Designing an effective timetable for optimal Teaching and Learning
In the fast-paced world of education, a well-designed timetable is essential for ensuring that both teachers and students can make the most of their time in the classroom. From improved academic performance for students to reduced stress levels and increased job satisfaction for teachers, the benefits of an effective timetable cannot be overstated.
Key considerations
When designing a timetable, the timetabler should consider:
- Curriculum alignment: A well-designed timetable should be aligned with the school's curriculum, considering the unique needs and learning styles of students. This may involve scheduling subjects in blocks to allow for more intensive learning, or rotating subjects on a weekly or monthly basis to help students focus and avoid burnout.
- Student wellbeing: Student wellbeing needs to be the forefront of the timetabler's mind throughout the construction process, considering their physical, mental, and emotional needs. For example, it is important to schedule regular breaks for physical activity and provide sufficient time for students to eat and drink, as well as opportunities for quiet study, socialising, and reflection. Lesson schedules need to consider the distribution of specific subjects and lessons across the school day and week: is it ideal to have all English lessons for Year 7 students last lesson of each day? Or all of an A-Level student's physics lessons for the week on a Monday?
- Teacher workload: The timetable should be designed with teacher workload in mind, ensuring that teachers have adequate time for preparation, lesson planning, and professional development. In addition, it is important to consider the number of hours that each teacher is contracted to work and allocate time accordingly, with research showing that teacher contact time has a direct impact on student achievement. When scheduling PPA time, breaks, ECAs and other additional duties, the pattern of lessons for a teacher needs to be considered - after all, who wants a lunchtime duty on their full teaching day? Or a Friday afternoon containing most of their free periods for the week? Additionally, the number of year groups that a staff member teaches across, whilst appearing sensible on a timetable, can have unintended and excessive work expectations when reporting, examination, and parent-teacher conference times arise.
- Resource allocation: An effective timetable should consider the availability of resources such as classrooms, IT equipment and specialist teaching spaces like science labs and sports facilities. This may involve scheduling subjects in a specific order or rotating the use of resources on a weekly or monthly basis. Knowing the school and its pinch points is vital from the beginning.
The benefits of a well-designed timetable
Getting the timetable right can be as much an art as well-practised, methodical technique. It should, in reality, be a truly unique design, personalised to the school and the circumstances predicted at the time of its creation. In addition to the considerations previously discussed, the practicalities of teacher availability patterns and individual needs (professional and personal) mean that what works one year is unlikely to work the same in the future.
Producing a successful timetable has the potential to unlock many benefits, including:
- Improved academic performance: By scheduling subjects in a logical order and providing students with sufficient time for focus and reflection, they are more likely to achieve their full potential.
- Reduced stress levels for students and teachers: By ensuring that everyone has adequate time for breaks, physical activity and quiet study, they are more likely to remain focused and motivated throughout the school day.
- Increased job satisfaction: By providing teachers with adequate time for preparation, lesson planning and professional development, they are more likely to feel supported and valued in their role.
- Effective use of resources: A well-designed timetable can also help to ensure that school resources are used effectively, reducing waste, and increasing efficiency. This can be bring financial savings (as overstaffing can be avoided) but also open opportunities for internal development and self-improvement with unlocked spare capacity.
Timetable development challenges
Developing a workable timetable for a secondary phase school of approximately 1000 students can take as much as 40 hours of concentrated effort, depending on the complexity of the school's needs and the number of staff involved. It is important to plan for this time from the outset, ensuring that everyone involved is aware of the key considerations and benefits of a well-designed timetable. It shouldn’t be rushed – just like a student homework piece prepared the night before it’s due in, this leaves no time to reflect, review, or adjust. Furthermore, the timetabler, whilst knowledgeable in their craft, isn’t necessarily the person who must sell and enforce the finished product with the staff, students, and their parents. It is therefore vital that time to share drafts with key stakeholders and adjust is included in the production timeline.
Equally, it's important to consider the implication of this commitment on the timetabler themself. What other responsibilities - teaching and non-teaching - do they have? Do they have the capacity within their working day to take time to carry out focused work on the timetable? How easy is it for them to engage with colleagues to understand needs and gain feedback? Do they need release time from lessons?
Conclusion
Getting your timetable right can deliver significant, positive benefits for your school. Your students can experience a varied, considered flow of learning throughout the week and staff benefit from a planned structure that gives them time to do their daily jobs as part of their working day. It's a process that shouldn't be rushed and should draw the views and needs of key stakeholders from across the school. Throughout the process, the timetabler needs to have the time to complete the role and keep wellbeing of the school community at the forefront of their minds.
Supporting schools
Looking for ideas about how to reduce the workload for your staff? Check out the Department for Education School Workload Reduction Toolkit for examples of changes made by schools across the UK.
If you're looking for support to get your curriculum planned out or your timetable built, we can help! TempusEd put together timetables to meet a range of requirements, curriculum needs and school-specific challenges - please get in touch or book a 'no strings attached' meeting to discuss your needs.