What to Have Ready for a School Timetable Setup

Nothing here needs to be perfect. You can change any of it later and build the timetable again.

Bell times and breaksWhen each session starts, when the day ends, and when the breaks fall.
Days that run differently · optionalShort Fridays, year levels on their own bells, or a Week A and Week B.
Class listClass names and year levels, such as 1A or 3/4B, and any class not at school every day.
Student numbersRoughly how many students. A close guess is fine. South Australian schools also need their Index of Educational Disadvantage category.

Staff listEveryone who teaches: classroom teachers, specialists and leaders, and each teacher's class.
Part-time daysThe days each part-timer works, not their fraction. Note any half days.
Job sharesWhich teachers share a class, and the days each one has it.
Leaders who also teachThe days each leader is in a class, and the days they are not.
Specialist subjectsArt, PE, Music, languages: who teaches each one and which classes they take.
Specialist lessonsHow long each lesson runs, and how many each class has a week or a fortnight.
Shared rooms · optionalRooms two subjects share, such as a hall used for PE and Music.

Whole-school eventsAssembly, sport, buddies: anything in the same session each week, and which classes go.
Regular meetingsStaff meetings, PLCs, team planning: who goes, how long, and whether the time is fixed.
Planning and release timeHours a week each teacher has out of class, and anyone who gets more, such as a beginning teacher.
What matters most · optionalRules you want kept, such as no specialists on junior mornings or no PE in the afternoon heat.
Agreements with staff · optionalAnything agreed with one person, such as a day they cannot teach, and what they get in return.

What to have ready before you start