👋 Hi {{first name | reader!}}
In this edition of ⚗️ DistillED, we’re focusing on entry routines. How students enter your classroom shapes:
Attention and Focus → How quickly attention is secured
Learning Time → How much instructional time is protected
Psychological Safety → How predictable and safe the lesson feels
What happens before teaching begins often determines whether teaching works at all.
In this edition
📊 Do Now: Quick Poll!
Which part of your entry routine needs the most tightening?
What is an Entry Routine?
An entry routine is a short, explicitly taught sequence that governs how students enter the classroom and begin learning. It covers things like:
Where students sit in a seating plan
How quickly they begin learning
Where the teacher positions themselves
How expectations are reinforced
When students cross the threshold, they are transitioning from corridor to classroom; from social to academic and from movement to thinking. If that transition is unclear, noisy, or inconsistent, valuable attention is easily lost. Students hesitate, talk, wander, or wait for instruction — and working memory is quickly consumed by logistics instead of learning. As Mark Dowley and Ollie Lovell emphasise in The Classroom Management Handbook:
“Establishing an entry routine ensures that students start learning from the minute they enter the classroom and signals that learning time matters.”
An effective entry routine makes the start of the lesson predictable, calm and purposeful. To avoid common misunderstandings, it helps to be clear about what entry routines are not — and what they are:
👎 Entry routines are not:
A soft settling period (“Grab a seat, have a chat, we’ll get going in a minute.”)
Silence for its own sake (“I just want absolute quiet — nothing else matters yet.”)
An improvised start (Deciding on the spot where students should go or what they should do first.)
A one-off rule explained once (Assuming students remember expectations without rehearsal or reinforcement.)
Behaviour management detached from learning (Focusing only on compliance, not on beginning thinking.)
👍 Entry routines are:
A designed transition into learning (“As you enter, sit in your assigned seat and begin the starter straight away.”)
A way to secure attention early (Removing uncertainty so students can focus on the task, not the logistics.)
Explicit, observable, and time-bound (“Walking in silently. Pens moving within 45 seconds.”)
Rehearsed until they become habit (“Let’s practise that again so it becomes automatic.”)
A signal that learning time matters (“We start thinking from the moment we cross the threshold.”)
Why do Entry Routines Matter?
From a learning perspective, entry routines matter because they protect attention and make learning possible from the very first minute.
If attention isn’t secured early, information doesn’t enter working memory in a useful way — no matter how strong the explanation that follows. As Peps Mccrea reminds us, “Attention is the gateway to learning.” Entry routines help ensure that attention is directed to the right thing at the right time, before instruction begins.
What’s more, well-designed entry routines help students feel that they belong. They foster belonging — creating predictability, safety, and shared expectations. When students know exactly how lessons begin, uncertainty is reduced and trust is built. The classroom feels calm, purposeful, and fair.
Investing time in an explicit entry routine early is what allows it to become habitual. Expectations don’t become habits through laminated posters or good intentions, but through clear routines that are insisted upon with warmth and consistency. Over time, it’s the system — not the reminder — that does the work. As James Clear explains in Atomic Habits:
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
Entry routines are one of those systems. When they are designed well and upheld consistently, they remove the need for repeated instruction and correction — allowing attention to be directed where it matters most: learning. Essentially, effectively designed entry routines are important because:
Benefit 1: Students begin thinking quickly
Benefit 2: Behaviour issues reduce rather than escalate
Benefit 3: Teacher time and attention is freed up
Benefit 4: Lessons feel calmer and more purposeful
The graphic below visualises the Entry Routine as a system, rather than a single action. Drawing on Doug Lemov’s framing in Teach Like a Champion, routines are built from clear, repeatable procedures that are practised consistently until they become automatic.
Individually, each procedure matters — positioning at the threshold, cueing attention, setting expectations, scanning, narrating success — but it is the sequence that turns them into a familiar routine. Over time, these procedures run together smoothly like clockwork.
So, how is it done? Let’s unpack some effective approaches.
🎁 Rewards!
Just a quick reminder that as a ⚗️DistillED subscriber, you have access to the Referral Rewards Programme. Simply share your unique referral link — found at the bottom of every email (including this one) — and unlock exclusive one-pagers as a thank-you for spreading the word. Here’s what you can earn:
1 Referral = 3 Essential Strategy Checklists: Participation & Thinking
3 Referrals = 3 Unreleased One-Page Guides
5 Referrals = Editable One-Pager Template Pack
10 Referrals = Teaching One-Pagers Companion Workshop Pack
20 Referrals = Copy of my book Teaching One-Pagers
How do I Implement an Effective Entry Routine?
Before focusing on specific steps or techniques, it’s important to recognise that effective entry routines don’t work in isolation. Students need to know why the routine exists, what success looks like, and how it will be practised and reinforced over time.
Routines rely on clear expectations, consistent follow-through, and a shared understanding of purpose. They work best when four conditions are in place:
Condition 1: Made Explicit → Students should know exactly where to go, what to do first, and how quickly to begin.
Condition 2: Applied Consistently → Routines only become habits when expectations are upheld every lesson, not just when time allows.
Condition 3: Enforced Calmly and Confidently → Clear expectations, delivered with warmth and firmness, reduce friction and prevent escalation.
Condition 4: Rehearsed for Automaticity → Entry routines should be practised, refined, and revisited until they run without reminders.
Once these foundations are solidified, the following five steps can be used to design an entry routine that reliably secures attention and begins learning from the very first minute.
Step | Explanation | Example |
|---|---|---|
1. Position and Prime at the Threshold
| Stand at the doorway where you can see both inside and outside the classroom. Prime attention with a short, calm script that sets expectations for entry. | “Good morning. Eyes on me. I’m looking for a calm, focused entry so we can start learning straight away.” |
2. Make Expectations Explicit
| State expectations clearly, concisely, and in observable, time-bound language. Check behavioural understanding before entry begins. | “Walking in silently. Sit in your assigned seat. Pens moving within 45 seconds. Thank you.”
|
3. Control and Monitor Entry
| Control the flow of students so entry is slow enough to monitor. Scan continuously inside and outside the room. | Use your arm to regulate pace. Pause entry if noise increases.
|
4. Reinforce Success and Relationships
| Positively narrate success and offer brief, personalised comments without breaking the routine. Balance warmth with firmness. | “James is walking silently to his seat — thank you.”
|
5. Begin Learning and Close the Routine
| Use a visible, independent silent starter. Clearly mark the end of entry and reflect to refine the routine over time. | Do Now on the board: “Write everything you remember about last lesson.”
|
Entry routines aren’t about control or compliance. They’re about protecting attention, building habits, and helping students feel ready to learn — from the moment they walk through the door.
— Jamie
If you want more:
👉 Read about The Do Now
👉 Read about Signal for Attention
👉 Get the DistillED Playbooks
Free Entry Routine One-Page Guide
Entry Routine One-Page Guide
To help you put these ideas into practice immediately, download the Solid Entry Routines One-Page Guide — a classroom-ready summary designed to help you secure attention, establish calm routines, and begin learning from the very first minute.
Subscribe for FREE to get this one-page guide
