The start of the school day can often feel frenetic: pupils are arriving, notices need to be given out, uniform and equipment need to be checked… the list goes on. 

Throughout all of this, a tutor must also take the register, complete any tutor activities and find time to catch up with any pastoral issues. 

This hectic start to the day was one I used to dread, particularly knowing that I would inevitably have to keep adding to the register as pupils arrived in dribs and drabs. The bell for the first lesson was often a relief.

However, several years ago my school made the decision to introduce line-ups for all year groups before school and after break and lunch.

Pupils are asked to line up in a specified location outside of the school building and remain in line until they are led into the building by a member of staff. At the start of the day, pupils line up in their tutor groups. After break and lunch they line up in their teaching group for the next lesson.

Quite simply, this has transformed our changeovers. Far from being a draconian way to literally force pupils “into line”, line-ups provide a welcome sense of clarity and calm for both teachers and pupils.

Behaviour: how do line-ups work in school?

We have refined our line-up process since we first introduced it. For instance, it quickly became clear that teachers needed to set up their lesson prior to coming to line-up, and that we needed a way to alert them. 

At the start of the day, we now have a “warning bell” a couple of minutes before “line up time”, signalling that teachers now need to be moving to their designated year group area, ready to support. 

A designated senior leader or year leader then blows a whistle (to avoid voice strain), signalling that there now needs to be silence.

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Pupils are then led to their classroom by their tutor or teacher, still in line. While some schools call for silent corridors, we prefer to ask pupils to use “indoor voices” as they move through the school. 

The expectation of teachers here is that they stop the line if it is becoming unruly and then remind pupils about expected behaviour. This responsibility was explained in a whole-staff briefing when we launched line-ups, and half-termly reminders are shared.

This makes for calmer corridors - it avoids the noise and crowding that can be overwhelming for even the most resilient of pupils - and it means that all pupils arrive at the classroom at once, ready to go in and get on with their lesson. 

One issue we found was that as the seasons changed, it wasn’t practical to hold line-ups outdoors because of rain or snow. So, leadership came up with a contingency plan: an email is sent to all staff informing them that line-up cannot run and umbrellas and hi-vis jackets are provided for those on duty, who remind pupils where they go when line-up isn’t running. This is a designated set of rooms for each year group; in most cases their tutor bases.

The benefits of line-ups

One of the benefits of having line-ups first thing in the morning is that any uniform or equipment issues can be ironed out before pupils even enter the building. While pupils are in the process of lining up, teachers can move up and down the line ensuring that agreed rules such as shirts being tucked in, jewellery being removed and correct footwear being worn are adhered to. 

This saves time and effort later on, as pupils arrive in the classroom ready to be greeted by their teacher and instantly begin their learning.

The first line-up of the day also serves as a mini-assembly, in which expectations are reiterated and any urgent messages can be communicated quickly.

There’s a relationship benefit, too. A light exchange about the football last night or what happened on Love Island might not be appropriate in the classroom, where learning time is precious, but it helps to build rapport in the few minutes while pupils are getting into their line and mentally getting “into gear” for lesson time.

Equally, pupils who might not have had the start to the day we would hope for can be picked up and given the support they need in a discreet way, meaning fewer disruptions at the start of lessons when pupils “bubble over” or have to ask to go to see pastoral staff. 

Key senior and pastoral staff must be on hand in the line-up area to facilitate this.

Some people in education are critical of line-ups, but, at our school, they really work. Ultimately, providing a clear transition between lesson time and the social time of getting to school, break and lunch simply allows for all pupils and staff to know what is happening - and provides the consistency we all need.

Laura May Rowlands is head of English in a secondary school in Hampshire