[sims] NOVA T6 Online course

[astevens84]

Is anyone aware of any online training available for NOVA T6?

 

I've been given the daunting task of creating the TT for a school of over 1600 kids (from fresh) and this is my 1st time

[MkII]

You can get the training manuals online, not right up to date but close enough. All my course consisted of was going through the two course books.. stepping methodically through every feature of Nova-T.

 

Have your timetable been created in Nova-T6 before? If that's the case most of last year's timetable structure can be transferred. I don't think the number of kids matters. Complexities are your enemy.. restrictions such as part time staff.

[Banjo]

6th Form first > KS4 > KS3. It's worth having a chat with your HODs. Many moons ago my DHT used to provide me with the TT'd curriculum blocks such as Monday Period1 10x (5 Classes 10x1-10x5) and 8Y (4 Classes 8Y1-8Y4) and I'd then TT them against the Dept staff and room it myself and pass this information back by a deadline date. Most Dept's liked the outcome of doing the TT this way even though it took some time to ensure every staff member had a 'balanced' TT.

[NotSoFast]

This sounds like madness. You have been given possibly the most important job in a school, one which affects every child and teacher for a year, and you've received zero training or support. Creating a good timetable is really difficult, and requires a clear understanding of the curriculum model for the school and all the little restrictions of staffing and rooming. You also need to be able to judge which compromises are going to be acceptable when, inevitably, it doesn't work. Being able to use the software is the least of your worries. Maybe I've misunderstood, but if this really is your situation I would say it's unfair on you and is unlikely to result in a good timetable. You need proper support, from the curriculum person on SLT and possibly an external consultant if there is no-one else in school who can help. Sorry for the rant, but it makes me angry that some schools seem to assume creating the timetable is a job that is easy if you are any good with data/computers!

[MkII]

The OP is looking for training to get a job in school IT Support. See his other thread asking for online training for SIMS.

[NotSoFast]

Ok, that makes more sense! (Gets down off soap box). 😀

[Banjo]

Re-reading the post it would seem they have obtained employment - hence the need to create a TT

[MkII]

My bad, it looks like you are right Banjo. Apologies NotSoFast.

[NotSoFast]

No worries @mark. @astevens84, I can't help at all with Nova T6, but I'm happy to have a chat about principles of timetabling in general if you need it. Pm me if so.

[minimoo]

I assume that's creating it for September 2018 - and not 3 weeks time ?

[Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun]

Personally, I wouldn't bother learning NOVA-T6, as it will be replaced soon. There are plenty of independent timetablers who can make a timetable for your school this year and all you need to do is be able to maintain it (that course is about 1/4 of the full course).

From another thread in relation to the next generation of SIMS

We're splitting timetabling much as has been observed above. Manual timetabling adjustments on a live system - you could actually create a timetable in that if you really wanted to (primaries might actually do that for scheduling literacy, PE etc). Auto-scheduling is a separate area.

 

Nova-T6 can be used for the auto-schedule part but we are re-engineering this too. It is now possible to produce awesome results in HTML5 within the cloud and that is where we're going.

If you do build a timetable yourself then ask the school what its priorities are, most people I know start with English and Maths then add in other subjects, the idea of leaving KS3 to the end was largely abandoned by many schools timetableres when the KS3 the wasted years report came out

[NotSoFast]

Interesting. I still start with KS4 (we don't have a sixth form) not because KS3 is less important but because there are more fixed points (option blocks, college days, setting) at KS4. After that it's part timers!

[minimoo]

Equally, we start with KS4/5 - but then our model has always been that ks4/5 is semi-fixed - KS3 fits in around that - however, the structure of the school and staffing has meant (up until now) that we aren't doing split staffing at KS3 - and it's subject specialists teaching the KS3 subjects. Current Funding situation is starting to put pressure on that however.

@Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun "KS3 to the end was largely abandoned" - really? I mean, that report came out in September 2015 - so 2016-17 academic year we have just finished would have been the first year school' could have implemented any changes based on the report. I struggle to imagine that most secondary schools in the country have changed how they organise their timetabling in a year; it seemed to take us 3 months to decide whether to move what period and day assembly was on. So I'd love to see some evidence to support that comment

[MkII]

Interesting. I still start with KS4 (we don't have a sixth form) not because KS3 is less important but because there are more fixed points (option blocks, college days, setting) at KS4. After that it's part timers!

Same here. 6th form is delivered by 3 partner schools and us. Option blocks dominate Ys10 & 11. KS3 is flexible in demanding all single lessons. Given the extreme limitations we naturally incur and self impose, I'm amazed at how balanced and evenly spread our KS 3 timetable is (that's done by an SLT. I input it into Nova).

[Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun]

@Esteban_Child_of_the_Sun "KS3 to the end was largely abandoned" - really? I mean, that report came out in September 2015 - so 2016-17 academic year we have just finished would have been the first year school' could have implemented any changes based on the report. I struggle to imagine that most secondary schools in the country have changed how they organise their timetabling in a year; it seemed to take us 3 months to decide whether to move what period and day assembly was on. So I'd love to see some evidence to support that comment

That statement was based on the schools we support and over half of them asking/attempting at the timetable building workshop a few months ago about doing it subject based rather than key stage based.

[speckytecky]

As stated above responsibility for the timetable is usually a few pay grades up the scale - in my experience Deputy Head level. Our school outsources the Nova T6 to Dave Marlow at Timetable4U our DH feeds changes direct to them.

[PhilNeal]

Creating a balanced timetable is essential if the school is to succeed. Behaviour, achievement, wellbeing etc all depend on getting this right. Creating a timetable is largely an educationalist's task all be it a specialist one.

[vikpaw]

Is anyone aware of any online training available for NOVA T6?

I've been given the daunting task of creating the TT for a school of over 1600 kids (from fresh) and this is my 1st time

@astevens84 - looks like you're in my neck of the woods. Drop me a private message and I can probably find someone in the neighbourhood that can help, or I could even head over myself.

My last school used SIMS but we changed MIS to Engage, also, the timetabler (who was the Deputy Head) left - not related.

 

It's very late in the game, but if you haven't got very far yet, it is worth considering a program called Timetabler, there is lots of training available, a fair amount of support, and it can be imported into SIMS. It's very powerful and lots of timetablers prefer it.

 

It's also worth making sure you're signed up to Capita's MyAccount support site. We also have a SIMS Middle East User Forum (SIMSME) - it's a Google Group, currently chaired I believe by Lee Drury who is the SIMS Manager at British School Riyadh. Drop me a message and I can make sure you get invited, it's useful for asking random questions with other local users. Lee is also pretty adept at timetabling.

Edited August 6, 2017 by vikpaw

[astevens84]

This sounds like madness. You have been given possibly the most important job in a school, one which affects every child and teacher for a year, and you've received zero training or support. Creating a good timetable is really difficult, and requires a clear understanding of the curriculum model for the school and all the little restrictions of staffing and rooming. You also need to be able to judge which compromises are going to be acceptable when, inevitably, it doesn't work. Being able to use the software is the least of your worries. Maybe I've misunderstood, but if this really is your situation I would say it's unfair on you and is unlikely to result in a good timetable. You need proper support, from the curriculum person on SLT and possibly an external consultant if there is no-one else in school who can help. Sorry for the rant, but it makes me angry that some schools seem to assume creating the timetable is a job that is easy if you are any good with data/computers!

 

Thanks for your reply... I work in an International school and these schools are notorious for not offering enough support or being disorganised - at least in my neck of the woods anyway. I'm sure I'll get there with some help and support somehow.

[astevens84]

Thanks for your input Phil. Thankfully, I've been trained by your colleague Phil Nagl. I consider his expertise 2nd to none. My drawback is that this is my first time creating a timetable. Moreover, we have a new agenda with a whole new management team. Watch this space