Whether you're teaching multiplication tables with Year 3s or Shakespeare with Year 11s, knowing how and where to seat your students can make the difference between a good lesson and a great one. Data doesn't lie (and I love data!): a study in the journal Social Psychology of Education revealed that seating arrangements can have a major impact on learning outcomes and student relationships.
If you're ready to take your classroom to the next level, I've put together this actionable guide where I'll walk you through some classic and lesser-known layouts that work across all age groups, from primary to sixth form and even beyond.
Table of Contents
1. Horseshoe (or U-shape)
A classic for a reason! Everyone can see each other, gives you easy access to everyone, and it's easy to facilitate whole class discussions. Horseshoe layouts are great for things like language learning, role-playing and read-alouds.
Research suggests that students ask their teachers more questions when they sit in a U-shape layout rather than in rows. And being able to see and respond to each other's body language adds a whole new dimension to the lesson. Another option, if you're trying to give students more personal space, is to create a layout with Mini Us (aka mini horseshoes)—they’re great for small group activities.
2. Rows
I know what you're thinking - how boring! But rows aren't always the boring option. In fact, if you're looking for desk arrangements for talkative students, I'd go as far as calling rows the unsung hero of seating plans (sorry not sorry!).
A review in Support for Learning analysed several studies on different arrangements and found that rows can be particularly effective for individual tasks. They're ideal for when you need your students to, you know, actually focus on their exercise instead of plotting world domination with their bestie across the table.
3. Stadium seating
Picture this: you're standing at the front of the room, and EVERY single student is turned towards you. It's literally impossible for them to pretend they're not seeing you.
Having desks in angled rows helps teachers see if students are on-task and can make it easier for them to concentrate too. Students can also easily collaborate with partners sitting next to, behind, or in front of them without moving desks. Plus, this layout leaves space in the front of the room for a rug, open area, projector trolley, table—or just a place to collapse after explaining fractions for the fifth time.
4. Group pods
Where the magic happens! Group pods or clusters allow students to easily bounce ideas off each other and learn from one another. They are ideal for project-based learning and even better for brainstorming activities—as research shows. Whether you've got round tables (lucky you!) or you're MacGyver-ing regular desks into circles, it's all about collaboration.
Besides, clusters are appropriate for all ages. Little ones learn those all-important social skills. And as they move on to secondary school, their collaborative skills become even more important. Group projects are everywhere! And teachers can easily move between pods to provide guidance or feedback.
5. Flexible seating
Give students back the power to choose how they want to learn—whether it's on a beanbag, cross-legged on the floor, or even in one of those snazzy mobile chairs with built-in desks. Flexible seating is especially good for our kinaesthetic learning and helps children feel more ownership of their classroom. And for those who just won't sit still? They can (finally) stand up straight!
To me, this "free-seating" option feels like a mirror to our messy world. I mean this in the way that it encourages each student to understand what works for them, and possibly prepares them to make similar, more challenging choices for themselves outside of school.
6. Combined arrangement
Think flexible seating but on steroids—you're catering to every learning need and activity all in one space.
While using flexible seating helps you create a space with plenty of seating choices, it's important to remember that some students still need a bit of structure. That's where a combined arrangement comes in. For instance, you might have rows for focused work on one side of the classroom, a dedicated collaboration zone with small round tables for group tasks on the other, and a reading nook with beanbags and mats at the back.
Key factors in layout decisions
Now, before we get too carried away with all these seating options, let’s not forget that choosing the right classroom layout is not just about "maximising performance". Studies show that relationships move the needle in terms of academic success, and what really matters is building meaningful teacher-student and student-student relationships.
So what key factors should you consider when creating a seating plan?
Ask yourself: What kind of learning activities will I be doing? What are people’s individual strengths and challenges? And are there any accessibility needs that I should address?
It's also important to remember that a seating plan that works great for one class might be a complete disaster for another. You've got to tailor it to the specific context. For instance, a maths class might thrive in rows for independent work, while discussions in an English lesson come alive in a horseshoe formation.
To help you navigate all these variables, here are some practical steps I'd encourage you to take:
Align the seating arrangement with what you want to achieve in this lesson.
Think about the activities you'll be doing and arrange the seats accordingly.
Look at what furniture you have and how much space you have to work with.
Think about how long you'll need to rearrange everything and whether you can ask students to help you.
Don't let limitations stop you - get creative with what you've got!
Consider accessibility
Building upon what we learned so far, I want to dedicate a few words to preferential seating. The challenge with preferential seating lies in ensuring an arrangement works well for both the activity you've planned on doing AND for the needs of your students.
For example, you've chosen a horseshoe formation because it's ideal for language lessons where children need to hear you well. But you also need to consider how the layout accommodates students with disabilities; this means perhaps keeping the U-shape compact, leaving enough room for children with mobility devices to navigate between desks and walls.
“Preferential seating accommodations are made to give students with specific needs the ability to see, hear and participate in classroom activities in the same ways as their peers who don't have disabilities.” — Holly Mitchell, Teach Starter
Even though, unfortunately, not every school has enough resources to support all students with special needs, there are still things that teachers and school leaders can do to make the classroom that bit more inclusive. Good examples of inclusive seating include placing students with hearing needs where they can easily see you (if they can lip read), or providing wobble cushions for children with ADHD who need movement. It's adjustments like these, the small gestures, that allow everyone to participate in their own way.
Where does tech come into play?
I think we can all agree that we want our students to stay engaged and thrive, don't we? But creating the perfect classroom seating plan(s) to achieve this, again and again throughout the year, is a huge responsibility; and spending precious hours fiddling with seating arrangements isn't frankly the best use of your time.
Sure, if you Google classroom seating templates, you'll have something to print out in a minute. But they're about as helpful as a self-driving car that only actually drives itself a third of the time (I see you, Elon!) because they don't know your students' preferences, their behaviour, or even how many desks you're working with.
Thank goodness, times are a-changin'! There's a handful of smart classroom seating apps, like Mega Seating Plan, that actually talk to your school system and speed up the process. And I may be biased, of course, having built Mega Seating Plan myself, but I can say from talking to hundreds of schools and educators that seating plan software is a godsend!
The key benefit is the ability to quickly adapt arrangements throughout the year, while keeping track of what works best for different students, classes and activities. For those interested in learning more about Mega Seating Plan, I've covered its features and benefits in a recent blog post.
Looking ahead
This guide is my answer to that classic late-night problem—you know, frantically searching "best classroom layout??" because tomorrow's group projects are starting and the seating chart isn't done yet. And while trying to be helpful, I'd also like to pass on a message to the teachers and school leaders reading this. If you'll allow me, I think it comes down to this:
Classroom layouts are powerful tools. When done right, they set the perfect mood and get everyone involved. But they need to work for teachers too - be quick to update and easy to manage. So maybe instead of relying on scattered notes and memory, why not go digital? It can help you make changes at speed as well as keeping track of observations, behaviour patterns, preferences and so on—and it all stays all in one place.
Writing this also got me thinking, isn't it kind of beautiful? The way we use seating plans to make these four walls feel a little less intimidating for people to grow and learn in? And whether you're using Mega Seating Plan or another tool, the most important thing is to find a solution that gets you there quickly AND works well for your classroom. So you can spend less time on admin and more time teaching and connecting with your students.
Photo by THE MACDUFFIE SCHOOL: https://www.pexels.com/photo/students-inside-a-classroom-9654933/
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/teacher-talking-to-the-students-8423072/
Photo by Mikhail Nilov: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-table-with-brown-wooden-chair-8923960/
Photo by Pavel Danilyuk: https://www.pexels.com/photo/kids-with-their-teacher-sitting-on-the-floor-8422248/
Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/interior-design-of-a-classroom-8363770/
Photo by Todd Trapani: https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-boy-wearing-headphone-2291471/
Photo by RDNE Stock project: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-students-talking-to-each-other-6935983/
