Article by Sian Coxon, Principal of Primary
In our professional learning sessions at Pinehurst School this year, we set out to build greater consistency in how we enter the classroom and what happens in those first crucial moments. Building on our 2025 work with the Science of Learning and Rosenshine’s Principles, we were focused on reducing cognitive load and freeing up more space in students’ working memory.
What followed were some powerful sessions on establishing strong habits and routines for learning. Teachers instinctively know that students need a predictable start to every lesson. But through Craig Barton’s Tips for Teachers and Jamie Clark’s One Pagers, we explored something deeper: solid entry routines aren’t just important for teachers, they’re even more important for learners.
How students enter the room shapes everything that follows. Clear routines calm the transition, reduce cognitive load, and get learners thinking faster. Moving from a busy, noisy play environment into a focused learning space doesn’t happen automatically, it needs to be explicitly planned for, modelled, and taught.
Craig Barton highlights a key idea many of us had overlooked: students need to understand why a routine exists. When we explain that entry routines warm up the brain, create certainty, and maximise learning time, students don’t just comply, they buy in. The moment they realise, “This routine isn’t for the teacher, it’s for me,” everything shifts.
Jamie Clark reinforces this: when routines remove unnecessary decision‑making, students’ working memory is protected. That means more attention is available for: thinking, problem-solving, tackling new concepts, and engaging deeply in tasks.
A great entry routine isn’t a behaviour strategy; it’s a learning strategy. And when we get it right at the door, we set every child up for success.
