Timetables Secondary

Icsics

Our Principal is not doing the timetable this year, he has given the job to the DP. We don’t know what classes we will get & neither P nor DP are taking any questions about the timetable. Surely the P should be discussing ttables, he did every other year? Does this happen in other school? And how would you deal with it?

iniscealtra

The timetable is done by our deputy every year and not discussed with us. You get the number of hours you’re timetabled for.

iniscealtra

We get the timetable at the end of August.

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058298369/timetables-secondary

That's new to me.

We just get handed a timetable in July every year and that's that.

I can't see how a principal can accommodate, negotiate with everybody. If even one person has a gripe then it's headaches all around.

Plus, hiring is always up in the air until September. So.... Needs of the school and all that.

Alex86Eire

We get ours at the start of August. An API does it as part of their post.

Hopontop

We’ve gotten ours back the end of August the last couple of years, I know some schools have them already. Our principal and deputies would be fairly approachable and we could talk about it with them and get a rough idea but we wouldn’t know for definite until end of August.

Hopontop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058298369/timetables-secondary

Curious how your timetable turned out in the end.

And also how people feel about their own timetable. The majority of teachers in my school are short of a full timetable and it’s being filled up gradually by individual or small groups of learning support. Wondering if any other schools have this approach to learning support?

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121091819#Comment_121091819

Department SEN inspectors very against it being used as a timetable filler. They recommend a "core team"

So you'll have a History teacher wondering what to do during learning support... maths or English?? Or a student wondering wth the home ec teacher is doing there.

Only way it will change is if the parents kick up a fuss, and typically it's only the kids of parents who kick up a fuss are dealt with first.

Anyway, it's common enough, go along with it and embrace it. Do a short course in dyslexia. Are these students any different to the students who are in your class?

Hopontop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092385#Comment_121092385

The impression I got was that I was to teach them “my subject”, pretty much a 40 minute grind once a week.

Alex86Eire

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121091819#Comment_121091819

We have a group of AEN teachers who do most of the learning support classes. I have one on my timetable and am matched with a student who needs help with my subjects in particular. They try and make sure you have taught the child previously so you have a connection with them. The timetabling would be finished in the first 2 weeks of school.

Treppen

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121092529#Comment_121092529

Well the department says it's numeracy and literacy which is usually maths and English. So for you I would decide what's best for the child, if they have a learning difficulty then teaching your own subject can be a good stress reliever for them so maybe they can spend a bit more time on numeracy and literacy.

Also consider the benefits of teaching the vocab associated with your subject. Or if it is possible to work in numeracy (e.g. in home EC it might be ratios (recipes)/percentages (ingredients contents)/ charts (food pyramid)/graphs (energy use in the home).

Really though don't worry too much, try your best. It's all going to fall on your superiors if there is an inspection. They're the ones who make out the timetable not you. Timetabling subject teachers for 'a grind' is nothing the inspectors haven't seen before, and they'll deal with it toute suite!

joebloggs32

Mid August when we get our timetables. No negotiations as such either, staff can put in a request but no guarantee it can be granted.