The Unteachables Podcast

#90: What to do when students come to class late (whilst still keeping things cool, calm, and collected!)

• Claire English • Season 5 • Episode 90

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You’ve FINALLY gotten your students settled and started at the start of the lesson… cue… the disruptive latecomer!

This month on the podcast, I'm focusing on the first five minutes of each lesson—the foundation of a calm, connected start. However, even with a solid roadmap that guides teachers in creating a smooth start with key strategies, like shifting students’ energy through entry routines, engaging starters, and seamless transitions... there's one big wrench that can throw off this plan: when students arrive late. 

In this episode, we’ll dive into why students might be late and practical steps to get them on track without disrupting the flow.

IN THIS EPISODE, I DISCUSS:

  • The many reasons behind lateness: Beyond just "running late," chronic lateness can stem from factors like family routines, neurodivergence (e.g., ADHD or autism), and executive function challenges. We also touch on how needs-based motivation can play into students’ timing.
  • Practical steps to manage late arrivals: I share ways to welcome students in without disrupting the rest of the class. 
  • How to increase accountability and connection through private follow-ups: For repeated lateness, I discuss questions and prompts that encourage students to reflect on the reasons behind their lateness, explore if it’s in their control, and collaboratively make a plan to help them improve.
  • Low-stakes latecomer tasks and routines: My top tips for engaging students that are late, without derailing the lesson.

Late arrivals don’t always have to disrupt your lesson flow!! You just need the right tools to approach them consistently, and calmly.



Have a question, comment, or just want to say hello? Drop us a text!

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Speaker 1:

Oh, hi teachers. Welcome to Unteachable's podcast Congratulations. You have just stumbled across the best free professional development and support you could ask for. I'm Claire English, a passionate secondary teacher, author, teacher mentor and generally just a big behavior nerd, and I created the Unteachable's podcast to demystify and simplify classroom management. I want this podcast to be the tangible support, community validation, mentorship, all those pretty important things that we need as teachers to be able to walk into our classrooms feeling empowered and, dare I say it, happy and thrive, especially in the face of these really tough behaviors. So ready for some no-nonsense, judgment-free and realistic classroom management support. I've got your teacher friend. Let's do this. Hello, hello, wonderful teacher. Welcome back to another episode of the Unteachables podcast. Thank you for joining me.

Speaker 1:

How are you going? Because, whether you are one of my Northern Hemisphere teachers, you are going into a dark and cold time of the year. The energy is dipping, oh gosh. You just want to probably put your head under a blanket and hibernate, but you have to drag yourself out of bed and head to school and it's tough. It can get really tough this time of year and my Southern Hemisphere teachers. You're nearly at the end of the school year, but things amp up at this time of year. It's November, so instead of winding down like you think it should at the end of the school year, but things amp up at this time of year it's November. So instead of winding down like you think it should at the end of the year and everyone's kind of feeling like things should be winding down things are just getting more intense. There's marking, there's you know, all of the report writing for the end of the year. There's tying up the loose ends. So wherever you are in the world right now, I know that you have a specific set of challenges that you're facing. So the point of that is just to say I see you and I acknowledge that and I hope you're well.

Speaker 1:

If you haven't listened to last week's episode about the first five minutes of the lesson, setting ourselves up for success in that first five minutes, go and do that first, because this episode here is just an extension of that. Because you can do everything right at the start of the lesson, you can follow all of the strategies. So, for example, inside of the Behaviour Club, I've got training around the first five minutes of the lesson and I teach an explicit roadmap to follow to have a smooth start to the lesson and it involves things like shifting the energy really strategically as students enter in through an entry routine where we're standing by the door and using our non-verbals to guide and influence that energy. The second thing is having a really strong starter that engages them, that makes them feel successful, that reduces their subject anxiety. And the third thing is transitioning from that starter in a way that keeps the vibe going for the rest of the lesson so you don't do all of that work in the first five only for it to all go to crap. The second you try to transition into teacher led instruction or the next activity. And I know that's an issue because I asked on Instagram. I said what do you struggle with with that first five minutes? And I think about 50 people said transitioning from the first starter activity into the rest of the lesson. So I know that's a struggle. So, even with that roadmap, if you follow that to a T, if you execute that like an absolute boss and you have an incredible start to the lesson. There is one thing that is always going to throw a spanner in the works of that roadmap when students aren't there for it. That means all of the work that you've put into it they've missed. So this episode is all about what to consider and what to do when students are arriving late to class. And I know, again, this is a massive issue because when I put that question box out there around what we struggle with in the first five minutes, Again I had dozens of responses that said students arriving late to class and bringing in disruption, bringing in dysregulation, bringing in the energy that you have just worked so flipping hard to shift when students came into the room.

Speaker 1:

When it comes to lateness, there are so many things that we need to consider. It is so easy to assume that if students are late, they're just shooting the breeze out in the playground, but let's just have a think about it. There are a couple of different things that we really do need to consider when it comes to students being late and turning up to class late. The first thing is that if it's chronic lateness in the morning for the first part of the day, there could be a very, very big reason that is very much out of that child's control. Just like we don't have control over our students' dysregulation, or we don't have control over our students' activities on the playground, we don't have control over what the other teacher does down the hall before they send the students to us. Some of our students don't have control over the fact that they are late to school because they don't have control over their parents, their siblings, certain things in their home environment. There are so many factors that could be causing a student to be late, so many situations where a child is late that is not in their control. So we really need to consider that when we are talking through lateness with students.

Speaker 1:

The second thing is for neurodivergent students, like those with ADHD or autism. Getting to class on time can be so much more complex than it feels for some of us. Many face challenges with executive functioning skills like switching focus and organizing materials and moving from one place to another. On top of that, some students with ADHD experience what people might call time blindness, meaning they don't have a natural sense of how much time is passing or has passed. And without this internal clock keeping track of time, it can be really tricky, especially in busy school environments. Just think the bell goes and they're like, oh crap, I haven't gone to the toilet yet and they're desperate to go to the toilet. So they go to the toilet and then all of a sudden, they're late to class and they're walking in and things feel awkward and you know. It just helps us to reframe lateness as more than just a choice for all students, Although sometimes it is a choice. However, if you've listened to any of my other podcast episodes around needs meeting behaviors, you know that choices are actually needs motivated. So even the choices that students make are just us meeting one of our basic needs.

Speaker 1:

So is a student late to class because they're meeting their need for survival? Like, maybe they're, you know, feeling anxious about the lesson and don't want to come in and their brain's keeping them safe. Or maybe they're hungry and they forgot to eat. They're out there eating, or whatever it might be. Maybe they're making a choice because of their survival need. Maybe they're making a choice to be late to class because of their love and belonging need. They're choosing to stay out there and have an extra 10 minutes of a chat with their friends because they're meeting that need. Maybe they're meeting their need for fun. Maybe they've been out there playing football and they're like, no, I'm not going to class, I'm having fun playing football and my cup needs to be filled. They're not actually thinking about that as a need, but, you know, maybe they are trying to meet their fun need out there. Maybe they're meeting their need for freedom. They're going nah, not going to class I'm going to make choices that suit me and they're meeting their need for freedom of choice. Maybe they're meeting their need for mastery. Maybe they're stuck playing guitar in the music room because they are so keen to, you know, nail those songs that they've been working on. Maybe they're really, really trying to gain mastery.

Speaker 1:

Starting to think about things in this way allows us to get into the right frame of mind for the strategies that I'm about to talk through. So, lateness just to recap on what I just spoke about, the first thing to consider are students late in the morning because of something that's totally out of their control? If so, we need to approach that in a totally different way, because they can't control that, so we just need to make arrangements and accommodations for that. Are they struggling to get to class on time because of a neurodivergence? Are they just struggling to manage their time with executive functioning All of those things that can make it a lot harder to show up on time at the bell, you know, with all the other students or are they just making the choice to come late? Are they choosing to come late because they're meeting another need? Remember, all choices are needs motivated. We're always behaving to meet our needs. What needs are they? What are they doing out there to meet their needs? And just reframing it like that is a great place to start Doesn't mean those choices are okay, by the way, it does not mean that we excuse them, but it gives us a lens to look at those choices through. So let's talk about what to do, and this is the same, no matter what, no matter what the reasons are. I just like to go through the behavior backpack and talk about some of the things that might be driving the lateness and driving those behaviors, just to kind of help you to frame the strategies that are going to be coming.

Speaker 1:

A student arrives to class late. No matter what the reason you're not going to know, you're not a mind reader, you're not a psychic the student arrives to class. You could make a huge spectacle of that student. You could ask them why they're late. You could get frustrated and angry. You could send them back outside. By the way, that is also really understandable because, as a teacher, when you have just spent. Understandable, because, as a teacher, when you have just spent all of that time and energy strategically shifting the energy of the students coming in, you've finally set them up with a starter activity, they're working quietly, and then you have a student that comes in late and feels like it completely tips everything on its head, it disrupts everything. Of course you're going to be frustrated by that, but all of those things, if we do go down that path, they're going to create a disconnection and not only are we going to escalate that student who's come in late, but it's also going to undo all of the hard work that you did to have your class walking through that invisible barrier and shifting their energy. So it is in your best interest and the best interest of the rest of the class to follow the following steps to be able to address students coming in late.

Speaker 1:

Remember as well, you can't control that that student's rocked up late. You can't control the fact that they've made that choice or the external factors that are going on. You don't have control over that. And I'm all about controlling what you can control and all you can control is how you respond when you get to this point, when the student arrives. So how do we approach these students? Well, everything that I teach teachers about addressing behavior when we're in the lesson itself is almost always geared towards us being able to get back to teaching said lesson in the quickest, most effective way that we can. It's all about minimizing disruptions, trying to regulate that student and then get back to teaching as quickly as possible. So everything that I'm about to talk through in how to address students coming late to class is about getting back to the lesson as quickly as possible, minimizing those disruptions and trying to deescalate and get that student as quickly as possible in their seats, on track with the rest of the class.

Speaker 1:

So the first step that student rocks up late, walks into your classroom, the first step is keep using your brilliant non-verbals, your embodying your credible teaching persona. So to say, if you're embodying your credible teaching persona, so to say if you're in the middle of that, do now task that starter activity and you've gotten your students working away. Just keep that same regulated vibe. Embody the credible welcome that student in, warmly and non-verbally. I wouldn't say, hey James, how are you going, I would just give them a little thumbs up, a little smile. Obviously it's going to be hard if they come in, causing mass disruption. But obviously I can't cover every single circumstance in a podcast episode, but welcome that student in as warmly and non-verbally as you possibly can Remember.

Speaker 1:

If you've done the first five in the right way, hopefully that means that most of the time the rest of your class are going to be in that space of calm and learning and hopefully, when that student walks in, the energy is going to influence the student that's just walked in to be able to go to their seat and get started straight away. So have them sitting down. That's why I have a seating plan. By the way, they're not going to be wandering around. They know where to go. I know where to direct them. They're not going to be chatting to the person they're choosing to sit next to hey mate, how are you going? They're just going to be able to come in, sit down. I'm warming, warming, warming, warmly, welcoming them in in a nonverbal way, just maybe a thumbs up, a smile, or even just, if I don't want to smile or, you know, give them that thumbs up. I will literally just use my proximity to point to their and, you know, stand by the desk and point down to their desk, as if to say okay, welcome sitting down, now let's get started.

Speaker 1:

The second thing I do is always place their starter activity on their desk so they can get started immediately. So just say they've come in during that first activity. Students are already working away on it. I will place their starter on their desk, they can just get started. There's no looking around. What are we doing? There's no fumbling.

Speaker 1:

Depending on your context and your students, I always also have a pot of pens for these situations. So when they turn up, I grab that starter, I grab a pen, I place it on their desk so that student isn't rummaging through their bags and disrupting that vibe. Like I take the path of least resistance possible. It's not a big deal for me to have a pot of pens, to give it out and collect it at the end of the lesson. I or collect it once I've gotten their stuff out. You can tell them you know, get your stuff out now I'm going to collect your pen back if your students bring their own supplies. I've actually always worked in environments where you know, in really deprived areas where students don't have access to their own stuff. So I do provide pens and all the rest of it. But you know, you're obviously going to work in different contexts, so it depends on what your context is, what your students are like. As a rule of thumb for me, I always place a starter on their desk, a pen on their desk. There's no rummaging, there's no questions. They can always just get started immediately, Least resistance possible.

Speaker 1:

The third thing if they seem unsettled in their chair. So fingers crossed, most of the time, if a student walks in late, they're going to walk into this beautiful vibe you've created. You are keeping things consistent and predictable. You're directing them to their chair. They've got a starter activity in front of them that's accessible, that they can feel successful in, that doesn't require any type of instruction. You want to remove yourself from that for a starter activity completely. But if they seem unsettled in their chair, I will quietly move over to them and use my proximity, my positioning and my private voice. I'll kneel next to them and ask are you okay? Do you know what you're doing right now? Okay, fantastic, let's get started. Just to get them back on track. And this is the absolute, like it's just the epitome of the power of a starter activity that's created in the way that I teach it. It needs to be strategic because this step could actually further escalate that student if it's not created in the right way. And I'm doing an episode on this next week, so listen out for that one.

Speaker 1:

The fourth thing just get on with the lesson. I give as little time and attention to lateness as possible in the lesson. I remain totally unfazed If it's an issue that I know needs to be addressed in more depth. If it's chronic lateness, if the student's struggling to get started, if they're causing disruption, if they're dysregulated, then I will talk to them about this in private. But the lesson's not the right time to do it. I will always just get on with the lesson, seem totally unfazed. If it's something that I need to address with the whole class, I will say there are some students who are turning up late. Please just know. Thank you so much if you're here on time and you're able to get here on time For those who are struggling with that, I will speak to you about this at a time that's more appropriate, but right now I care too much about what we're doing in this lesson to spend time on it. So let's get started with the lesson. So I will just approach it in that way if I need to speak to the whole class about it.

Speaker 1:

So they are my four steps. So keep using your non-verbals, you know, really keep that regulated vibe, embody the credible welcome that student in and use your non-verbals to. You know, thumbs up, smile or direct them to their chair in a non-verbal, calm way. The second have their starter and a pen on their desk. They can get started immediately. You know you don't want them to go rummaging through their bags and disrupting the vibe. Take the path of least resistance possible. The third thing if they seem unsettled in their chair, use your proximity, your positioning, your private voice. Kneel next to them, you know, get them back on track, co-regulating the best way that you can. And then the fourth step is just get on with the lesson and if it's something you need to address, address it in private and don't give it any more time within the lesson if you don't need to, because there's no point. You're not going to be able to address chronic lateness in the middle of a lesson anyway. As long as you're able to kind of regulate and get that student back on track, then that's all good.

Speaker 1:

In that discussion with the student the kind of questions that you'll ask if you're in the behavior club. I am going to be doing a live session on this exact topic this month. I actually think it's this Sunday. The time of recording it's in a couple of weeks, but, yes, the time that this is released it is this Sunday. If you're not listening to this in real time, then you can catch up on the replay. All the replays are in the vault so you can watch anything whenever you feel like it's an issue for you. So if you want to know how to navigate that conversation after the lesson, then I will be discussing that in the live session. You can go and listen to that when you choose.

Speaker 1:

There's this one more thing that I'd like to mention, which is if that student doesn't come in the middle of the starter activity, if they come in the middle of the lesson, for example, what do I do? Well, there are a couple of other strategies that I always have up my sleeve, and the one that is just so wonderful to always have there as a go-to is some low stakes, late comer tasks. So if they do come in later in the lesson, if it happens to be in the middle of a task that I can't stop and explain to them, it is a task that they can do totally independently. It could be an SEL booklet that I've created that they're working through. It could be anything, really anything that can be done totally independently without my input that I can just give them and they'll know exactly how to get on with it. This way, no matter what is happening, I can direct that student to something to grab their attention immediately, continue teaching what I was teaching and then go back to that student once I'm able to and then talk them through what we're doing for the lesson, catch them up and then maybe arrange to speak to them after about their lateness.

Speaker 1:

Whatever I want to do, depending on the context, the second thing that is wonderful to do if you have students that are coming late is create a routine or process for those students who are coming late. So pretty much all of the steps that I spoke through before, but be sure that it's communicated in a way that students understand. You could put a visual up on your wall or on your door. It could just be really simple like late question mark, be seated, wait to check in, get on with the work. It could be super simple like a four-step checklist to follow if they are late to class. You could print out some flyers and put them by the door. It could be something really specific to your class and your students. It could be something that you create together.

Speaker 1:

But a routine or a process for students who come late that's really explicit and consistent is going to be wonderful for reducing the anxiety of students who are coming to class late, which is always going to support you having less disruptions, lesser level behaviors and just being able to get on with the lesson, which is the goal, of course. So, yes, I know that students coming late to class can be a huge struggle, but please remember, teachers control what you can control. There's no use getting worked up and frustrated and heated in the middle of the lesson because that's going to be working against everything that you have worked so hard to establish in that first five minutes. Instead, just try to approach it with your curious lens on so you're able to do what you need to do, follow the process, get back to the lesson and reflect after. That's all you can do. That's all you can control. So, if you're listening in real time I did say it just before that on Sunday I'm doing a live session in the behavior club, and this is where I'm going to delve into all of these things in more depth.

Speaker 1:

I'm going to be giving you some prompts to be able to use for the discussions that you can have with students who are coming late. So if you're in the behavior club, make sure you come along to that if possible. If not possible, then you can catch up on the session after you know that. So my behavior clubbers come join me, and my non-behavior clubbers that maybe know they're a behavior clubber at heart but just haven't taken the leap to join us yet. Come and do that. It would be flipping wonderful to see you inside and be able to be your mentor.

Speaker 1:

I, as you can tell, I am very passionate about the Behaviour Club. It is my baby, it is everything that I have always wanted to do, it is the best, I love it and I love my Behaviour Clubbers and it is just the most wonderful thing that I could possibly imagine in my life, except my daughter. So if I seem really excited about it, really passionate about it, that is why, and if you want that support, I just want to make sure you know that that is a place to get it. So for some of you, I'll see you on Sunday. Otherwise, have a flipping wonderful week, teacher, and don't forget focus on what you can influence, what you can control, what you can lead on, and that my friend is going to help you feel far more empowered and regulated with your classroom management. Have a lovely week and I will see you next time.

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Claire English

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