Unit 2IntroductionTimetabling is the method by which the curriculum is brought to the pupils. The head of a school has a number of resources at his or her command ‑ teachers, teaching areas, finance and time. A timetable is the means by which these resources are organized to provide the greatest possible educational opportunities and alternatives for pupils in the most cost‑effective manner. In Guyana, the emphasis on cost‑effectiveness cannot be overstated. The more efficiently resources are utilized, the better the education for the greater number of children. Decisions expressed by the timetable affect the entire school population and reflect the educational programme and philosophy of the school.
In Guyana there is a National Curriculum at all levels and teachers are expected to follow it. In primary schools, the curriculum is delivered to the children through a timetable produced by the Ministry of Education. This is translated by the Headteacher and his / her staff into an Operational Timetable which reflects the local and school situation and is adjusted according to the staff and resources available. If, in a primary school, there is no teacher available to teach Spanish or Physical Education, local changes will have to be made until this can be resolved. In Nursery schools, a National timetable is provided and there is some flexibility as to how this is interpreted as long as the main principles are followed.
In secondary schools, for the most part, there is more flexibility as the curriculum is organized into a wider range of subjects, some of which are part of the core curriculum and others are optional. Whereas in primary and nursery schools children tend to be taught by one teacher, secondary school children are taught in classes with different teachers for different subjects. All schools have, to a certain extent, the opportunity to organize classes according to ability through streaming and setting or banding for different subjects. This complex situation means that the secondary timetable cannot be a national one. Much of this unit will look at the way this timetable might be developed. In many countries, timetables are no longer produced by hand but by complex computer programs which will provide individual timetables for teachers and children as well as the main timetable for the staffroom, room availability timetables and a considerable amount of data which enables the Headteacher to understand fully what is happening in his / her school through a detailed curriculum analysis. There is no doubt that schools in Guyana will follow this trend in good time.
Individual study time: 4 hours
Learning outcomesBy the end of this unit you should be able to:
¨ have a basic understanding of timetable construction
¨ appreciate the timetable as a device enabling quality education
¨ realize the amount of time and complexity of thought that goes into the production of a good timetable
¨ recognize the limits and constraints of a timetable
¨ comply with the period allocations prescribed by the Ministry of Education
¨ be aware of the need to:
o make full use of all teaching and specialist areas in the school;
o ensure the workloads of all teachers comply with Ministry requirements;
o allow for immediate changes to meet emergency situations;
o give pupils a choice of optional subjects to fit their career prospects.
Principles and constraints of timetable designLet us first of all identify some of the principles upon which you should base your timetable design and which the Ministry of Education will have taken into account in producing the national timetable for younger children.
1. In essence a timetable should be pupil‑centered to maximize learning opportunities: arranged with a variety of activities, with subjects spaced to sustain the children's interests and motivation, and taking into account age, concentration span, ability range, single grouping, class sizes and pupil career ambitions.
2. The best and most efficient deployment of teachers can be achieved if:
¨ the teaching establishment of the school has been correctly determined
¨ all the subjects are fully covered
¨ there is a staffing equilibrium in terms of experience, gender and age
¨ the frequency of transfer of teachers is minimized
¨ teaching loads are balanced across the timetable.
3. The pupil capacity of a school is controlled by its buildings; as far as possible all teaching areas should be fully utilized. An important decision has to be made whether teachers move from teaching area to teaching area, whether pupils move, or whether both move.
4. Emergencies will lead to timetable adjustment. A good timetable should be flexible, allowing adjustments to be made with the minimum disruption to school life. This applies to all levels of schools.
5. Allowance has to be made within the timetable organisation, including non‑teaching time for:
¨ pupil registration, assemblies, time between periods to change books and materials, pupil guidance and welfare
¨ staff development including departmental meetings, staff meetings and in‑service workshops.
6. Staff should be deployed vertically and horizontally across the timetable; this means that teachers should teach at different levels and not just be allocated completing or beginning classes.
7. Teachers should be timetabled to teach the subjects in which they are trained.
8. There should be a balance in the timetable in the sense that not too many double periods or practical subjects should follow one after the other.
Constraints
The following are some of the factors which will limit your freedom in your design of the school timetable in secondary schools and the operational timetable in nursery and primary schools.
Time: 'Restricted time' is time determined by ministry policies over which the head has no control - for example when the following are determined - the number of periods per day, the number of periods per subject, the length of a period, and the time of school broadcasts.
'Disposable time' is controlled by the school and reflected in the timetable, such as when a subject is taught, when registration occurs, the length of formal study time, the allocation of non‑teaching time, and the use of double, single or triple periods.
Teacher availability: This can seriously affect a timetable, determining class sizes, subject choice and the quality of education offered.
School buildings: The design, type and number of these directly affects the timetable in the number and variety of subjects offered, the number of classes, the size of classes, the size of the school, the quality of study opportunity, library access and usage, and teacher/pupil ratios.
Traditional attitudes: These can militate against the innovative use of resources which would add to the school's efficiency, such as how the school hall is used, and the time of registration and assembly
Lack of public utilities: This can restrict the timetable, for example, no electricity can mean no evening work; a lack of water can affect Art, Science, Agriculture and Home Economics.
The timing of the school day: This is related to the size of the school's catchment area. The greater the travelling distance for pupils the shorter the school day.
Adhering to the timetable: If teachers do not adhere to the timetable this will reduce its effectiveness as the framework for planning the time available for learning.
In this unit we consider the operational timetable for formal lessons in nursery and primary schools and the main timetable for secondary schools. As the degree of timetabling complexity differs for the various levels of primary and secondary education, it is better to consider each level separately.
Before studying the following steps in the use of a nursery timetable, consider for a moment your experience in this area and what you feel you need to learn about it.
Timetable preparation in nursery schools
There is a national timetable in nursery schools which teachers are expected to follow. It allocates time and establishes a sequence for activities in the classroom. It is important that the daily schedule suits the development and individual needs of the children which ensures that classroom life proceeds smoothly and is enjoyable and productive for everyone. The schedule for nursery schools includes the following different types of activity:-
¨ Active and quiet times
¨ Large group activities
¨ Small group activities
¨ Time to play individually or in groups
¨ Teacher directed activities
¨ Time for children to select their own activities
The daily schedule establishes the consistency that helps young children to predict the sequence of events and thus feel more secure in the classroom. A schedule also helps children to develop a time concept. This does not mean, however, that a special occurrence can not be a good reason for altering the daily routine. Likewise, when children are engrossed in an activity, it is perfectly acceptable to extend the time. Thus, it is perfectly all right to be flexible about the time when children are working well and purposefully engaged.
The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring that the timetable is carried out, to monitor its use and to ensure that it runs smoothly. This will be done by being around the school, observing lessons and giving feedback to teachers on their performance.
The following subjects are included in the timetable and are delivered in a variety of ways:-
Language Experience (e.g. Daily News, observation and recall), Phonemic Awareness, Story telling, Reading, Mathematics (e.g. numbers, rhyme and song), Science, Social Studies, Health and Family Life, Skill Development (e.g. colouring, modeling), Singing, Music, Movement, Drama.
Activity 2.1If you are a Nursery School Teacher, please obtain a copy of the “Teacher’s Manual for the Timetable – Nursery Years 1 & 2”” which is available in all schools from the Headteacher.
Timetable preparation in primary schoolsUnder normal circumstances there is one classroom or teaching area, and one teacher for each class.
The timetable is directed by the Ministry of Education and it must be followed. However, there are practical and local issues which will affect its operation. This is why an operational timetable needs to be drawn up. Often, in lower classes teachers draw up the timetable themselves, adopting a flexible approach to the day’s activities, whereas in the remaining classes teachers follow a formal timetable. However, when there is only one teacher for a specialist subject, timetabling will have to take account of this.
Before studying the following steps in the production of a primary timetable, consider for a moment your experience in this area and what you feel you need to learn about it.
If you have not yet had the opportunity to prepare a timetable to meet the needs of your school, try to go through the following steps as far as it is practicable.
Step 1: Collect and have available all relevant Ministry directives on time and subject allocations. It is important to ensure that the timetable meets all the requirements of these directives.
Step 2: List all the teaching areas in your school. For example:-
¨ classrooms
¨ science room
¨ library
¨ hall
¨ playing fields
¨ garden
¨ other spaces
Calculate how many classes may be accommodated in your school at one time. You should note that a class working for a period of time in the school library or on the playing field may be regarded as accommodated for that period. However, the extent to which it is necessary to plan with such attention to the full use of every space will depend upon the pressure of numbers of pupils.
Step 3: Note how many class teachers are on your establishment. Allocate teachers and classes to classrooms or teaching spaces.
Step 4: Special education teachers, if available, will have to be timetabled separately to serve the needs of pupils with special needs whilst they are part of a class. Individual class timetables will have to be consulted and possibly adjusted to remove clashes.
Step 5: Note any situations where you have only one teacher who can deliver a subject e.g. Spanish. Make arrangements for that teacher to give lessons to all who should be taught Spanish and for the teacher who is replaced to take the Spanish teacher’s class for another subject on a regular basis. This should be a regular timetabled slot which takes place each week.
Step 6: If you wish to set classes i.e. divide them up according to ability for a particular subject e.g. English and Maths; ensure that all classes which are to be set are timetabled for those subjects at the same time. Children in each set will move to the different classroom for that period of time and return to their normal teacher at the end of the period.
Step 7: In the event that you have additional staff (although a rare occurrence but it does happen from time to time) ensure that they are fully timetabled either as Special Educational Needs Support Teachers or to take classes for absent colleagues. They may be used also to reduce class sizes or team-teach as appropriate.
Responsibilities of the headThe teachers in the primary school need to have an input into the Operational Timetable. The head then takes into account their needs and then prepares the Operational Timetable for the school. The overall responsibilities of the head are to ensure that:
¨ government directives and policies, and especially the national timetable, are complied with;
¨ each teacher makes the fullest use of school resources;
¨ clashes between individual teacher's timetabling demands are resolved amicably and fairly;
¨ special education teachers are used appropriately;
¨ All teachers are used to the fullest extent.
The Headteacher is responsible for ensuring that the timetable is carried out, to monitor its use and to ensure that it runs smoothly. This will be done by being around the school, observing lessons and giving feedback to teachers on their performance.
Double session primary schoolsDouble session arrangements occur where the number of pupils in a school catchment area exceeds its pupil capacity. It can also happen on a temporary basis when there is refurbishment or rebuilding is taking place. It is therefore necessary to maximize the use of the physical plant and facilities by operating the school in two sessions. As many primary schools in the Guyanese interior do not have electricity, the time when the school can operate is determined by the daylight hours. The first session may begin as early as 08.00 and continues till 12.00; the second session may be from 12.30 to 16.30. In some primary schools the two sessions overlap.
Two sessions do not mean two schools; one head is in charge of the school for both sessions. Opportunities for extra‑curricular activities are reduced, but can exist for each session provided there is a timetabling plan to make use of the recreational and game facilities, the school garden and library. Without such timetables (one for each session) classroom instruction and learning will remain the sole means of education and many of the wider values of schooling will be lost.
Preparation for writing the timetable in secondary schools
A secondary school timetable consists of three major components which in themselves can be the bases of separate timetables, namely: teachers, classes or teaching groups, and rooms. It is essential that thorough preparation takes place before the timetable proper is constructed. The steps below will take you through this phase.
It is not for this programme to give detailed instructions about the formulation of a timetable as this is better learnt through working with others and in a separate workshop. However, it is important that all Headteachers understand the principles involved and the implications for providing a quality education.
As you did for the nursery and primary, reflect for a moment on your experience in this area and what you feel you need to learn about it.
If you are a secondary teacher and you have not yet had the opportunity to prepare a timetable to meet the needs of your school, try to go through the following steps as far as it is practicable.
How you approach this will, of course, depend on the size and type of your school and the age range and ability levels of your pupils. In Guyana, secondary students are taught in:-
¨ Senior Secondary Schools (SSS) which will cater for the full age range including 6th form and will take children of mainly higher ability. Only 5% of students attend these 9 schools.
¨ General Secondary Schools (GSS) which will have a programme from forms 1 – 3 and some children staying to take CSEC (CXC) Exams in forms 4 & 5. Some schools refer to these forms as “Years” or “Levels” 7 – 11. The ability range of the school depends each year on the performance of the pupils in the Grade 6 Assessments and therefore is more focused on a particular ability range rather than the full range.
¨ Community High Schools (CHS) will generally have a programme for Forms 1 - 5 and cater for children who have been unsuccessful in the Grade 6 Assessments.
¨ Primary Tops (PTT) Although these are being phased out, at the time of writing these still catered for 15% of secondary pupils outside of Georgetown. They are an extension to the primary school and the timetable will often be similar in style to that of the primary school. (See above)
Schools with 6th forms leading to A Level or CAPE and with forms 4 & 5 students who will write the CSEC examinations will have timetables which will be extended beyond the core curriculum to allow children to take optional subjects. This must be taken into consideration when following the steps below:-
Step 1: Collect and have available all relevant Ministry directives on time and subject allocations. It is important to ensure that the timetable meets all the requirements of these directives.
Step 2: List the number of teaching areas in the school.
¨ classrooms
¨ laboratories
¨ workshops
¨ outdoor teaching areas
¨ gymnasium
¨ library (if classes are held there)
¨ school garden
¨ school hall
¨ any other space
Step 3: Note any limiting factors: the teaching space can only accommodate half a class, cannot be used for academic work or examinations, or can only be used for certain types of lesson.
Step 4: List the number of teaching subjects and identify each as either 'core' or 'optional'.
A core subject is one which all pupils must study; an optional subject is one which a pupil can opt to study. Forms 1 - 3 generally follow a core curriculum with older children following a core e.g. English, Maths, Science, Social Studies, IT which takes up 60% of curriculum time. Other optional subjects will occupy 40% of the total curriculum.
Step 5: Ensure that the time allotments prescribed by the Ministry of Education are adhered to. Perhaps the most common pattern is 40 minute teaching periods, an eight period day, and a five day week with each covering 40 periods a week.
Step 6: List your teachers by name and subject according to their responsibilities, starting with the Senior Leadership Team, other Senior Teachers, Heads of Department and so on. Ensure that you are fully aware of the subjects your teachers are qualified to teach and are able and willing to teach. There is a big difference and the latter should only be used when you have no other options.
Name of Teacher Mr Samaroo
Subject 1 Spanish
Subject 2 English (a)
Subject 3 English (b)
Step 7: Decide on the teaching load of each of your teachers according to their level of seniority and time required to fulfill other duties. This should be an agreed formula and be fair and transparent to all. This may very well form part of a Ministry of Education or Teacher Service Commission directive for some schools. You will express this both as a percentage teaching load and numbers of periods out of the maximum.
e.g. 35 periods = 87.5%
Name of Teacher Mr Scott Sharland
Designation HOD Soc St
Number of Teaching Periods 30
Percentage Teaching Load 75%
Step 8: Meet senior staff and Heads of Department to find their timetabling needs with regard to:
¨ preferred teaching time during the day
¨ subject weekly timetable distribution
¨ single, double, or triple periods
¨ study time requirements
¨ departmental meeting time requirements so that all within a department might be timetabled to have non contact time together. This is not always possible.
Step 9: Collect data on pupil preference in optional subjects. Note that this is a simplified chart for demonstration purposes. Most schools would have considerably more options.
NB You will need to view the PDF version to see this diagram - see sidebar on the right(Note: D & T = Design and Technology; HE = Home Economics; RE = Religious Education)
If Geography is the most popular subject and Commerce the least popular, are there enough teachers of Geography? If not, some pupils opting for Geography will have to be encouraged to choose Commerce instead. Are there sufficient pupils to make up a class of D & T? (Remember in some practical subjects, such as D & T and Food Studies, usually only half the normal sized class can be accommodated at one time.)
Either:
Step 10: This stage is complex and requires great skill and practice. The options you have decided upon and children have chosen will need to be divided into blocks for timetable purposes. That is, 4 or 5 of the options will all have to be taught at the same time. The composition of the blocks will depend on the pupil choices. It may be necessary to place some more popular subjects into more than one option block so that you can meet the needs of all your pupils.
A simplified version of this can be found below for illustration purposes. Most schools will be much more complex than this.
Option Three
3 Periods per week
Hist
Comm
Chem
IT
Tech Dr
D & T
Tex
Option Two
3 Periods per week
Eng (b)
Mu
Span
Biol
Dr
Da
PE
Option One
3 Periods per week
Eng (b)
Eng (b)
Geog
PE
AgSc
Hist
Phys
You will have decided on these blocks based on the choices of the children to be able to give the maximum number the exact options they require. However, unless the school is very large, it is unlikely that you will please all because you will be restricted by some practical issues:
¨ The number of teachers you have to teach the subject.
¨ The optimum class size. It cannot be too large and too small is uneconomical and you will not be able to afford the staff.
¨ The number of specialist rooms you have available at any one time.
¨ The resources available to you in each subject area.
Activity 2.2
In the above option blocks, identify the following:
¨ The most popular subjects the children have chosen
¨ Combinations of subjects that children will be unable to choose
Comments
The most popular subjects will be those that have been placed in two option blocks or for which there are two groups in the same block (e.g. English (B) and History). When there are two groups in the same block, the children can be set according to ability.
Children will not be able to choose two or more subjects from the same block because they are being taught at the same time. E.g. Drama, Dance and P.E. This can be used to restrict pupils’ choices and ensure that they have a balanced curriculum E.g. not too many physical or practical subjects.
When putting four practical subjects together such as in Option 3, it is essential to note whether you have sufficient rooms to be able to accommodate them.
Or
Step 10 (b): A simpler although more restrictive process is to create the blocks first and allow the children to choose from them. You will probably have to adjust the blocks somewhat after the choices have been made to accommodate as many children as possible.
N.B. It is unlikely that you will have 100% success using either of these methods especially in a school with only a few forms 4 and 5 pupils. Even computer programs rarely achieve this. Remember also that when timetabling you will have to place the options of form 4 and form 5 at different times as you will not have enough rooms or teachers,
In schools with 6th forms, options are the greater part of the curriculum for 16 – 19 year olds. Class sizes will be smaller and the provision of specialist rooms is even more critical. We will not deal with this here as it is better that on-the-job training is done by an experienced timetabler in the school.
Remember to involve all the teachers in timetable compilation whenever possible.
Step 11: Decide which subjects each teacher will teach to which classes for how many periods to fill their timetable loading.
NB You will need to view the PDF version to see this diagram - see sidebar on the right
Step 12: Using the above information, adjust your optional subject programme to ease the teacher shortage if this is possible. If not, there are alternative methods which could be used to ensure as many options are available as possible. For example, you could reduce the number of weekly teaching periods.
Step 13: Identify the amount of non‑teaching time which should be timetabled to allow for registration, for student welfare and guidance, for assemblies and for meals.
You are now ready to construct the timetable itself and will be asked to follow the steps below. Firstly, however, you will need to decide by which method you are going to display it.
Timetable Display
There are several ways of presenting a timetable, for example, a large sheet of paper using colour coding, blackboard, whiteboard, magnetic board, peg board, pin board, computer printouts. Choose the most convenient way for your situation. Study the sample shown below.
NB You will need to view the PDF version to see this diagram - see sidebar on the right
Sample timetable presentation
Teacher1. Class timetable
A margin along the left hand side is left for the name of each class. On each line, each column has space for three entries, namely, 'subject', 'room' and 'teacher'. All this information is essential.
The teacher timetables and room timetables should be compiled simultaneously. Examples for Monday only can be found below:-
Subject2. Teacher Timetable
Subject3. Room Timetable
Note that the sample given above is limited in that it can only be used for a weekly, five day timetable. No allowance is made for six, seven or two-weekly timetables preferred by some heads. Comments on this type of timetable are made later in this unit.
Note that the sample given above is limited in that it can only be used for a weekly, five day timetable. No allowance is made for six, seven or two-weekly timetables preferred by some heads. Comments on this type of timetable are made later in this unit.
Constructing the Timetable
Step 1: Determine the order in which information is going to be entered on the timetable. Priorities will be decided by demand. If there is great demand on specialist teaching facilities, then the subjects, teachers and classes using these rooms should be entered first.
Case study
A school has three science rooms and 27 classes, with each class having six periods of science in the form of three double periods a week.
The school operates a 40 period per week timetable.
With three rooms this means 120 periods a week can be taught in the science rooms each week.
But there are 27 classes, each of which has six periods of science a week. So the total demand on the science rooms is:
27 classes x 6 periods a week = 162 science periods a week.
Activity 2.3
If the science rooms are fully utilized how many science periods will have to be taught in non‑science rooms?
If a double period was added to the timetable every afternoon would this solve the problem?
Which classes should receive priority for accommodation in the science rooms?
Comments
The number of science periods taught in non science rooms would be equal to the number of periods required (162) less the availability of rooms (120).
A double period at the end of every day would provide 10 extra periods. It would help but not solve the problem but would create other problems in terms of pupil departure times and the availability of teachers.
Priority would always be given to examination classes and those for which practical facilities are essential – usually the older children.
You should now see the reason for timetabling subjects with specialist rooms and a large number of periods, such as science, before any other subject.
If the school is just opening, or for some reason its facilities are under‑utilized, then it might be best to timetable first a teacher teaching two subjects, or a subject which has the greatest number of teaching periods.
Step 2: Choose the most difficult subject to timetable (see above) and work across the timetable entering three pieces of information at the same time: 'subject', 'teacher' and 'room'. Do not try to complete one day and then move onto the next ‑ such an approach will lead to chaos! At this stage it is essential that you have chosen the right media for display i.e. one where corrections and alterations can be made easily.
Step 3: After entering a subject across the timetable, check teacher and room timetables to ensure that all the information matches.
Step 4: In making entries think both laterally and vertically so that the final entries will cause fewer problems.
A typical Years 7 - 9 programme, on a 40 period cycle, may be built up of English (6), Mathematics (6), Science (4) Social Studies (4), Reading (2), Spanish (2) Visual Arts (2), Expressive Arts (2), Agricultural Science (4), Home Economics (4), Industrial Technology (4)
The element of subject rotation arises in Technical /Art/ Home Economics where rotation between these subjects may take place to enable pupils to experience each subject and decide (with guidance) which subject to study in depth in later years. Rotation may take place throughout the course or for a limited period of time in the first few weeks in these particular subject areas.
At the end of Year 9 (Form 3) pupils, with guidance, opt for the CSEC subjects they will study. Pupil choice, within the other parameters we have identified, will help to determine the character of the timetable.
Before carrying out the final steps, you will need to consider the time frame and devices for pupil grouping.
The time frame
1. LENGTH OF PERIODS
The 40 minute period fits well with research that the attention span of the average secondary pupil begins to decline after 30/40 minutes. Double periods of 80 minutes reduce the amount of work for timetablers but their desirability must be carefully considered, taking into account the amount of project and practical work in a subject. Multiple periods suit practical subjects but create problems when dealing with option blocks.
2. LENGTH OF DAY/NUMBER OF PERIODS PER DAY
Usually the morning hours are timetabled for the teaching and learning of more academic subjects whilst the afternoons are often devoted to more practical subjects and sporting activities. This, of course, cannot be the case for every day of the week. However, a timetable based on nine 35 minute periods gives greater flexibility for the timetabler. In Guyana, timings are often standardized where possible.
3. LENGTH CYCLE
Instead of the conventional five day week, it is possible to have six, seven or even 10 day weeks (fortnightly timetable), an arrangement which gives more flexibility in subject/period allocations, and also means that teachers/pupils are not tied to a particular subject for Fridays and Mondays throughout the term or year. This is rare in Guyana although it provides flexibility.
Timetabling devices for alternative pupil grouping
1. BLOCKING
This occurs where certain classes are timetabled together throughout the timetable for key subjects such as Mathematics or English. The number of groups created depends on the number of subject teachers available. Given this arrangement it is possible to
¨ form ability groups or mixed ability groups of different sizes
¨ change teachers according to the topic being taught
¨ cover for absent teachers with the minimum disruption
¨ form smaller or larger groups according to teacher availability
This device can only be used in larger schools where there are sufficient classes in the same year and sufficient subject teachers.
For an example, see below (E = English; M = Mathematics).
Example of blocking
NB You will need to view the PDF version to see this diagram - see sidebar on the right
Mathematics and English have been blocked on the timetable for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
1. SETTING
This device is used to provide alternatives for pupils within the slot on the timetable. It is essential where classes have to be half the normal size, for example, Design and Technology, Art, Home Economics. A number of classes within the same year can be timetabled together throughout the timetable and offered a number of options. A pupil chooses one from the selection of optional subjects on offer. There is no reason why the same option group cannot be offered twice on the timetable affording the pupils a second alternative. Option columns may contain more classes than the nominal number of classes having access to them, permitting the creation of small classes in certain practical subjects without overloading other subject classes. Adjustments can be made from year to year in the contents of these option columns. Thus if the demand for Geography falls and that for History rises, Geography can be replaced in part by History provided the school has teacher capability.
Example of setting
NB You will need to view the PDF version to see this diagram - see sidebar on the right
In the example given, Geography (G) is set against Social Studies (SS) and History (H).
Both blocking and setting are infinitely better than streaming where whole classes are decided on the ability levels of pupils.
Step 5: List the option groups you intend to form, indicating subjects and size of classes in each subject. Enter these groups as blocks into the timetable.
NB You will need to view the PDF version to see this diagram - see sidebar on the right
In this example, 4A, 4B, 4C and 4 D will study the options they have chosen from the block at the times stated for Option One Subjects, Option Two Subjects and Option Three Subjects.
Step 6: Enter the core subjects for Forms 4 & 5 (Years 10 and 11)
Step 7: Work out a first year (year 7) programme which will meet pupil needs. Translate the programme into timetable form. Repeat for the other years.
Although the method above has been simplified considerably, it should assist you in understanding the process.
It is imperative that each school head selects or devises a pupil‑centered timetabled programme which is most appropriate to the school's circumstances.
Activity 2.4
We recommend strongly that you read the following:-
“Towards School Effectiveness” – Guidelines for Secondary Teachers and School Management Dr Kenneth Hunte 2005
This should be available in most Regional Departments of Education and in many schools from the Headteacher. If you are able to obtain your own copy it would be an asset.
Summary
A school timetable should give full information in three distinct areas, namely: teaching stations, teaching staff and class distribution, and subjects taught at certain times for each teaching day.
In order to compile a meaningful timetable the school head must be aware of the necessity to consult others so as to make full preparations and collect all the relevant data. He or she must command the expertise to direct the production of a timetable which will serve the needs of all categories, intellects and aptitudes among the school's pupils. Finally, the head must know and be able to apply such timetable devices as blocking, setting the extended day and week, and double sessions, in order to meet the special circumstances which may prevail in the school.
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Module 4