Intermediate timetabling

This is an intermediate timetabling course for those who have completed the effective timetabling course or have some knowledge of timetabling.

The skills of the school timetabler plays a key role in the process of building a curriculum where all young people experience the Curriculum for Excellence principles. Curriculum models can be quite innovative and, at times, quite challenging for the team putting together the timetable.

Programme summary

This one-day, intermediate-level course is for those who have:

already completed the Introduction to Effective Timetabling course, or
some experience of timetabling
some basic knowledge of timetable construction

The course will provide some thoughts, ideas and techniques that could support a school wishing to develop their curriculum model to better meet the needs of learners.

Learn more about the Introduction to Effective Timetabling course

Course aims

During the course, participants will:

look at the parameters within which a curriculum is designed and constructed: eg, teacher contracts, structure of the school day, SQA subjects offered, length of teaching units etc.
meet with colleagues to share different school curricular arrangements across all age groups of learners and share timetabling experiences delivering different designs
look at some examples of different approaches to timetabling the senior phase in Curriculum for Excellence. eg, single cohorts of pupils from S4 to S6
learn how to use computer software to allow pupils to make free subject choices at key transition points in their education
consider ways of delivering pupil entitlement subjects across all the year groups

All parts of the programme will include practical exercises to reinforce some of the techniques and ideas examined during the day.

Course schedule (provisional)

08.45-09.00	Registration and coffee
09.00-09.30	Welcome and introductions
09.30-10.30	Curriculum design and the school week
10.30-11.00	Break
11.00-13.00	Using software to facilitate pupil free choice in the curriculum
13.00-14.00	Lunch
14.00-15.00	Senior phase – an approach to a single cohort
15.00-16.00	Consortia arrangements in the senior phase
16.00-16.30	Plenary session

Bookings

Bookings are now open and the course will run on Wednesday 4th February 2026.

Please fill out the following booking form:

Intermediate Timetabling booking form

Cost

The course costs £169.

Note: if you would like us to invoice your school, you will need to obtain a purchase order number through your school office before applying. Unfortunately we are unable to chase each school individually to obtain a purchase order number.

Course fees are non-refundable.

The Professional Learning Office operates a cancellation policy to ensure that delegates are not disadvantaged by the last-minute cancellation of courses due to withdrawals making the course unviable.

We will use your personal data to allow us to process your registration, communicate with you and obtain your feedback about this course. We are processing the information about you for these purposes because by registering for the course you give your consent for us to do so.

We will not share information about you with any other third party.

We will hold the personal data you provided us for 12 months after course completion. If you have agreed to be contacted about future events, we will hold your personal data for as long as you subscribe to these updates. Financial data such as a payment record will be held for 7 years. We do not use profiling or automated decision-making processes.

Read our full privacy notice

In order to facilitate online bookings for our events, we use Epay - a third party service which is not operated by the University of Edinburgh.

Details of Epay’s privacy policy

Further information

For further information:

Email the Professional Learning Team

This article was published on 2024-10-07