Stay Flexible
Stay Flexible
Often the ideal staffing plan does not lead to an ideal timetable. Key stakeholders in the school all have their perfect scenario for their area, but this doesn’t always work with other areas. Here are some things to consider:
- Don’t lock in staffing too early: Keep staffing flexible for as long as possible. If your software allows, make use of teacher lists for groups of classes. For example, if you have 3 year 12 English classes and 3 teachers, does it really matter who has each class as long as they each have one? Be open to changing staffing on classes in the lines to resolve issues elsewhere in the timetable.
- Don’t lock in Part Time days unless absolutely necessary: Specifying part-time days off too early in the Timetabling process can cause problems later on. If your software allows, make use of non-specific days off for part-timers and allow the software to find the optimum solution. Otherwise, be open to changing part-timer days to resolve conflicts.
- Consider how specialist spaces are used: Often specialist spaces can be difficult to manage. Consider using specialist spaces only for double periods, or limit the number of periods each class has in specialist spaces. If your software allows, make use of Child classes to manage spaces for theory and practical classes.
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