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The Timetabler’s CookBook

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Testimonials

I can now create a better timetable in less time.

Philip Moon
High School of Glasgow, Scotland
Brilliant, easy to use, wonderfully supported by a highly knowledgeable team.

Keith Irvine
Bishops’ Stortford College
Herts
TimeTabler and Options have been fantastic tools.

John Ridley
Tanglin Trust,
Singapore
With TimeTabler, 3 days’ work can be carried out in minutes.

Ian Crabbe
Marlborough College,
Wilts
I have been really impressed with the support that I have received.

Anne Holden
Portland Central,
Australia
I found TimeTabler much easier to use …

Beth Ledger
Amman Valley School,
Wales
TimeTabler has continued to be great value for money.

Danny Kotel
Henry Lawson High School,
Australia
We thoroughly recommend all three products … they save us a great deal of time.

Ted Fenton, David Williams
Cokethorpe School,
Oxon
I can recommend TimeTabler and Options to anyone.

John Mackenzie
Dunalastair School,
Chile
I thoroughly recommend TimeTabler to any school.

Charles Brenan
Newland House School,
Middlesex

Home / The Timetabler’s CookBook

Timetabling – A Timetabler’s CookBook

The ‘Timetabling Bible’ … thousands of copies sold worldwide …

  • Have you got the responsibility for scheduling the timetable in your school or college ?
  • Do you want to learn more about timetabling (scheduling) principles — perhaps as preparation for a career move ?
  • Are you looking for a book to help you to understand the problems involved in scheduling a school timetable ?

If you use a computer program (TimeTabler, SIMS Nova T6, Facility-Scheduler, etc), or if you schedule manually, it is important to understand the underlying timetabling principles.

'Timetabling: A Timetabler's CookBook' by Keith Johnson
This book explains those principles.
It will help you to timetable more effectively and efficiently.

Keith Johnson wrote the original ‘bible’ on timetabling
Now he has revised and expanded it, with Mervyn Wakefield & Chris Johnson.
This new expanded book has 232 pages in full colour, with extra downloadable resources.
It covers the entire timetabling process, as detailed below.

 


Click to view some Sample Chapters, below:

The Contents of the Timetabler’s CookBook

Click Here for a 4-page PDF of the Full Contents list.

Chapter 1.    Timetabling 

A flow chart of timetabling
A timetable of timetabling

Chapter 2.    Planning the Curriculum 

Curriculum notation
Diagrams of 22 Curriculum structures
Vertical curriculum design; diplomas, consortia
Managing change : the effect of innovations 
Managing change : practical ways forward

Managing change : changing the timetable cycle

Click here to see some pages from this chapter.

Chapter 3.    Option Schemes 

Types of option blocks; advantages
Methods of determining the option blocks
‘Sixth Form’ options : Years 12 and 13

Chapter 4.    Schematic Diagrams 

Checking for impossibilities in your structure
Five worked examples
Click here to see some pages from this chapter.

Chapter 5.    Staff Deployment Analysis Cartoon: 'Will the timetable be ready by Monday?'  TimeTabler's CookBook

Contact ratio; curriculum bonuses
The Staffing Equation; Worked examples

 

Chapter 6.    Collecting the data 

The Curriculum Audit Form
The Staff Loading Chart
Using the spreadsheets that are included

Chapter 7.    Timetable test 1 – The Combing Chart

The Principle of Compatibility
Drawing a Combing Chart; Worked examples
Click here to see some pages from this chapter.

Chapter 8.    Timetable test 2 – The Conflict Matrix 

Find impossibilities in your teacher-teams
Principles and worked examples

Chapter 9.    Timetable test 3 – Accommodation 

The rooming fraction
Priorities; Worked examples

Chapter 10.    Other timetable checks 

Zarraga’s Rule
Deciding priorities; part-time staff; split-site schools
Solving problems; Negotiating
How to look for more flexibility
Click here to see some pages from this chapter.

Chapter 11.    Scheduling

Cartoon: 'Lessons I couldn't fit.'  TimeTabler's CookBookFive timetable models
Ten rules for scheduling
Nine tactics and moves
When something won’t fit, what do I do?
Allowing for different period-breakdowns
Improving the quality
Order of scheduling; Worked examples
Rooming, Dealing with specialist rooms
Checking the timetable
Printing and Publishing your timetable
What printouts are needed? For whom?
How do you know if it is getting close to impossible?
Alternative timetable structures

Chapter 12.    Scheduling ‘Sixth Forms’ 

Curriculum Diagrams for Years 12, 13
The idea of ‘spread’; Looking for more flexibility
Small and large Sixth Forms
When something won’t fit, what do I do?
Click here to see some pages from this chapter.

Chapter 13.    Block timetabling 

‘Consistent blocking’
Block scheduling in Scotland

Chapter 14.    Scheduling in Primary Schools 

Balance, and the Timing of subjects,
The structure of the timetable

Chapter 15.    Timetabling by Computer 

What to look for in a timetabling program
The 4 steps in timetabling software
What can timetabler software do for you?
Exporting the completed timetable to your MIS

Chapter 16.    Doing the daily Cover for absent staff 

Using Cover software

Appendices 

A timetable of timetabling
A flowchart for curriculum planning and timetabling
Who should do the timetable?
21 curriculum formulae
Glossary of timetabling terms
How to download the extra free resources

Index


‘Timetabling – A Timetabler’s CookBook’ 'Timetabling: A Timetabler's CookBook' by Keith Johnson
232 pages, in full colour, with over 200 illustrations, and extra resources,
is available only from:
October ReSolutions Ltd 
Carrington Business Park
Carrington, Manchester
M31 4DD
UK
Fax : 0161 776 4391
 
at a cost of £29.95, including post & packing for delivery within the UK
(for delivery to an overseas address: 39.95 GBP).

To Order the book, there are 3 choices:

      1. Pay by credit card by clicking here, or,
      2. Pay by cheque using this form, or,
      3. Be invoiced by quoting a school purchase order number on this form.

Publishing history:
‘Timetabling’ was initially published by Hutchinson Ltd, as ISBN 0-09-141630-2.
It was then published by Stanley Thornes Ltd and Nelson Thornes Ltd, as ISBN 0-7487-1077-9.
This revised & expanded full-colour edition, now with over 200 illustrations, published by October ReSolutions Ltd, as ISBN 978-0-9561161-0-9

Click here to Tell a Friend or Colleague about this page.


 « Just click on items in the menu to see more details.

If you have any queries, please e-mail them to: ask@timetabler.com
We will answer any questions you may have about using the software with your particular curriculum.

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Basic Data

BasicData-thumbnail

This shows the Main Menu, and Step 1 : the Basic Data screen, with five big buttons.

Each button leads you to an entry screen.

To enter your data you would start at the left, and work your way across to the right.

Look how straightforward it is, compared to other programs !

And the fully-illustrated printed Manual explains each step, in detail.

 

Subjects Screen

subjects screen

This is the screen for saying which Subjects you will want to timetable.

You can return here at any time to edit / alter your data.

You can give each Subject a colour – this helps during scheduling, and for the printouts.

Visual Builder Screen

visual builder screen

This is the main screen on which you do the actual scheduling.
You can sit at this Visual Builder Screen and drag-and-drop to ‘drive’ through the timetable.
 
At first sight it looks very complicated.  To see what each part will do for you, please click on: www.timetabler.com/kb/UsingtheVisualBuilderScreen.pdf

Class Timetable Screen

 

visual builder screen

 

This shows you the Class Timetables, so you can see the pattern while you are scheduling lessons.
  
There are similar screens for the Staff Timetables and for the Room Timetables.
 
If you use dual monitors you can see these more easily and spread them out over the bigger area.

All the buttons, and the symbols, are explained when you click on the button.

The Printout Menu

This shows you some of the possibilities for the Printouts.
 
Within each of these, there are millions of ways of fine-tuning the exact design of the Printouts.

They can be printed on paper, or produced as web-pages, at the click of a button.

A professional result.
 

The 'master' Class Printout Screen

Class timetable printout screen

This shows you the Preview Screen , so you can design the ‘master’ Class printout, before printing it.
 
There are similar screens for the Staff Timetables and for the Room Timetables.
 
You have total control over the design, the font and the colour, the column widths, the labels, etc, etc.
 
All the buttons and the controls, are explained when you click on the button.