[sims] Questions about your usage of SiMs/Nova-T/Exams/School Structure

[allw]

Hi,

 

We are starting the process of deciding what is on our wish list for the next academic year in terms of school structure etc. and it would seem we have several questions.

 

Background of school.

 

• School structure is we essentially run as 3 separate schools with a common sixth form. Main school (MS), super religious boys (B), and super religious girls (G).
  
• Lower school MS runs on an 8 period day (4 double slots, most lessons are doubles), with breaks every 2 periods. Lunch (between 4 and 5) is also split into first and second half of lunch.
  
• Sixth form MS runs on an up to 12 period day (8 normal + 2 lunch + 2 afterschool periods) they, however, have free periods.
  
• Lower school B runs on a 10 period day (8 normal + 2 afterschool) still in a 2/2/2/2/2 arrangement.
  
• Lower school G runs on a 10 period day (8 normal + 2 afterschool) but in a 2/3/1/2/2 arrangement with the first half of lunch defaulting to a teaching period (there are exceptions).
  
• On a Monday all hell breaks loose with the lunch period/s swapping positions and period 5 becoming like a citizenship period, shorter than the other days' P5.
  
• On a Wednesday there is an additional period between AM Reg and P1 we teach PSHE in (This time is normally assembly).
  
• SiMs in the past has just been used as a system to store the bare minimum - ideally I want to move to using it to handle everything...
  

 

Timetable stuff.

1. Does your school have a timetabled period for registration? (which lesson monitor then copies into the AM Reg?)
   
2. Do you instead use lesson monitor to delegate when registration will take place (with no official period designated through Nova-T) and instead use the lesson monitor ability to override absence as late for Reg?
   
3. How many lessons do you have in a day? of what length?
   
4. How is your school organised, if you have a sixth form do they have different periods to others? Why? Are they just set up as a different Year or as a whole different school section on Nova-T?
   
5. Do you timetable assemblies in Nova-T?
   
6. Do you run a carousel of subjects?
   
7. Do you have a multiple week timetable? Why?
   
8. If you have extra curricula activities, such as music lessons or sporting events are they also timetabled as alternative provision lessons?
   
9. Do you use automated timetabling through Nova-T?? Why?
   

 

Pastoral Stuff

1. Do you have a house based pastoral system or a head of years' system? or hybrid? why?
   
2. If you run a house system, do you run your reward/sanction behaviour system tied to the houses? e.g. best house gets a reward.
   
3. Any pastoral responsibilities that occur regularly (e.g. uniform duty, or patrol) are they timetabled?
   

 

Misc

1. Does your school use cover? How are teachers then notified of the cover?
   
2. Does your school use exams organiser for internal exams that are not Mocks (e.g. Year 7 end of year tests) even though they are in several rooms at once? How would you organise teacher invigilation for that?
   
3. How would you mark students on study leave? Is this handled somehow in Nova-T when the timetable is created? Is it done at the start of the year (or when the date of study leave is known)? Or is it left to form tutors to do it after the students are on study leave?
   
4. Do you have a system whereby lessons might finish "early" but students are encouraged to do "afterschool" activities or enrichment to take you up to a normal finish time?
   

 

Wow...sorry for the length, any comments are greatly appreciated!

Edited February 7, 2020 by allw

[RootsSchImp]

Wow lots to ponder!

 

As a timetabler I'd say don't have a two week timetable unless you have a compelling reason to, because you increase the likelihood lessons would have to be split between multiple teachers and you have to worry about distribution through the cycle. Plus it's harder so you're working more to get a worse result.

[allw]

What about a two week timetable where core subjects maintain the same slots but there are alternating options? Would that still be a nightmare to plan in your opinion?

 

Just trying to make a proper informed decision about all this before I even approach management...

Edited February 8, 2020 by allw

[RootsSchImp]

It's not that it's much more difficult, just that there isn't really any benefit from a timetabling pov. If you want to give kids and staff the variety of alternating weeks then that's a reason, but you have to want that more you mind more splits and worse distribution.

[DrBeaker]

In my head I would have thought bit was easier to have a slot for each period of the day where students are staff are supposed to be. E.g. ours don't have a slot for reg or for our last lesson for year 11s which I find odd.