School Structure management, Courses, and Timetables FAQ

This article covers common queries regarding school structure, courses, and timetables in Arbor. If you cannot find an answer to your query in this article, check our dedicated section of the Help Centre on this topic here.

Can I produce a curriculum map in Arbor?

Curriculum maps show what your school is teaching and when, for example:

• The texts and topics pupils will study each term
• Key skills developed, or outcomes, for each term

This functionality is not required by Ofsted or the DfE, and isn't possible to do in Arbor.

You can see further details in this resource from our parent company The Key Group: Curriculum maps templates and examples.

Can we add previous Academic Years?

Yes, this can be done by following these steps:

1. Navigate to the Academic Years page by heading to School > School Structure > Academic Years
2. Click the green '+Add' button.
3. On the slide-over, don't make any changes and click 'Create Academic Year'.
4. Select the Academic Year you have just created from the list.
5. Click on Academic Year Name 
6. Change the name to the previous Academic Year you are adding e.g. 2017/2018 and add the relevant dates for that year.
7. Click Save Changes.
8. Repeat the above steps for any missing previous Academic Years.

How do I see or print the timetable for one room?

To print out timetables, you need the Calendar: Administer or the School: Teaching: View permission. If you don't have permission, you'll need to ask your admin team to give you permission using these instructions. If you have the relevant permissions, follow these steps:

1. Go to School > Timetable > Sites & Rooms > Printable Timetable.
2. Select the room and click Download Printable Timetables.

You can then open this file as a PDF and print the file locally.

Can we change our timetable periods half way through the year?

You may need to change the timetable periods you've assigned to your timetable mid-year, for example for schools new to Arbor who need to amend their school timetable, or if your school have set up a new timetable where the old timetable periods are no longer suitable.

We usually advise against changing your timetable periods mid-year, as any changes made will be applied to all sessions in the past. This means that your reporting and timetables for past weeks may not align with the correct timetable periods. However, changing this has no effect on the actual attendance taken.

You'll need the Teaching: Administer permission to edit timetable periods. If you don't have permission, you'll need to ask your admin team to give you permission using these instructions.

If you do need to change the timetable periods, go to School > Timetable and on the left select Timetable Administration > Timetable Settings.

From this page, you can add new periods on the right using the highlighted +Add button, and delete old periods in bulk by selecting those you wish to remove and using the bulk actions. 

You could also edit the times of the periods - select the relevant period and then use the options on the slide over to amend the times.

Can we have different timetable periods for different student groups?

No, it isn't possible to set up different timetable periods for different student groups, such as for different year groups and key stages.

You'll need to make sure your timetable periods cover all lessons for all student groups.

Can we have a three-week or a four-week timetable?

No, in Arbor you can only have a one-week or two-week timetable. You cannot have a three-week or four-week timetable. You can see how to manage this here: Timetable Periods and weekly cycles.

Can we manage Options in Arbor?

No, it is not possible to manage Options within Arbor.

However, you can import Options from TimeTabler using this process: Importing Options from TimeTabler

We cannot import Options from Edval Choice in Edval, so you would need to import your timetable, then enrol the students in line with the options. 

Can we copy a course?

No, it is not possible to copy, duplicate or clone the existing structure or timetable lessons of a course.

You would need to set up the course - you can see how to do this here: How to set up Course, Class, Registration and Lesson registers. We also recommend taking a look at how to Build a course hierarchy in Arbor for how to organise your timetable structure.

You can then enrol students. If you will have the same students in this course as another, you could add an automatic enrolment.

If you instead want to copy over your current courses to the next academic year, please follow our New School Year Setup guidance.

Can we rename timetabled sessions and lessons?

To rename timetabled sessions and lessons, you must change each session name individually. While course names can be modified in School > Programmes > Courses, the full name will always reflect your structure.

For individual lessons, follow these steps:

1. Go to School > Timetable > All Timetabled Events.
2. Use the filter to find specific dates, and click on the lesson you wish to change the name of.
3. Click the Lesson and put your preferred name in the Session Name pop-up.
4. Click Save Changes.

Can we schedule a double lesson with a break?

You cannot timetable in breaks - Arbor presumes there is a break whenever there is nothing scheduled in the student's calendar.

If your class has a short break between a double lesson, we recommend extending the length of the first lesson to when the break ends, so students do not have a gap in their calendar and a teacher can cover the session. For example, if your class has a 50-minute lesson, a 10-minute break then an hour-long lesson, we recommend scheduling it as 2 one-hour sessions.

How do I change the end time of the school day?

You can change end times in bulk, for instance if you finish early on Fridays, using the School > Timetable > Timetable Slots page.

This article outlines how to do this including how to change the times of a single slot: Editing timetable slots, lesson times, rooms and staff.