Last September, I swore that I would get organised. I would have a wall planner. I would have six different highlighter pens with which to colour coordinate said wall planner, and they would live in a special highlighter pen compartment in my desk drawer, available at a moment’s notice.

I made this resolution the day before the kids were due to come back to school as I sat on my classroom floor, feverishly scribbling names on the front of books while being engulfed by a wave of classroom detritus and watching the laminator give off a cloud of smoke as it chewed up something important.

Panic rose.

At this point, the teacher from the classroom next door sauntered in and said: “I sorted my classroom out on the first day of the holidays so I’ve just popped in for a last-minute check. You’re up against it, aren’t you?”

Between you and me, Teacher Next Door is a little insufferable. What sort of weirdo goes back into school on the first day of the holidays when you could be lying in your garden working your way through all the wine and Celebrations that you received from grateful parents the day before?

A highly organised one who can start the new school year in a state of smug serenity, it appears.

So, should we all aim to be like her and tend to our trashed classrooms at the start of the holidays?

Peace, quiet, and leftover biscuits

Consider this: you’re exhausted anyway so what difference is another couple of days at work going to make? The place will be empty so you can crack on without interruption. Also, there is still likely to be a good selection of biscuits left in the staffroom.

You’ll work faster and more efficiently, you can use all the good backing paper before everyone else gets to it and you will have unlimited access to the laminator before it overheats and stops working.

Plus your mind is still on the job and not lazy after spending five weeks in beer gardens so you’ll have a clearer idea of what needs to be done and why.

Of course, you may be so sick of the sight of school that you need to relax and recharge more than you need to get a head start on organisation, in which case leave it until the end of the holidays.

However, I’d suggest going in on the first day of the last week and giving yourself a couple of days to sort everything out, allowing a few days to relax before the kids come back.

I’m doing a bit of both: a quick sort out at the start of the holidays, and a day or two in the last week to get everything ready, and a bit of book labelling and sign-making in front of Netflix on a few evenings during the holidays.

Also, I will be buying more highlighter pens. Nothing says organisational mastermind like a fresh packet of those bad boys.

Lisa Jarmin is an early years teacher and freelance journalist