This free teacher observation checklist runs one lesson observation, from agreeing why it is happening to the review of targets. The observer and the teacher agree the purpose and the type of observation, the teacher gets notice, and a pre-observation meeting covers the class, the lesson plan, what the teacher wants feedback on and the criteria. On the day the observer notes what was seen and heard, not judgements. The teacher reflects first, then a private feedback conversation agrees the strengths, one or two development points and targets with support. The observer and the teacher both confirm the written record before the follow-up starts. Peer, induction and focus-area observations, a second observer and a remote or recorded lesson each add their own steps. For a teacher who is new to the school, start with the Teacher Onboarding Workflow Checklist.
This checklist is built so the teacher knows why the observation is happening, has a say in what is looked at, and gets feedback they can act on. It runs one observation of one lesson: the purpose and type agreed first, a pre-observation meeting, evidence notes against criteria you agree together, the teacher’s own reflection, a feedback conversation, a written record that both of you confirm, and the follow-up.
It does not grade the lesson. The seven areas it looks at are examples for your school to replace with its own criteria, and how observation links to anything else, such as appraisal, is for your school’s policy to set. Two other checklists sit next to it.
Covers: the purpose, notice, the pre-observation meeting, evidence against the agreed criteria, the teacher’s reflection, feedback, the agreed record, support and the review of targets.
Who: an observer, the teacher and whoever arranges support, with a second observer or a mentor when they take part.
Output: a record the teacher has agreed, with one or two targets and the support for each.
Covers: a new teacher’s start: employment checks, safeguarding, systems, curriculum induction, a mentor and a first-term review.
Use it: when someone joins. Each observation during their induction runs here, one checklist per lesson. Teacher Onboarding Workflow Checklist.
Covers: the yearly review cycle: self-assessment, evidence, the conversation and a development plan.
Use it: for appraisal. Whether observation records feed into it is a matter for your school’s policy, agreed with the teacher at the start of each observation. Employee Performance Review Checklist.
Nine phases follow one lesson observation, from the agreed purpose to the review of targets. The type of observation on the first task adds the tasks for a peer, induction or focus-area observation, and a second observer and a remote or recorded lesson add their own. A development point that needs support adds Phase 8, and a teacher who does not agree with the record adds a written response before it is confirmed. The observer and the teacher confirming the record is the gate: nothing after it can be completed until it is done.
Start this checklist when an observation is planned. Enter the observation date on the first task: every later due date counts from it in business days, the preparation back from it and the feedback, the record and the follow-up forward from it. The type of observation, a second observer and a remote or recorded lesson each add their own tasks.
Agree the lesson and the date with the teacher rather than for them, and give notice as your policy says. A second observer and a remote or recorded lesson each add a task here.
A short meeting a few days before the lesson. The teacher describes the class and the lesson, says what they want feedback on, and you agree the focus and the criteria together. These tasks count back from the observation date.
On the day, observe against the agreed criteria and write down what you see and hear, not judgements. Mark any area outside the agreed focus as not applicable. In a joint observation the second observer writes their own notes.
Write the notes up while the lesson is fresh, then give the teacher time to reflect before the feedback. A joint observation adds a moderation step, and a recorded lesson lets the teacher watch it first.
A private conversation a couple of working days after the lesson that starts with the teacher’s reflection. Agree one or two development points, and targets with the support for each. If a development point needs support, Phase 8 is added.
The observer writes a short record and the teacher reads it. If the teacher does not agree with all of it, their response is added and discussed before anyone confirms it. The observer and the teacher both confirm the record: that is the gate, and nothing in Phases 8 and 9 can be completed until it is done.
This phase applies only when a development point needs support. Arrange the CPD or coaching, check in halfway, and visit again to see the development point in practice. These tasks count from the observation date.
Whatever the outcome, the targets go where the teacher plans their development and are reviewed with them. The record is kept only where it was agreed. These tasks count from the observation date.
The seven areas in the template, with what an observer might look for and the kind of evidence worth noting. They are examples: replace them in the template with your school’s own list, and agree before each lesson which of them this observation will cover.
| Area (an example) | What you might look for | Evidence worth writing down |
|---|---|---|
| Planning and structure | A clear start, a sequence that builds, pace that suits the task, a clear end | What pupils were told they would learn, what each part of the lesson asked them to do, the timings |
| Subject knowledge | Accurate explanations, well-chosen examples, misconceptions spotted and dealt with | The explanation or model used, a misconception that came up and what the teacher did about it |
| Questioning and checking understanding | Questions that make pupils think, many pupils answering, the teacher acting on what they find | Questions asked, word for word where you can, who answered, how the teacher checked the whole class |
| Adaptation for different learners | Support and challenge that let every pupil take part in the same learning | What a pupil needing support did, what a pupil needing more challenge did |
| Behaviour and classroom climate | Routines pupils know, attention kept, respectful talk | Routines seen, how pupils responded, what happened when a pupil lost focus |
| Use of time and resources | Time spent on the learning, smooth transitions, resources and other adults that help | Minutes spent on each part, any time lost and why, how resources and other adults were used |
| Pupils’ learning and progress | Work that shows the intended learning, pupils able to say what they are learning | What pupils wrote or said, and what their books showed over time if you agreed to look |
The type on the first task decides which tasks appear. Who sees the record is agreed at the start and confirmed with the record.
| Type | Who might observe | Who sees the record | What the checklist adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Developmental | A leader, a coach or an experienced colleague, agreed with the teacher | The teacher and the observer, and others only as your policy says | The core steps, with nothing extra |
| Peer | A colleague, perhaps taking turns | The teacher; leaders only if the teacher agrees | A task to agree that the record stays with the teacher |
| Induction or early career support | The mentor, the induction tutor or another colleague | As your induction arrangements say | The mentor, a task to link the observation to the induction record and one to add the record to it |
| Focus area | A colleague the teacher agrees to | The teacher and the observer, and others only as your policy says | A task to take the focus from the teacher’s own development goals |
Two more answers on the first task. A second observer adds tasks to agree their role, write their own notes during the lesson and compare them before the feedback, so the two of you give one view. A remote or recorded lesson adds a task to agree consent, access, storage and deletion under your school’s policies; a recording also gives the teacher a chance to watch it before the feedback, and a task to store or delete it as agreed.
Write what was seen and heard. “Six pupils answered; the teacher asked the rest to write their answer on a whiteboard” is evidence. “Questioning was weak” is a judgement. A record a teacher can recognise is one they can act on.
Enter the observation date on the first task and every later task gets a due date in business days: the notice and the pre-observation meeting before it, the evidence notes on the day, the feedback two working days after, the record soon after that and the review of targets about six weeks on. Overdue alerts go to the people assigned, so feedback does not drift for weeks.
The type of observation adds the tasks for a peer, induction or focus-area observation. A second observer adds a moderation step, a remote or recorded lesson adds consent and storage, a development point that needs support adds CPD and a follow-up visit, and a teacher who does not agree with the record adds a written response before anyone confirms it.
The observer and the teacher both confirm the written record, and that confirmation is a gate: the targets, the support and the review cannot be ticked off until it is done. The Reports Grid lists every observation with its answers, with filters and export, and Analytics shows completion rates and overdue work. See how approval steps work.
CheckFlow does not judge lessons or teachers. The observer and the teacher do, under your school’s policy. CheckFlow makes sure each step happens on time, every task has an owner, and the record that is kept is the one the teacher agreed. Each observation is its own checklist, so a term of observations can run from one template.
Welcome a new teacher with the Teacher Onboarding Workflow Checklist, and turn themes from many observations into a training plan with the Training Needs Analysis Checklist. Targets from an observation fit the Employee Development Plan Checklist, and the One-on-One Meeting Checklist keeps them on the agenda between observations. When observations point to a problem with what is taught rather than how, the Curriculum Review Process Checklist covers it.
Teacher Onboarding Workflow Checklist
Training Needs Analysis Checklist
One-on-One Meeting Checklist
Curriculum Review Process Checklist
Employee Development Plan Checklist
Describe the process in a sentence and the AI checklist generator drafts the phases and tasks for you.
Every step of one observation: agreeing its purpose and type, notice to the teacher, a pre-observation meeting on the class, the lesson plan and what the teacher wants feedback on, the agreed focus and criteria, evidence notes on what was seen and heard, the teacher’s own reflection, a feedback conversation with strengths, one or two development points and targets, a written record that the observer and the teacher both confirm, and the follow-up. This template adds steps for peer and induction observations, a second observer and a recorded lesson.
What you agreed to look for with the teacher. This template uses seven example areas: planning and structure, subject knowledge, questioning and checking understanding, adaptation for different learners, behaviour and classroom climate, use of time and resources, and pupils’ learning and progress. Replace them with your school’s own criteria, choose the ones that fit the agreed focus before each lesson, and mark the rest not applicable.
No. It records evidence, strengths, development points and targets, and it does not use or cite any grading scheme. Leaving out a grade keeps the feedback on what the teacher should keep doing and what to try next. If your policy does use a grade or a rating, add a field for it to the template in the template designer.
Your school’s observation policy may set it, along with how long and how often observations can be. In this template the written notice task falls eight business days before the observation date and the pre-observation meeting three days before, and you can change both offsets in the template to match your policy.
In a developmental observation a leader, coach or experienced colleague observes to support the teacher’s practice, and the record goes where your policy says. In a peer observation a colleague observes so both can learn, and you may agree to take turns, and no formal record goes to leaders unless the teacher agrees. Choosing peer on the first task adds a task to agree that, and the record’s audience is confirmed again at the end.
Soon and in private. Start with the teacher’s own reflection and listen before giving your view. Talk through two or three strengths with the evidence for each, then agree one or two development points rather than a long list, with the teacher’s ideas for what to try. Finish with targets that say how you will both know they are met, the support for each and a date to review them. This template puts the feedback meeting two working days after the lesson.
The teacher says so when they read the record, and two tasks appear before it can be confirmed: the teacher adds a written response in their own words, and the observer and the teacher discuss it and correct any factual errors. Differences of view stay in the response rather than being edited out. Both then confirm the record with the response attached, and your policy says what happens if you still cannot agree.
Yes, if your school’s policies allow it. Choose remote or recorded on the first task and a task asks you to agree the teacher’s consent, whether pupils and parents need to be told or asked, who can watch, where any recording is stored and when it is deleted. For a recording, the teacher watches it before the feedback, and a final task stores or deletes it as agreed.
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