Hitting Reset: Why Half Term is the Best Time to Rethink Your Approach

Half term arrives just in time.
For many teachers, it’s a deep breath after weeks of non-stop lessons, fixtures, and deadlines.
But for PE teachers, it often doesn’t feel like a break at all, more like a pause between two sprints.

There’s always something waiting: the next scheme of work to plan, the next competition to organize, the next batch of reports to finish.
Before you know it, the week disappears, and you’re back on the field, wondering where the “holiday” went.

So, what if this half term wasn’t about catching up, but about resetting?

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗨𝗽

The temptation to use the break to “get ahead” is strong, but it often leads to the same result: burnout disguised as productivity.
We plan, prepare, and overthink, yet return to school no more refreshed than when we left.

The truth is, no amount of extra planning can fix a system that’s already overloaded.
The issue isn’t effort, it’s alignment.
When we’re too busy doing, we forget to step back and ask:
“Is what I’m doing actually working?”

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻

Half term offers something that term time rarely does: space.
The chance to pause and think about what’s gone well, what’s felt heavy, and what small changes could make the next half term smoother.

That reflection might reveal simple truths:
that your lessons need a clearer structure,
Your routines have drifted,
Or that your students would benefit from seeing their own progress more clearly.

Small adjustments made now can make a huge difference later.

𝗛𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘁

The best teachers don’t just push through; they reset with purpose.
They use half-term to:
• Simplify what’s become overcomplicated.
• Reconnect with the “why” behind their lessons.
• Refine rather than rebuild.

It’s not about adding more; it’s about creating clarity.
And clarity, in both teaching and sport, is what allows performance to grow naturally.