February 2012

*To heighten awareness of the impact of the timetable on student learning

*To examine the process of timetabling in relation to curriculum and school values

*To introduce practical approaches to timetable design and implementation

*Subject choice/”Packaging of subjects”

*Effects of TT on behaviour

*Providing a holistic curriculum

*How we group our students

*Higher/Ordinary level decisions

Identify a common timetable practice or configuration and assess this from the perspective of the student/learner experience

*Students who report restricted subject choice or who regret taking certain subjects have significantly more negative attitudes to school and their teachers

(ESRI/NCCA 2004)

*Access for students to a broad and balanced curriculum that is sufficiently differentiated to take account of learners’ starting points, that motivates them, raises their self esteem and gives them a sense of achievement

Task Force on Student Behaviour

While schools may believe that streaming enables them to better meet the learning needs of particular students the findings of this study show that students do not benefit from the arrangement. Streaming has a polarising effect on students.

One group, primarily those in top streams, is more positive about school, gets on well with teachers, becomes more engaged with learning and expects success in the exams. It seems that they get a ‘better deal’ all around.

www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/publications/ESRI_3rdYr.pdf

The other group, more frequently students in lower stream classes, becomes progressively more negative about school, ‘acts up’, gets given out to more by teachers and is drifting or disengaged.

What appears to be happening is that students reach the level of achievement, or rather underachievement that is expected of them.

www.ncca.ie/uploadedfiles/publications/ESRI_3rdYr.pdf

Research tells us that students who risk disaffection at school respond best to a curriculum that is holistic, that actively engages them, that is responsive to their needs, interests and learning styles, that combines integrated academic, social skills, and vocational education with career development and work-based learning

*What role do you currently play in designing the timetable?

*Who is involved in planning and preparing the timetable?

*What are identified as the greatest constraints or pressures when planning the timetable?

Moving The Timetable Forward

*What are the most pressing timetable issues for you at present?

Irish 4

English 4

Mathematics 4

History 3

Geography 3

Religious Education 2

CSPE 1

SPHE 1

Physical Education 2

Science 4

French 4

Core SubjectsHome Ec. Art Music Business

Home Ec Art German Business

Sample Curriculum A

Optional Subjects: one from each line

What are the issues and values evident in this sample curriculum?

What are the implications for student learning?

Home Ec. Art MTW Technical Graphics

Business

Science Art Metalwork Business Business

Irish 5

English 5

Mathematics 5

History 3

Geography 3

Religious Education 3

CSPE 1

Physical Education 1

French or German 4

Music 4

Sample Curriculum B

Core Subjects Optional Subjects: one from each line

What are the issues and values evident in this sample curriculum?

What are the implications for student learning?

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

*T/Y Programme

*LCA + LCVP demands

*1st Year classes sorted

*Subject/Dept. Demands* Banding/Setting

*Teacher Demands

* Manual Timetabling

* Computerised Timetabling* GP-Untis

* Facility Timetabler

* Facility Scheduler

* Combination of above

*Options Done – 1st, 2nd , 5th.

*T/Y Programme

*LCA + LCVP demands

*1st Year classes sorted

*Review teacher allocation

*NCSE/SEN Application

5A1 5A2 5A3 5A4 5Y 5Z5OPT1 Geog Phy History Bio Bus Mus

5OPT2 Bus Chem Biol Con S Art His

5OPT 3 Bio S.Eng H/EC Acc Eco Geo

6A1 6A2 6A3 6A4 6X

6th Yr Eng TS BN PR FS DW

5A1 5A2 5A3 5A4 5Y

5th Yr Eng BB BN PN AM DC

*Core

*Modules

*Items that need to be fixed

*Options?

Transition Year can be complex and some items may need to be placed and fixed on certain days

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.

*Allocating extra teachers to bands ie. Maths, Irish and English

*Science –max 24 in class –what are implications for you ?

*Home Economics: Max of 20 students

*Options

*Job sharing

*Study leave/Secondment/partial secondment

*Other requests

*Subject Requests

*Teacher Requests

...The managerial authorities are urged to consider favourably applications for the scheme.

....In developing a policy the welfare and educational needs of the pupils will take precedence over all other considerations. The managerial authorities should consider other factors such as the number of approvals in any school year and the arrangements available for the teaching of classes.

*Spending time doing this slowly and accurately will save time later trying to solve problems that could have been avoided.

*Senior Leadership Team (Principal and Deputy Principal) are central to the timetabling process.

If using Scheduler...........

1.Need to do end of year Procedure

2.Need to make sure many of the admin decisions are made i.e. no. of classes, teachers etc.

3.Create dummy classes

4.Make a number of new teachers. i.e. NT1, NT2 etc

5.Key changes cannot be made once TT exported and you are working on it.

*28 hours class contact

*Special needs hours: Resource hours must be allocated to student

*Learning support can be used within timetable but should benefit appropriate students

*Total teacher allocation – keep a constant eye on this

*Shared teachers or job-sharing staff

* All planning and inputting done

* Check feasibility– 100%

* Ensure specialist rooms allocated. Follow CCM/Serco instructions

* Run time table without restrictions

* Need to keep an eye on spread of classes throughout timetable.

* Doubles

* Spread of core throughout week

* Spread of options

*When satisfied you have a timetable –

*Save

*Re run with restrictions

*Make adjustments if you have to

or

Revert to first TT if deemed better

*Specialist Rooms should be done with scheduling

*Allocating remaining rooms can be a tedious process but care taken here can save a lot of time at beginning of year.

*Getting the Pre-Planning correct is vital

*Running timetable will take a few days of intense work.

*You may need to run a few versions to get best outcome

*If using scheduler you need to import it back into admin system. This can be done a number of times but be careful naming your version you want to keep!!

*Leave plenty of time at end to allocate rooms and make printouts – Not night before school opens!!

*Always label Timetable “Draft” for first few weeks

*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?

*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?

February 2012

* School Matters:The Report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in

* Second Level Schools 2006 Department of Education and Science

* Do Schools Differ? Academic and Personal Development among Pupils in the Second-Level Sector

Smyth, Emer 1999

*Moving Up. The Experiences of First-Year Students in Post-Primary Education 2004

Smyth, Emer / McCoy, Selina / Darmody, Merike Liffey Press in association with the ESRI

* Pathways through the Junior Cycle: the Experience of Second Year Students 2006

Smyth, Emer / Dunne, Allison / McCoy, Selina / Darmody Merike  The Liffey Press in association with the ESRI