<Irony> There are few things in life quite as exciting as filing </Irony>
However tedious it is, it is also important. Important for two reasons:
a) We need to be able to find important things quickly when we need them
b) We need to spend as little time as possible creating a filing system and using it.
If you're not sure what filing involves, or why it is a problem, click here
If you are a chalk-face teacher with no leadership responsibility, you should ask yourself this question: 'how much paper, apart from lesson resources, do you really need?' Most teachers should be able to answer 'not very much' and they should not need a complex filing system for everyday paper.
We will therefore look at what is needed in four parts
1. Basic Paper Filing (Not Lesson Resources). Click here for the easiest option.
2. Filing Paper Lesson Resources. Click here for advice.
3. Compulsory Policy Documents. Some schools are heavily paper-based and they require all teachers to have hard copies (sometimes signed copies) of key documents, (for example Child Protection Policies). If this applies to you, click here for advice.
4. What not to file. Click here for important advice.