A teacher onboarding checklist should help a new teacher become safe, confident and instructionally effective across the first 90 days—not simply complete paperwork on Day 1. Strong onboarding connects safeguarding, school culture, curriculum, systems, classroom practice, mentoring, observation and professional support in a planned sequence.
This 90-day teacher induction framework can be used by principals, HR teams, academic coordinators and mentors to structure pre-joining preparation, the first day, the first 30 days and the first 90 days.
Before joining and Day 1
- Confirm role, reporting line, timetable and key responsibilities.
- Explain safeguarding, child protection, emergency and student-safety procedures.
- Introduce school values, culture and professional expectations.
- Provide curriculum, scope and sequence, assessment and planning expectations.
- Set up technology, LMS/SIS, attendance and communication systems.
- Review behaviour, homework, inclusion, data privacy and parent communication policies.
First 30 days
- Assign a mentor or buddy.
- Demonstrate planning expectations with real examples.
- Help the teacher observe school routines and classroom expectations.
- Complete at least one developmental classroom observation and feedback conversation.
- Arrange peer observation where useful.
- Identify professional goals and support needs.
- Clarify parent communication expectations.
Days 30-90
- Review progress against induction goals.
- Review student learning evidence and classroom routines.
- Provide targeted coaching or professional development where needed.
- Collect the teacher’s feedback on the induction process.
- Close induction formally or extend support with a clear improvement plan.
90-day teacher onboarding plan at a glance
| Stage | Main focus | Evidence of successful onboarding |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-joining | Role clarity, safeguarding, systems access, timetable, curriculum documents | Teacher can explain essential procedures and has access to required systems |
| Day 1–Week 1 | School culture, routines, planning expectations, student information | Teacher can operate core routines safely and knows where to seek support |
| First 30 days | Mentoring, observation, planning quality, parent communication, classroom routines | Teacher receives developmental feedback and has clear professional goals |
| Days 30–90 | Coaching, evidence of student learning, refinement of practice | Progress is documented and next-step support is agreed |
Questions to review at 30, 60 and 90 days
- Does the teacher understand the school’s academic and safeguarding expectations?
- Are planning, assessment and classroom routines becoming consistent?
- What evidence shows students are responding positively to the teacher’s practice?
- What support, mentoring or professional development is still required?
- What should the teacher focus on during the next review period?
Common onboarding mistakes schools should avoid
- giving new teachers a large handbook without guided explanation;
- treating induction as an HR exercise rather than an academic process;
- waiting until probation review to provide meaningful classroom feedback;
- failing to assign a named mentor or support contact;
- assuming experienced teachers do not need induction into a new school’s systems and culture.
Why induction should include observation and coaching
New teachers need more than policy orientation. They need opportunities to see effective practice, receive feedback and understand what good teaching looks like in the school’s context. Use the Classroom Observation Guide, Teacher Feedback Examples and Teacher Development Needs Diagnostic as supporting tools.
Free editable Word version: download the complete 90-day Teacher Induction Checklist.
Download Teacher Induction Checklist (.docx)
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