Emergency Sub Plans
No-prep ready-to-leave plan frame.
Emergency Sub Plans is a no-prep plan frame designed to live permanently in your desk or filing cabinet, completely filled in, so that on the morning you wake up too ill to teach you can call in sick without guilt. Unlike a day-specific substitute plan, this template contains self-contained, curriculum-agnostic activities — silent reading, journal prompts, independent review tasks — that a supply teacher can run without any subject knowledge or prior briefing. The frame includes spaces for class rules, emergency contacts, hall pass procedures, and the location of materials. Primary teachers, secondary homeroom teachers, and specialist instructors all benefit from having one ready at all times. Because the activities are intentionally open-ended and reusable, the plan rarely needs updating — making it the lowest-maintenance item in a teacher's preparation toolkit.
Learning objectives
- Provide a ready-to-go plan that requires zero preparation on the day of absence
- Ensure student safety and supervision routines are clearly communicated
- Give supply teachers enough structure to manage the class without specialist knowledge
- Reduce teacher stress during unexpected illness or personal emergencies
- Keep students productively engaged with meaningful independent activities
- Serve as a permanent reference document that stays relevant across the school year
How to use this template
- Download and print the template at the start of the school year when you have planning time.
- Complete all class-management sections: roll procedure, emergency contacts, bathroom policy, and behaviour plan.
- Select two to three generic activities that any student in your class can do independently and note them in the activities section.
- List exactly where supplies, activity sheets, and login details for any digital tools are located.
- Seal the printed plan in an envelope labelled 'Emergency Sub Plans' and leave it with your team leader or in your desk drawer.
Classroom & home ideas
- Attach a printed class list with student photos so the supply teacher can learn names at a glance.
- Include a ready-to-go silent reading activity as the first task so the supply teacher has immediate cover while they read the plan.
- Add a simple journal prompt page clipped to the back as an 'if finished early' extension.
- Store a USB or printed QR code linking to a short instructional video you recorded for your class, eliminating the need for teacher explanation.
- Ask a trusted colleague to be named as the go-to person for any questions, and note their room number on the plan.
Skills & curriculum links
Frequently asked questions
What makes emergency sub plans different from a regular substitute plan?
Emergency plans use generic, self-contained activities that need no subject preparation, so they work on any unplanned absence day without any last-minute teacher input.
How do I choose activities for an emergency plan?
Choose tasks students can do independently without explanation — sustained silent reading, vocabulary review, a familiar journal prompt, or a revision worksheet already in their folders.
Should my emergency plan cover the whole school day?
Yes. Plan activities for every period including transitions, lunch supervision notes if applicable, and end-of-day pack-up procedures.
How often should I update the emergency sub plans?
Review it once per term to update the class roll, contact numbers, and any changed routines. The activities section rarely needs changing if you chose open-ended tasks.
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