Four key capabilities to look for in a Timetabling Solution

Whilst some education providers consider it a mathematical challenge that can be keyed into software to find a solution, world-class educators believe timetabling to be more of an art form that considers the ‘human element’. After all, the right timetable helps maximise your students’ chances of achieving potential across all their chosen subjects. The good news is that best-of-breed software providers have developed a way to ensure the ‘human element’ is central to the automated solution – so we no longer need manual timetabling methods.

To truly put the teacher and student at the heart of the timetable, you’ll need to implement timetable software that not only overcomes the major challenges of timetabling, but also takes the hassle out of getting the right lesson flow. Not all timetable solutions are developed equally, so here’s a checklist of the key capabilities you’ll need as standard:

1. Build both simple and complex clash-free timetables quickly and efficiently, that give the optimum spread of lessons, for students and teachers, across your timetable cycle.
2. Auto-generate timetables that optimise all your key staff and room resources.
3. Efficient management of day to day and planned resourcing challenges e.g. teacher absences, room unavailability.
4. Provides timetables and any timetable changes to staff and students, in real-time, from any device.

Another key consideration is how your timetabling software integrates with the rest of your school management system and whether it drives your attendance, assessment and reporting processes? The more integrated the solution, the easier it is to manage change.   Updating data once, in an integrated solution, as opposed to making the same change many times, releases staff to focus on what really matters: student success.

To find out more about how an integrated solution can help you get on top of your ‘day-to-day’ with timetabling and organisation and people management watch our online demonstration of SchoolEdge Timetable here