PPA Teaching Tips for 2025

As we enter February, I have been reflecting on the last month, and I wanted to share what I’ve been up to.

I've been out and about in schools this January, covering PPA, observing some brilliant teaching in action and liaising with schools to make sure pupils are getting the most out of their Junior Jam PPA cover sessions. So, as we come to the end of this half term, I wanted to share my top tips for teaching in 2025:

Be Part of the School Team

Some of the best lessons I’ve seen have been where staff and TAs work together to manage behaviour and get pupils buzzing about the exciting subjects we offer. Speak with the TAs and other school staff at the school. They know the pupils well, so ask for their insights. Also, get to know the class teachers—mentioning that you'll pass on positive feedback can be a great motivator for pupils!

Reset Expectations

Don’t be afraid to revisit your classroom and instrument rules at the start of each half-term (or even each week!). If expectations are starting to slip, take a moment to reset and reinforce them so pupils stay on track.

Make the Most of School Rewards

Pupils love rewards! Whether it’s house points, dojos, or table points, these small incentives can go a long way. You could try introducing a ‘Junior Jam Star of the Lesson’—someone who’s shown great effort or listening skills—and give them a couple of house points. Let pupils know about this at the start of the lesson to motivate your pupils.

Set the Tone with Your Energy

Every class is different —some might come in full of energy and excitement, while others (especially younger pupils at the end of the day) may be tired and disengaged. The best way to manage this? Mirror that energy you want from your pupils! If you stay calm, pupils are more likely to settle quickly. If you bring enthusiasm and excitement, they’ll feed off your energy and become more engaged. It sounds simple but can have a big impact on your lessons.

Learn Pupils Names

It can be difficult at first as a PPA instructor, as we see so many pupils every week, but using pupils names is a brilliant way to foster positive relationships with your pupils. Here are my top tips and tricks for learning (and remembering) names:

• Offer to take the register
• Get pupils to say their name before they answer a question
• Incorporate it into tasks - if your learning about rhythms - can you get pupils to say and clap the syllables in their name?
• Write names down on a post it when you give them reward points - this will not only help you with any reporting and assessing you have but also help you commit these names to memory.

It’s been brilliant to put these tips into action when I’ve been covering the last few weeks, and it’s been even more rewarding to work with staff to help them continue to develop their lessons each week. I can’t wait to see what the rest of 2025 has in store!

Jessica