How to prepare and migrate your secondary schools future academic year and timetable

This article is designed for secondary schools who are migrating from SIMs to Arbor via the SIMs API using Groupcall Xporter on Demand. This guide details how they can set up their future school year setup and future timetable from their Timetabler file after their migration. 

Prerequisites in SIMS before migration

Before migrating from SIMS to Arbor via GroupCall, complete the following tasks to ensure a smooth transition. These will help when importing your TimeTabler timetable into Arbor.

Tasks to complete in SIMS

1. Set up your new academic year in SIMs and term dates as these will migrate to Arbor.
2. Create groups (year groups, registration forms, tutors and houses) for the new academic year and assign students and staff.
3. Ensure all future academic year applicants have an application status of 'accepted' as these will migrate to Arbor

Note: Applicant group memberships do not migrate and must be added post migration.

Post-Migration Tasks in Arbor

Before importing the TimeTabler file into Arbor, you must complete the following steps. 

Prerequisite: Timetable Settings

Set your timetable periods and cycle before the school year setup. Access it via School > Timetable > Timetable Administration > Timetable Settings. Arbor defaults to a 1-week timetable; change it if your school uses a 2-week timetable:

1. Select 2025/2026 from the Academic Year dropdown.

2. Click "Click here to set up a two-week timetable cycle for 2025/2026" to configure different periods for each week.

Note: Ensure you want a two-week timetable, as reversing this option requires contacting us. Only one or two-week timetables are supported.

3. Select the weeks for your academic calendar as week A or B, then click "Save Changes".

Note: Timetable cycle changes cannot be made between 8-10 AM or 12:30-1:30 PM.

Prerequisite: Timetable Periods

Timetable periods can be used to help align your attendance marks into set groups. We usually recommend secondaries use this feature in conjunction with their timetables.

1. To define timetable periods, click "Add" in the Timetable Periods section.

2. Choose the name of the period and the start and end time. This will define the start and end times for each period created for each day. Then click "Add". 

3. The timetable periods will then automatically be created for each day for both weeks.

4. You can amend a slot by clicking it. For example, if lunch is at a different time on week B.

5. Repeat this process for every timetable period you want to create.

School Year Setup

Once your school has migrated to Arbor, you will need to complete your academic year setup and import your timetable. The easiest way to achieve this is by using Arbor’s School Year Setup wizard. 

To access this, go to: School > School Structure > School Year Setup. This will take you to a checklist with each of the school year setup stages. 

Academic Year

To set up the School Year and import the timetable, complete the new academic year information. When migrating from SIMS to Arbor via the GroupCall API, the academic year and term dates will transfer automatically if set up in SIMS beforehand. Note: Academic Holidays do not transfer to Arbor and must be set up as instructed below.

1. Click on "Academic Calendar" in the School Year Setup task list.

If your new academic year hasn't migrated, follow the steps below. Otherwise, skip to Step 6.

2. Input the academic year name and start/end dates, ensuring they cover the full year, including Summer Holidays.

Note: Academic years in Arbor must be continuous with no gaps. The new year starts the day after the previous one ends, e.g., if the previous year ends on 31/08/2025, the new year starts on 01/09/2025 and ends on 31/08/2026.

3. Click "Create Academic Year" to save.

Note: Once created, the academic year cannot be deleted.

4. Next, click "Add" next to "Terms" to add term dates.

5. Enter the term name, short name, and dates, then click "Add Term" to save. Repeat for all terms. Proceed to step 7 once done.

Note: You can set terms for any dates, either as full terms or split into halves. Holidays are recorded separately, and terms can include or exclude holiday dates.

6. For migrated academic years only: Verify the name and dates are correct. Amend them by clicking the arrow next to the record.

7. Finally, create academic holidays by clicking "Add" next to Holidays. Enter the holiday name, type, and dates, covering only the teaching days. Repeat for each half-term, holiday, bank holiday, and INSET day.

Note: Every academic day must be accounted for in Arbor, included in a term or holiday. Check the "Days Unaccounted For" list on the Academic Year Overview page.

8. Once all academic days are accounted for, press "Mark Calendar as Complete" to finalize the Academic Year setup. This can be reversed if needed.

Off-Roll leavers

Click on "2. Off-Roll Leavers" from the School Year Setup Menu.

If you off-rolled leavers prior to your migration, simply check you are satisfied that all students have been off-rolled. If you did not off-roll leavers prior to your migration, you will only see leavers that have already left the school, typical in-year leavers. 

For additional guidance on this stage, including a digital tutorial, go to this link.

1. To off-roll students, click on "1. Off-Roll Leavers".

2. Select a year group from the list to off-roll students from. 

   

3. Choose the student from the list that you would like to off-roll by ensuring there is a tick next to their name.

4. Select a leaving date and a leaving reason, and then click "Process Leavers".  Note: This step can be repeated multiple times if you need to enter a different leaving reason or date for different groups of students. 

5. When you have finished selecting all of the leavers you would like to off-roll, you can begin to assign their future destinations. From the list of students under the "Review Leavers" list, select all of the students who share the same destination institution and then click on "Bulk Action" and "Set Destination School".

6. From the dropdown, select the Destination School and Expected Entry Date, then click "Set Destination School".

7. You can now choose to create a CTF for these students using the "Leaver Destinations" list.

8. Finally, click "Mark as Complete" to move onto the next stage. 

Year Groups and Registration Forms

Click on "3. Year Groups and Registration Forms".

When migrating to Arbor via GroupCall, Year Groups, Registration Forms (Tutors), and Applicants will be migrated. Student enrolments from SIMS for the next academic year will also transfer, except for Applicant memberships, which must be added manually after the School Year Setup. 

We do not recommend that you complete the step "3d. Enrol Applicants", as this should be completed later in the process. 

If your Year Groups and Registration Forms have migrated, view them in the "Review" lists. If students are allocated to these groups, you can see the total enrolments. Click on each group for a list of enrolled students, including those without enrolments. Note: Applicants cannot be migrated with group memberships and must be added at the end of the School Year Setup process. This means that Year 7 groups will not show as having any members.

If all groups are present and students are correctly enrolled, no copying or promoting is needed.

You still need to enrol your applicants. Follow the tutorial from step 4: Enrol Applicants in this link.

To modify group information, assign tutors, promote students, or adjust enrolments, follow this guide, which includes a digital tutorial.

After completing this step, click "Mark as Complete".

If all groups are present and students are correctly enrolled, no copying or promoting is needed.

You still need to enrol your applicants. Follow the tutorial from step 4: Enrol Applicants in this link.

To modify group information, assign tutors, promote students, or adjust enrolments, follow this guide, which includes a digital tutorial.

After completing this step, click "Mark as Complete".

Custom Groups (Optional)

Click on "4. Custom Groups".

We do not migrate custom groups via GroupCall. To set up custom groups, follow this guide.

Once you have completed this step, click "Mark as Complete".

Houses (Optional)

Click on "5. Houses".

When migrating to Arbor via GroupCall, Houses will be migrated along with student enrolments from SIMS for the next academic year, except for Applicant memberships, which must be added manually after the School Year Setup.

If your Houses have migrated, view them in the "Review" lists. You can see the total students enrolled in each group by clicking on them.

Note: Applicants cannot be migrated with group memberships and must be added after the School Year Setup. They will not appear with House memberships.

If all your Houses are present, no need to copy them.

Even if all Houses and enrolments have migrated, you must enrol your applicants. Follow the tutorial in this link from the "Editing the houses" step.

To set up or modify your Houses, assign staff, amend students, or review them, follow this guide, which includes a digital tutorial.

After completing this step, click "Mark as Complete".

Registers

Click on "6. Registers".

In this step, we will import the Courses and Classes from your TimeTabler file to create registers.

Start by choosing option C, "Import Courses and Classes from TimeTabler, and manually enrol students". 

Uploading the timetable

Export your timetable from TimeTabler, choosing Arbor as the MIS to export to and ensuring you have included the start and end times of your periods, and checking the dates are correct for the next academic year. Have the export file accessible on the computer you will be performing the timetable setup on. 

2. Click "Add" next to "Upload Timetable".

3. Select the academic year you want to import the timetable against, and select the TimeTabler file you have exported, then click "Upload".

4. You will see a status list for each of the steps required to import the timetable.

Timetable Setup Part 1: Import Pastoral Groups 

This section allows you to import, match, skip, or modify Year Groups and Registration Form Groups (Tutors) in Arbor from your timetable. We already migrate this data through GroupCall if it was configured in SIMS for the new academic year before migration. 

You may have modified these groups in TimeTabler. This process helps create new records and match migrated records with those in your timetable.

The import wizard will create a new record if no match is found in Arbor. You can use the dropdown next to each group to map it to a different record or skip the import. Note: skipping will not import the group.

If the group exists, the import wizard will try to match it with your timetable file. Verify that each mapped group is correct before moving on. Use the dropdown to re-map, skip, or create a new record. Note: Duplicates may occur if a new group is created when the original already exists.

Once you're sure the groups are correct, click "Next" at the bottom. This starts the import process, and you'll need to wait for it to finish before moving on to the next step.

Timetable Setup Part 2: Import Sites and Rooms

This section allows you to import, match, skip, or amend Sites and Rooms in Arbor from your timetable. We already migrate this data via GroupCall if set up in SIMS before migration. 

Repeat Part 1 to check and amend all sites and rooms using the dropdown next to each item.

The import wizard creates a new record if no match is found in Arbor. Use the dropdown to map to a different record or skip the import (Note: Skipped sites or rooms will not be imported).

If a site or room exists, the wizard will try to map it to your timetable file. Ensure all mappings are correct before proceeding. Use the dropdown to re-map, skip, or create a new record. 

Note: Duplicates may occur if a new site or room is created when the original exists. If a room is skipped and has a lesson scheduled, that lesson will not be imported.

When you are satisfied that the sites and rooms are correct, press "Next" at the bottom of the screen. This will begin the import process and you will need to wait for the import to complete before proceeding to the next import step.

Timetable Setup Part 3: Import Teachers

This section allows you to import, match, skip, or update Staff Records in Arbor for your timetable. We migrate this data through GroupCall if they were set up in SIMS before migration. 

Repeat the previous process to check and amend staff using the dropdown next to each item.

Staff with future start dates won't migrate and must be set up in this import wizard. New staff not in SIMS also won't migrate.

To add missing staff, select "Import (creates new record)" in the dropdown for each.

When ready, click "Next" to start the import. Wait for it to finish before proceeding.

After the import, any staff not set up in Arbor will appear in a list. 

To set up a staff member, click "Click to setup staff" next to their name. Mandatory fields include:

• Sex
• Title
• First Name (if different from the timetable)
• Surname (if different from the timetable)
• Email Address (school email recommended)
• Assign a business role (e.g., Teacher)

Enter the mandatory information for each staff member. Additional details can be added later via their profile. Guidance is available on the Arbor Help Centre here.

Timetable Setup Part 4: Courses and Classes

This section allows you to import, match, skip, or amend Courses and Classes/Teaching Groups in Arbor for your timetable. We do not migrate this information from SIMS, so ensuring your school's TimeTabler file is accurate will facilitate easy data import into Arbor. The process has 3 stages.

Example of course structure:

Maths - Top Level

Year 7 - Mid Level

7Ma1 - Bottom Level

a) Import Courses

If the courses do not exist within Arbor, you can choose to import them. This will create another step to allow matching to top-level courses once you have clicked "Next".

b) Map Subjects to Top-Level Courses

You can now map your subjects to top-level Courses, grouping courses together to make managing your courses easier once in Arbor. From the dropdown, select the appropriate course you want to map your subject to.

c) Import Classes/Teaching Groups

In the final step, you can import your classes (teaching groups). The wizard will create a new group if no match is found for the new academic year. Teaching groups are not migrated from SIMS via GroupCall, but can easily be imported from your TimeTabler file.  

Once you're satisfied with the classes, click "Next" at the bottom to start the import process. Wait for it to complete before moving to the next step.

Top Tip: In the above image you will see a "Don’t log me out" button. Ensure that this has been clicked to prevent a system log out. If you are logged out during this process, all changes from this step will be lost. 

Timetable Setup Part 5: Non-teaching Activities

In this step, you can import any Non-teaching Activities (NTAs) you've set up in TimeTabler. This can include Guaranteed Planning, Preparation and Assessment (PPA) Time, meetings or other types of events. They will be imported as Events in Arbor.

• You will need to decide whether to map the NTA to an existing event type in Arbor, or to create a new event type.
• For each NTA, you can select whether or not the event should flag as requiring cover when a staff member is absent. Don't worry - you can amend this at a later date if needed.
• We do not currently migrate this data via GroupCall for future timetables.

Once you have completed your selection, click the green Next button.

Each session of NTA will import as a separate repeating event. This means that if in TimeTabler the "Home" event happens every week on a Tuesday and Thursday, one event will be created that runs on Tuesday, and one on Thursday.

Arbor will then save your settings in the background.

When it's finished processing, click the notification to return to the import and complete the next step. Don't see the notification? Try refreshing your page. 

Timetable Setup Part 6: Timetable Slots

Import timetable slots from the TimeTabler file on Arbor. Ensure the days of the week match correctly. This data is not migrated via GroupCall for future timetables.

If there are mismatches, cancel the import, edit your TimeTabler file, and re-import.

If everything is correct, click Finish.

Arbor will save your settings in the background.

After processing, click the notification to return to the import and proceed. If you don't see it, refresh the page. The status will change to "Completed" or "Completed with Errors".

Issues needing review are marked in red. Click to resolve them.

If there’s no missing data and errors persist, contact Arbor Support with code 1004, or your Support Partner if not supported by Arbor.

Possible errors include:

• Missing academic year in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing site name in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing room code in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing room name in TimeTabler XML file.
• Invalid teacher name format in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing subject name in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing subject code in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing year group name in TimeTabler XML file.
• Missing registration form short name in TimeTabler XML file.
• Room not found for lesson.
• Subject not found for lesson.
• Day not found for lesson.
• Period not found for lesson.
• Lesson end time undetermined.

If you clicked Finish and the import is still In progress:

• Wait at least 30 minutes for it to change to Complete.
• If still In progress after 30 minutes, try importing again. Tip: Create a new export file in TimeTabler with the same name for re-import.

Timetable Setup Part 7: Schedule Provisional Timetable Slots 

In the Import Timetable Overview, schedule the timetable slots from your TimeTabler file. Click Completed.

Imported timetable slots will be marked as Provisional and won't appear on outputs until scheduled. Click the provisional tab, select the sessions to schedule, and use the Bulk action button to schedule them.

Top Tip: use the checkbox in the top-left corner to select all records.

Make sure that everything is correct, then click Schedule. The timetable slots will be moved to the Scheduled tab.

Meals (Optional)

Click on "7. Meals".

Meals do not migrate to Arbor when migrating via GroupCall. To add meals, including meal provisions and prices, meal sittings and meal choices, follow this guidance. 

This step can be skipped and completed later by clicking "Skip for now". You can complete this step at a later date by going to School > Meals and choosing "2025/2026".

Interventions (Optional)

Click on "8. Interventions".

At this stage, interventions can only be copied from the previous year. If you do not have interventions to copy, this step can be marked as complete, and interventions can be set up separately once the school year setup has been completed. A guide is linked at the end of this document. 

Post-Import Checks

Once you have completed the import wizard and resolved any remaining errors (if present), we recommend you complete a series of checks before moving on to enrolling students into classes. 

The following checks are recommended:

• Check all academic year groups are present and correct. See guidance here.
• Check all academic courses and subjects are present and correct
• Spot check your timetable to ensure that the correct classes have been timetabled with the correct staff and rooms at the correct time and day. To amend, add or delete timetable records, follow this guidance.
• Check your rooms and staff are present and correct. Follow this guidance for instructions.
• Ensure all non-teaching activities have imported. Follow this guidance for instructions.

Post-Import Tasks

Once you have completed all of the necessary checks, there are a series of tasks to be completed, listed below. 

Multiple Staff Timetabled to a Single Lesson

If a lesson in TimeTabler has multiple staff members, when it is imported into Arbor the lesson may only be allocated to 1 staff member. For shared lessons you should check these and add the missing staff members to the relevant timetable slot, if required.

Follow this guide for instructions on how to do this.

Using KS3/4 Options (Optional)

Some schools may choose to use TimeTabler's "Options" program to calculate what courses students should/can be enrolled in based on their subject choices, to work out the best combinations and enable as many students to do their choices as possible

If your school has opted to use this feature, please follow the link below to access end-to-end guidance to complete this process. 

TimeTabler's Options Import Guide 

Set Up Interventions

To set up interventions, follow this guide. 

Enrolling students into classes 

Prerequisites 

1. Students > Enrolment > Academic > Courses > Table View

2. Switch to 2025/2026 academic year

3. Check event course has a year group and subject set against it. This must be completed before starting to enrol students into classes.  The TimeTabler file should already have set these during the import stage.

Enrolling Students

The next step is to enrol students into the timetabled classes to produce class memberships for each student. This will create a timetable for the student and add the student to lesson registers. 

There are a few different ways to enrol students in bulk into courses in Arbor, rather than enrolling students one at a time. The most suitable option will depend on your needs as a school. It is up to you to decide which method of bulk enrolling students suits you best. Take a look below for more details.

How to bulk enrol students to add them into lesson registers 

Schedule registration forms

If your school hasn’t scheduled the registration forms within the TimeTabler file, this will need to be completed using the built-in process. 

Go to Timetable > Timetable Administration > Schedule Registration Sessions. Here you can select the registration forms you want using the checkboxes, and schedule AM and PM registration form times.

In the slide over, choose the registration start and end times, then schedule them.