Monthly Checklist for School Leaders December 2025

Product name

A focused planning checklist that helps headteachers and school leaders close the autumn term in a disciplined way and step into January fully prepared. Every section is laid out as clear, triaged actions so you can see, at a glance, what must be done, what should be done and what could be done if capacity allows.

Product overview

This digital checklist is designed specifically for December 2025 and guides you through the final weeks of term, from safeguarding and statutory returns to staff wellbeing, inspection readiness and January INSET planning.

Each page uses calm, professional illustrations of school settings, such as the office scene on page 1 and the assembly hall on page 12, to keep the document visually anchored in day to day leadership without cluttering the content.

The structure supports leaders in primary, secondary and trust roles who want a practical, evidence informed monthly rhythm that protects what matters most for pupils, staff and the organisation.

What is included

You receive a professionally designed PDF that covers eleven leadership domains for December

1. How to use this checklist

   • Explains the [M] Must do, [S] Should do and [C] Could do labels so you can triage quickly and adapt for your context.

2. Calendar and scheduling

   • End of term events, January start dates and INSET days

   • Spring term milestones such as assessment points and reporting windows

3. Communication and stakeholder messaging

   • Parent and carer messages including safeguarding contacts and support

   • Website and official channel updates

   • January expectations for attendance, punctuality, uniform and behaviour

   • Staff updates and suggested communications for governors or trustees

4. Teaching, learning and curriculum

   • Autumn lesson visit and book review follow up

   • Support plans for teaching quality concerns

   • Curriculum coverage against long term plans and mock examination planning

5. Inspection readiness and school improvement

   • Self evaluation form updates for all judgement areas

   • Safeguarding evidence checks including records and training logs

   • Inspection documentation such as policies, behaviour and attendance reports

6. Pupil progress, assessment and inclusion

   • Data collection accuracy checks

   • Progress reviews for SEND, Pupil Premium, EAL and pupils with persistent absence

   • Oversight of pupils at risk of missing key expectations and behaviour pattern analysis

7. Systems, administration and digital

   • Statutory returns

   • Safeguarding system reviews and data security

   • User access checks and filtering and monitoring verification

8. Environment and operations

   • Health and safety site walk

   • Fire, lockdown and emergency procedures

   • Holiday site security and statutory premises checks

   • Winter readiness plans for heating, frost and snow

9. Leadership, staff and wellbeing

   • Safeguarding supervision and HR milestones

   • Senior team debrief and spring strategic time protection

   • Workload review and authentic staff appreciation

10. Community, governance and finance

    • Holiday safeguarding information for families

    • Consideration of vulnerable families and agency liaison

    • Budget position, payroll and contractor checks

    • Governor or trustee summary and spring procurement planning

11. January start and INSET preparation summary

    • One page cross check for INSET agenda, safeguarding update, timetable changes, staff briefing and autumn data headlines, illustrated with a January training day scene.

Key features

• Triage built in
  Every action is tagged as Must, Should or Could so you can sequence your work realistically and protect statutory and safeguarding priorities first.

• Concise, inspection aware prompts
  Wording reflects current expectations around safeguarding, SEND, attendance and behaviour without referencing any particular framework by name.

• Cross phase applicability
  Suitable for primary, secondary and special schools and for trust leaders who want a quick way to scan for common strengths and gaps.

• Clean, print friendly layout
  Minimalist line illustrations and clear section headings make it easy to print, annotate and carry or to view on screen during leadership meetings.

Benefits for school leaders

• Reduces cognitive load at a busy point in the year by externalising the core December tasks into a single document

• Strengthens safeguarding and statutory compliance through explicit checks on records, systems and holiday arrangements

• Improves inspection readiness by aligning self evaluation, evidence gathering and documentation checks with end of term activity

• Supports strategic leadership by building in prompts for reflection, curriculum review and trust wide analysis

• Protects staff and leader wellbeing by making space for workload review, authentic appreciation and personal professional reflection

How to use in your setting

1. Purchase and download the PDF.

2. Print the checklist or load it on a tablet or laptop for leadership meetings.

3. Highlight all [M] items and schedule them into your remaining December time.

4. Add the [S] items that are most relevant to your current context such as inspection window, performance concerns or major change.

5. Select a small number of [C] actions that will have the greatest cultural or long term impact.

Format and licensing

• Digital download

• PDF, twelve pages, A4 friendly

• Designed for use by a single school or trust central team