What's Inside This Template
The weeks before a new term are the busiest in any activity business. Venues need confirming, timetables need publishing, staff need scheduling, marketing needs launching, and enrolments need processing — all while you're still running the current term. This checklist ensures nothing falls through the cracks by breaking term preparation into a structured, time-phased workflow.
Template Sections
- 8 Weeks Before Term — Set term dates, confirm venue availability, draft timetable changes, review pricing, and begin re-enrolment communications for existing students. This early start gives you maximum flexibility to adjust plans.
- 6 Weeks Before Term — Open re-enrolment for existing students (priority window), confirm instructor availability and contracts, order equipment and materials, and update your website and booking system with new term details.
- 4 Weeks Before Term — Open enrolment to new students, launch marketing campaign (social media, flyers, partnerships), process and chase re-enrolment payments, and confirm class lists and capacity.
- 2 Weeks Before Term — Send class confirmation and preparation details to enrolled families, finalise instructor schedules, prepare welcome packs for new students, update risk assessments for any venue or activity changes, and brief all staff on the new term's plans.
- Week Before Term — Final venue walkthrough, equipment check, print registers and session plans, send last-chance enrolment promotion for any classes with space, and set up out-of-office or holiday camp wind-down communications.
- First Week of Term — Welcome new students, distribute start-of-term information, log any issues for immediate follow-up, and send a "Welcome to the new term" message to all families.
- Post-Launch Review (Week 2) — Review fill rates across all classes, action any waitlist movements, address feedback from the first week, and confirm ongoing marketing for under-filled classes.
Who This Template Is For
This checklist is for anyone responsible for the operational management of a term-based activity business. It's especially valuable for owner-operators who are juggling teaching, admin, and management — having a structured checklist prevents the overwhelm that leads to missed tasks and last-minute panic.
How to Use It
Download the checklist and customise the timings to your specific lead times and workflows. Pin it to your wall or save it as a recurring project in your task management tool. As you complete each item, tick it off and note any issues. After each term, review the checklist and refine it based on what you learned — over time, it becomes your personalised operations playbook.
