TimeTabler NewsLetter : September 2020
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Dear Timetabler,
We hope you had a relaxing holiday, and have made a good start to the new term* in these very unusual times.
For info : the Response Time on our free (UK-based) Support Centre is averaging less than 2 hours!
In this issue: 
TimeTabler:
1. Dealing with Room changes.
2. Adding or changing PPA periods.
3. Finding a departmental Meeting Time.
4. Modifying your timetable!
5. Exporting-importing to your MIS.
6. Getting the right Printouts for each colleague.
7. Exporting to Outlook's Calendar.
8. If you are new to timetabling or TimeTabler.
Key Topic : Flexible working : Part-timers & Job-Shares
StaffCover:
9. New features, including better statistics, and teacher roles & departments.
10. 'End of Year' and loading in a new timetable.
Courses & other Support this term:
11. Courses in the UK to make your life easier during the coming year.
12. Courses in other countries.
1. Dealing with Room changes
During the first few weeks of a new timetable you are likely to find that your colleagues have made 'private' Room changes.
Your first difficulty is to get them to tell you about the changes (!), so that the timetable can be kept up-to-date. This is needed so that the office staff can always find a pupil; so that Cover teachers are sent to the correct room, etc.
To make the Room Changes in TimeTabler, the quickest way is to use the Room Timetable Screen.
For more details, see:
-- Sections F21-F22 in the latest Manual,
-- HelpMovies Nos. 45 and 53 
The Library of HelpMovies is accessed via 
or 
Whether you make the same changes in your MIS, or re-import the TimeTabler file to update your MIS, will probably depend on which MIS you have ...some are much easier to update than others.
2. Adding or changing PPA periods
If you need to add (or change) 'PPA' Labels to your Staff Timetables, then do it on the Staff Timetable Screen.
For more details, see:
-- Section F12 in your Manual,
-- HelpMovies No. 50 and 55.
As well as 'PPA' you can use a variety of Labels (eg. 'Meeting', 'Support', 'SMT/SLG', 'Prep', etc.). See HelpMovie 55.
3. Finding a Meeting Time
Whilst it is usually dangerous to offer in advance to schedule a Meeting, once the timetable is complete you can look for possible Meeting Times. Use the Find a Meeting button, which is on the Teachers sub-screen, reached via a button at the bottom of the Staff Timetable Screen.
For more details, see:
-- Section F12 in your Manual,
-- HelpMovie No. 43 (part 9)
4. Modifying your timetable
If any colleague is ferociously unhappy with the pattern of their lessons or 'free' (PPA) periods, then you can try to Move some lessons to give a better pattern by using the Move button on either the Staff Timetable Screen or the Class Timetable Screen.
See also FlowChart K9 in your Manual. 
5. Exporting - Importing to your MIS (if you haven't already done this)
Make sure that you first:
a) Go to the 
section to download and read the 3 documents that refer to your particular MIS, and
b) See HelpMovies 60 - 66, and
c) Ensure that you use >Check for Updates [at Step 1] to get the very latest version of TimeTabler (it's currently v6.010).
The full list of MIS that now link to TimeTabler is shown at:
https://www.timetabler.com/admin(MIS)systems
| Alternatively, as well as the usual free help from the Support Centre, MIST Services offer the following assistance: | ||
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Export to your MIS : help on request Not exported your timetable to your MIS yet? ...but need to do it soon? MIST Services offer a service where the TimeTabler data is checked and reconciled, and ensures all the validations ‘pass’, allowing your timetable to be imported into your MIS. This extra service is £75+vat; for details please email mist@mistservices.co.uk |
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6. Getting the right Printouts for each member of staff
This includes Technicians, Heads of Year, Heads of Subject, the Head of Learning Support, the Daily Cover Organiser, the Caretaker/Site Manager, Office Reception staff, etc.
Each has an appropriate format.
To see the most appropriate Printout for each person, see Section 11.15 on page 171 in The Timetabler's CookBook https://www.timetabler.com/book
7. Exporting each Teacher's timetable into their Calendar in Outlook
This feature allows each teacher to see their personal timetable for today when they open up Outlook. 
And to get a reminder in advance of each lesson ...so they are less likely to be late?
For details of how to do this, enter 'outlook' into the Search Box in the Support Centre.
8. If you are New to timetabling
If you are new to Timetabling, or new to TimeTabler, then please click on:
https://www.timetabler.com/New-to-TimeTabler
to see the quickest way to learn about TimeTabler.
If you are new to timetabling, we also recommend that you look at some of the underlying principles, in "The Timetabler's CookBook", see https://www.timetabler.com/book
If you suspect that your printed Manual is out-of-date, the latest Manual [dated 2019, with pages numbered i - xii, 1 - 238] can be ordered via: https://www.timetabler.com/PDFs/OrderForm-for-TimeTabler-Manual.pdf
| Flexible working : Part-timers and Job-Shares |  Job-sharing |
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| The Department for Education (DfE) in England is putting a major emphasis on increasing 'flexible working' with an expectation that schools will (need to) have many more Part-timers in future. This has implications for timetablers! | ||
| Recent publications on this topic include: 'Recruitment and Retention Strategy' (DfE, January 2019), 'Exploring flexible working practice in schools' (DfE, June 2019) and 'Part-time Teaching and Flexible Working in Secondary Schools' (NFER, June 2019), and initiatives by Nesta and by Timewise. |
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DfE expects that the number of Part-timers (and Job-Shares) in schools will increase significantly, To see 18 scenarios that TimeTabler will schedule efficiently for you, see this PDF. |
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| We have responded to this new challenge, by: | ||
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adding New features into TimeTabler, | |
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explaining these New features in the interactive HelpScreens,  |
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updating HelpMovie 19 about the latest Staff Availability Screen, |
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organising INSET/CPD on this topic, | |
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adding New articles and PDFs on this topic into the Knowledgebase, explaining step-by-step how to deal with different types of part-timers and job-shares.  |
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being selected to take part in a specially-funded DfE/Nesta Project, with a limited number of schools (in England). This Project is continuing for the next 2 months. If you wish to be involved, contact Keith at: keith@timetabler.com for more details. |
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| If you have any suggestions for new features in TimeTabler, especially on this topic of Part-timers, please let us know. | ||
StaffCover
9. The new 2020 version of StaffCover has been released.
As usual, it is a 'seamless' Upgrade from the previous version, so you don't lose any statistics or other data.
It includes new features to give you extra features, quicker ways of starting Tomorrow's Cover today, giving a Free period bias, Covering the '6th Form' flexibly, etc.
More details at www.timetabler.com/new
10. Loading in the new timetable
If you or the colleague organising daily Cover have not yet loaded in the new timetable into StaffCover, then the first steps are:
-- Use: CustomizeMenu -> 'End of Year' (see Section J20 in the StaffCover Handbook),
-- Load in the new schedule from a TimeTabler Backup file (see Section C in the same Handbook).
Courses & Support during this term
If you found last years's timetabling stressful then we urge you to look soon at booking a place on a course.
Using a course to prepare can lead to a smoother stress-free timetabling season!
During this term you may be more interested in 'Level 1' courses on timetabling principles and courses introducing you to the many features in TimeTabler (or Options).
Next term you may be more interested in 'Level 2' courses or workshops that allow you to focus on the data for your particular school.
If you are new to timetabling then you are likely to need both types of courses.
| We suggest that you: | |
| 1. | Look at the list of Courses and other Support shown below. |
| 2. | Look at the discounts offered by the Voucher scheme at : https://www.timetabler.com/vouchers |
| 3. | Put in a request for some CPD money ...and book the Course or Associate that you want. |
| ** We can also offer bespoke courses outside the UK, if there is sufficient demand in a particular country or region. See the note below, under the list of UK courses. | |
Some possibilities during this term:
| We provide Help & Support for you in at least 5 ways: | ||
| A. | The (free) Help & Support Centre, which you can access at any time using the Support Centre button on the opening screens. See HelpMovie 4 for more details. | |
| B. | Gold-Start Support, and Gold-Start-Plus Support, for new Users. More details below. |
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| C. | On-line courses for you to use whenever you wish. More details below. |
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| D. | Courses to attend at the Timetabling Centre in Market Harborough, if you are able to go there. More details below. |
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| E. | Bespoke Support via Zoom etc, [or on-site in-school support where appropriate] from our expert Associates. More details below. |
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| B. | Gold-Start webinars ... for Options, for TimeTabler, or for StaffCover Gold-Start Enhanced Support is provided free to all New Purchasers. And it is available to New timetablers who have purchased this extra support on an Upgrade order form or on the order form at: www.timetabler.com/PDFs/Gold-Start-OrderForm.pdf These 60-minute welcome webinars are provided at various times to suit you. More details at www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=129 and full details of Gold-Start at: www.timetabler.com/gold-start Gold-Start Users are also invited to the regular 'AMA : Ask Me Anything' webinar sessions run by MIST. |
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| C. | On-line Courses : by MIST Timetabling Services | ||
| If face-to-face training & consultancy is not possible, then one answer is to use an On-Line Course. Free – Basic Data course Want to get going with TimeTabler? : then sign-up now for a free course on School Structure, Subjects, Rooms and Teachers at: https://everythingtimetabling.thinkific.com/courses/introduction-to-using-timetabler-part-1-preview The ever-popular Introduction to using TimeTabler – Part 1 and Part 2 are now available as on-line courses, at: |
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| D. | Courses to attend, mainly at Market Harborough: | ||
| Courses during October : (but book now) | |||
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Advanced Timetabling with TimeTabler : 15 October One day : Thursday 15 October in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=101 |
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| Courses during November : (but book now) | |||
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Introduction to Effective Timetabling in Scotland : 4 - 5 - 6 November |
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Principles of timetabling with TimeTabler course : 9 November One day Monday : 9 November in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=68 |
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Introduction to using TimeTabler course : Part 1 : 10 November One day : Tuesday 10 November in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=83 |
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Introduction to using TimeTabler course : Part 2 : 11 November One day : Wednesday 11 November in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at http://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=134 |
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Student options/electives using Options software : 18 November One day on Options : Wednesday 18 November in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=84 |
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| Courses during December : (but book now) | |||
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Principles of timetabling with TimeTabler course : 2 December One day Wednesday : 2 December in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=68 |
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Introduction to Effective Timetabling in Scotland : 2 - 3 - 4 December Three days (Wed-Fri) : 2 - 4 December in Edinburgh, with Grant Whytock. More details at: https://www.ed.ac.uk/education/professional-learning/short-courses-events/effective-timetabling |
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Introduction to using TimeTabler course : Part 1 : 10 December One day : Thursday 10 December in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=83 |
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Introduction to using TimeTabler course : Part 2 : 11 December One day : Friday 11 December in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at http://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=134 |
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Advanced Timetabling with TimeTabler : 14 December One day : Monday 14 December in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=101 |
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Timetabling Workshop day : 15 December One day : Tuesday 15 November in Market Harborough, with Chris Knights-Branch. More details at https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=88 |
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| Have you booked your place(s) yet? Don't leave it too late. | |||
| For details of discounted Vouchers usable for the courses or for on-site help, see https://www.timetabler.com/vouchers |
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| E. | Bespoke in-school and on-site Support | ||
| In-school 'bespoke' help is available from Chris Knights-Branch, Peter Knights-Branch and several other TimeTabler Associates including: John Clark, Debbie Hayton; in Ireland : Liam O'Brien; in Scotland : Terry Howe, Derek Simpson, Neil Farquharson; and in China : David Miles. They can also usually use Zoom, which allows you to share screens, and you can be anywhere in the world within compatible time-zones. Contact details for Associates at : https://www.timetabler.com/inset-courses |
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If the standard help & support is not enough, but you don't need (or can't spare the time for) a full day workshop/consultancy, you might just need a point in the right direction, in which case a 1-hour Remote Support session could be your best option. See : https://mistservices.co.uk/Services/timetabling_course.aspx?servId=98 MIST also offer half-day consultances : details at: https://www.mistservices.co.uk/Services/Consultancy_services.aspx |
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| For details of discounted Vouchers usable for the courses or for on-site help, see https://www.timetabler.com/vouchers |
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Courses in other countries
| We also offer timetabling courses outside the UK, if there is sufficient demand in a particular country or region. If you would like us to explore this possibility in your country, please send an email to janet@timetabler.com stating : |
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| - | the number of people from your school needing a place on such a course, | |
| - | the time of year when it would be best for you, | |
| - | the length of course that you would like (2 days or 3 days is usual), | |
| - | the country or region that you think the course could cover (so that we could invite others, to share the cost), | |
| - | and whether your school would be able to host the event or not, | |
| and if there is sufficient interest we'll contact you with the details and cost of the course so that you can then enrol. | ||
| The most likely possible dates would be: 19th - 30th October; 15th - 19th February; 29th March - 9th April; 31st May - 4th June. | ||
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Our best wishes for a smooth start to the term,
Chris Johnson
Keith Johnson
and the rest of the Team
PS1. If you know another timetabler, who might be interested in the contents of this Newsletter, please feel free to forward it to them.
PS2. Next month's Newsletter (October) will look at ideas for New Timetablers, assessing your timetable, and dealing with Part-timers.
PS3. Please ensure that you use > Check for Updates regularly, so that you always have the very latest version. Make sure you keep up to date !
PS4. If you aren't the school timetabler (eg. you simply placed the order on their behalf) please let us know the appropriate details and we can update our records.
* PS5. This Newsletter is geared to the start of the new school year in the UK. Our apologies to our international Users, but we hope that you will save this Newsletter until the appropriate time of year for you.
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