ART-ICT
AJBresources

COVER WORK - App Design - DT-ART-ICT

(1)
This Resource includes 2 different A3 worksheets in which students need to design an app based on a specified brief. Each sheet has several tasks and there is more than enough work for 2-3 lessons. An excellent extension for these tasks is to get students to create hi-fidelity mockups of their Apps...

Creative cover lessons

With drama activities for the studio, as well as cover lessons for use in the classroom, this Cover lessons for secondary drama collection has even more to choose from.

Facial features cover lesson
k_saara

Facial features cover lesson

(7)
Cover lesson to develop core drawing skills using facial features including a challenge task and a section for student/teacher feedback.
Music Cover Work: The Orchestra
megrose99

Music Cover Work: The Orchestra

(1)
Double sided worksheet and teacher slides for a music cover lesson on the instruments of the orchestra. The lesson includes four activities: a reading task, an identification task, a timbre task and a creative task. The lesson has been designed to be delivered without practical instruments and stu...
Drama KS3 / 4 one-off cover lesson script task
angelawilliams033

Drama KS3 / 4 one-off cover lesson script task

(2)
Drama Cover Lesson Activity - writing scripts in pairs This sheet is designed for a non-specialist teacher to be able to facilitate a cover lesson in Drama. It requires learners to work in pairs. The task is to write a 50-line script, between two characters, using a starting script as stimulus. The...

Languages cover lessons

With projects and independent tasks to develop key skills, these Imaginative projects for MFL students resources could provide productive activities for students to work on in your absence.

KS3 MFL GENERIC COVER WORK
hazjazmaz

KS3 MFL GENERIC COVER WORK

(16)
A set of activities for a cover lesson or series of cover lessons. Or for extension work for those students who have finished the tasks set in class. The idea is that students are offered an element of choice, and can work on easier or more complicated tasks. Hope it's helpful.
ER verbs - cover, homework, revision
NicolaRoseby

ER verbs - cover, homework, revision

(1)
Two resources to help pupils learn about -er verbs in the present tense. There is 4 page worksheet (with answers) and a word search (with answers). The worksheet has a grammar explanation and examples and so is perfect for revision, cover lessons, homework and teaching by a non-specialist. It is a...
Spanish Opinions & Activities (Cover Work)
RML-MFL

Spanish Opinions & Activities (Cover Work)

(2)
This four page worksheet can be used as cover as the Sentence Builder includes all of the language that students require to complete the worksheet. This could also be used in normal lessons provided the language matches what you have been covering as part of your curriculum. Suitable for KS3 a...
Spanish Basics Cover Work
ascott88

Spanish Basics Cover Work

(1)
**Spanish Basics Revision/Cover Work** Self-contained revision/cover lesson about Spanish Basics; introductions and numbers and days/months. Great for revision or cover; this resource has everything needed to get pupils working independently without needing dictionaries or online resources. It in...
KS3 German Vocabulary revision Stimmt 1 & 2 - all units
suelangstuition

KS3 German Vocabulary revision Stimmt 1 & 2 - all units

(5)
The focus in these ten worksheets is on revising vocabulary from the books Stimmt 1 & 2. Each unit usually has seven or eight tasks, which could be adapted and used flexibly. Instructions are in English and answers are provided, so these sheets are ideal for cover lessons or homework. PLEASE NO...