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Timetabling Feb 16

Gabrielle Moran, John O’Shea

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Aims of the Session

• To initiate the timetable planning process

• To introduce practical approaches to timetable design

• Data gathering

• Planning Matrices

• To anticipate potential problems

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One suggested timeline

• Nov/Dec - 1st yr options

• Jan/Feb - Senior options

- TY/LCA/LCVP nos

- 5th yr subject choice

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One suggested timeline

• Mar/Apr - Subject dept meetings

- Individual teacher meetings

- Planning matrices

- Promote timetable comp programme

• Apr/May - Construct curriculum in comp programme

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One suggested timeline

• June - Feasibility

• - Adjust curriculum

• - Schedule

• - Assess from students and teachers

perspective

• July - REST

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One suggested timeline

• Aug

– Rooms

– 22 hrs used

– Check timetables

– Assess from students and teachers perspective

– Print and post

• Sept

– Minor adjustments

– Resource Hrs/SNAs

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One suggested timeline

• Late Sept

All should be working perfectly!!

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Towards Timetabling 2016-17

1.Curriculum demands, programmes offered TY, LCA, LCVP etc…

2.Teacher demands

3.Subject demands – department meetings

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Pre Planning Information• Configuration of School Day• Grouping of Students -- streaming, setting etc.• ‘Blocking’ and ‘Setting’ of Subjects• Teacher allocation -- DES• Continuity/rotation of teachers?• Time Allocation (For Teachers; For Subjects)• Subject Sampling• Constraints: Job-Sharing; Career Breaks; • Practical Subjects• Concessions to Teachers?

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Curriculum Data Gathering

• Last years timetable

• Curriculum Demands– Options – 1st, 2nd , 5th.

– T/Y Programme

– LCA + LCVP demands

– 1st Year classes sorted

– DES Requirements

• Subject/Dept. Demands– Banding/Setting

• Teacher Demands

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Last Years TT

• Issues which arose during the year and can now be amended

• Any issues from inspectorate?

• Moving up

• Extra teacher on band?

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Moving Up

Keep core of time table from this year.

Clear timetable but keep structure for:

• 1st 2nd

• 2nd 3rd

• 5th 6th

• All these year groups are moving up a year and will mirror closely what existed in this current year i.e. class/teacher/opt group etc.

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Teacher Demands

• The Human Element

• Take the sheet and say which demands/requests you would agree to.

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Preliminary Planning

• Teacher Requests

• Subject Requests

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Additional teachers

Sixth Year

A B C D W X

Irish 6 KS JJ SD FP

English 5 AA JG BB SS

Maths 6 BC FP WD GN

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Additional teachers

Sixth Year

A B C D W X

Irish 6 KS JJ SD FP WD

English 5 AA JG BB SS RM

Maths 6 BC FP WD GN EE

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Getting to the Nuts & Bolts of Timetable planning

• Pen & Paper

• Planning Matrices

• Year Curriculum (Teaching Groups)

• Teacher Hours

• Can be done on computer package –easier initially on paper

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Planning Matrices

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Year Curriculum

1. Assigning teachers to each class

2. One sheet per year

3. Two versions follow

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Planning Matrices

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Planning Matrices

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Planning MatricesSixth Year (120)

A B C D W X YReligion 3 MK WH FR SS RMIrish 6 KS JJ SD FP WDEnglish 5 AA JG BB (O) SS RMMaths 6 BC FP WD GN EEOpt 1 6 Fre (o) Fre Ger Span Span

SP BE GC GA GGOpt 2 5 H Econ Music Geog Chem Biol

EE LP HG MM BMOpt 3 5 Biol Biol H Econ Physics Art Bus

MM ML CC YF PQ RSOpt 4 5 Ag Sc Hist Biol Acc Music Geog

SC MA HH GN HG FH

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Teacher Hours

1. Ensuring teachers are fully utilised

2. Three approaches follow

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Planning Matrices

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Planning Matrices

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Planning Matrices

• Counting class periods (Hrs) assigned to each teacher

Teacher A

6IR 6

5IR 5

TY Ir 3

2IR 5

1Dara Ir 4

3Orla His 3

3Orla PC 1

TY Photog(2) 4

Total 33

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Planning Matrices

Teacher PlanningLeaving Cert Fifth Year Tran Yr J Cert 2nd Yr 1st yr Total

Teacher 1 6 FR 5 5FR 3 FR 4 FR 8 4FR 4FR 6 3FR 3GER 32

Teacher 2 5 5ACC 3 BUS 6 6MATHS 4 4BUS 18

Teacher 3 6 MATHS 8 MATHS 1PC 4 MATHS 3 3HIST 21

Teacher 4 5 BIO 5 5BIOL 4 SCI 6 5SCI 1PC 5 5SCI 9 SCI 34

Teacher 5 5 GEOG 4 Res Skills 6 6GEOG 208 ENG 2READING 4IR 6GEOG

35

Teacher 6 5 HEC 2 HEC 11 6RE 5HEC 8 3RE 5HEC 9 6HEC 3RE 35

Teacher 7 85BUS 2LCVP 1IT

1 IT 6 6BUS 8 5BUS 1IT 7 5BUS 2IT 4 2BUS 1IT 1IT 34

Teacher 8 4 4BCare 4

Teacher 9 5 5BUS 6 6BUS 7 5BUS 2CSPE 5 1CSPE 4IT 6 4BUS 2CSPE 29

Teacher 10 1 CG 2 CG 2 2CG 6 6ENG 4 4ENG 15

Teacher 11 5 IR-L.Sup 10 5LSup(IR) 5BUS 94IR L.SUP 5MATHS L.Sup

24

Teacher 12 105GEOG 5MUS

5 5MUS 72CG 1PC 4MUS

5 5MUS 27

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• Take the templates and insert your own data

• Share with one another your templates

Timetable

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Computer Package

• Promote the curriculum

• Create dummy classes

• Create new teachers

• Extract to TT

• Enter the additional curriculum

• Specialist rooms need to go in now

• Check against planning sheets

• Packages have planning matrices

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Computer Package

• Some items may need to be fixed in place manually before pressing ‘go’!

• Outside teachers

• Synchronised schools

• LCA/TY

• Meetings

• Teacher restrictions

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Running the TT

• All planning and inputting done

• Check feasibility – 100%

• Ensure specialist rooms allocated. Follow programme instructions

• Run time table without restrictions

• Select where to start – Yr group, doubles, blocks, tricky subject

• An intense few days!

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Running the TT

• Keep an eye on

– Spread of classes throughout timetable.

– Doubles

– Spread of core throughout week

– Spread of options

• Check 22hrs contact

• Job Sharers

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Timetable

• When satisfied you have a timetable:

– Save

– Re-run with restrictions

– Make adjustments if you have to,

or:

– Revert to first timetable file if deemed better

– Allocate remainder of rooms -- tedious

– Re integrate into admin

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Assessing the TimetableJim Lyons (2000)

• Does the timetable represent the educational philosophy of the school?

• Are subjects satisfactorily distributed through the timetable cycle?

• Are subjects treated fairly, by all having a fair distribution of lessons throughout the day?

• Are specialist rooms and other resources used to the best advantage?

• Is gender equity observed?

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.ieAssessing the Timetable:

Jim Lyons (2000)

• Has movement been kept to a minimum?

• Is the staff non-teaching time reasonably spread?

• Does the timetable facilitate curriculum continuity for the following year – and the year after?

• Is the timetable presented as simply as possible?

• Are class timetables balanced and do all classes have a fair share of experienced staff?

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Remember

• Resource Hours must be allocated to individual students

• Learning support is within the timetable but must be used appropriately

• Keep an eye on 22hrs

• Teacher allocation

• Label timetable “Draft” until sure it’s right