Timetable solutions drive school improvement

A well-structured timetable is the foundation of an efficient, high-performing school. But when scheduling becomes reactive rather than strategic, it can increase workload, limit flexibility, and create hidden inefficiencies that affect teaching and learning. At SMARTcurriculum, we take a data-driven, strategic approach to timetabling—helping schools and trusts develop smarter, more sustainable schedules that align with their curriculum vision, staffing models, and operational needs.

Our outsourced timetable creation, training, and coaching services ensure your school’s timetable is built for impact, whether you need a full rebuild, targeted adjustments, or expert intervention to solve specific challenges.

We support all major timetabling software, including SIMS NOVA T6, Scheduler, e-Timetable, Timetabler, and other DfE-recommended MIS systems, working closely with leadership teams to ensure timetables drive efficiency rather than create workload pressures.

How SMARTcurriculum Scheduling Supports Schools

✅ In-Year Rewrites – Freeing Leaders to Lead
Timetabling issues don’t just arise at the start of the year—curriculum shifts, staff changes, and new strategic priorities often require mid-year timetable adjustments. Our team has supported:

• A large secondary school in restructuring its Key Stage 4 provision mid-year to accommodate growing student numbers in core subjects while maintaining class size balance.
• A trust-wide curriculum realignment, where we restructured subject allocations across multiple academies, ensuring consistency in teaching time for key subjects.
• A school merging departments, where we reworked the timetable to integrate cross-curricular teaching while ensuring teacher workloads remained balanced.

By outsourcing these changes to expert schedulers, leaders are freed from technical constraints, allowing them to focus on driving educational change rather than being trapped in administrative complexity.

✅ End-of-Year Timetable Creation – From Vision to Implementation
Building a new timetable for the academic year requires more than just fitting lessons into a grid—it’s about optimising staff deployment, ensuring curriculum coverage, and creating a framework that enhances both student experience and staff well-being. Our specialists provide:

• Options process support, ensuring student preferences are matched efficiently with available staffing and resources.
• Staffing structure reviews, advising on how to allocate teachers effectively while maintaining workload balance.
• Flexible models, enabling innovative approaches such as staggered starts, block scheduling, or alternative curriculum pathways.

We’ve worked with MATs implementing a new trust-wide curriculum structure, ensuring timetables across all schools were aligned yet adaptable to local needs. We’ve also helped schools managing tight staffing constraints, ensuring core subjects had sufficient specialist teachers without overburdening key staff.

✅ Ad-Hoc Intervention – Solving Complex Timetable Challenges
Sometimes, unexpected timetable issues arise—whether due to staff shortages, curriculum misalignment, or regulatory compliance requirements. Our team is on hand to provide expert, rapid intervention when:

• A school faces an urgent need to restructure staff allocations mid-year due to staff absences or departures.
• A MAT encounters discrepancies between timetabling structures and funding compliance requirements, needing adjustments to ensure efficiency.
• A secondary school struggles with overcrowded option blocks, requiring a rework to maximise student choice without creating unmanageable class sizes.

Why Schools Choose SMARTcurriculum for Scheduling

✔ Strategic Expertise – We don’t just build timetables; we align them with your school’s vision, curriculum priorities, and long-term goals.
✔ Workload Efficiency – A well-structured timetable reduces staff burnout, improves lesson quality, and ensures leadership teams aren’t constantly firefighting scheduling issues.
✔ Proven Impact – We’ve helped schools and trusts across the country move from timetable-driven constraints to a model that enables flexibility, staff well-being, and better student outcomes.

Take Control of Your Timetable – Work Smarter, Not Harder

A timetable should enable your school’s success, not create barriers to improvement. Whether you need a full timetable rebuild, strategic intervention, or training to upskill your team, SMARTcurriculum provides the expertise, data insight, and tailored support to make it happen.

📢 Let’s talk about how SMARTcurriculum Scheduling can transform your school. Get in touch today!