Timetable time

This is my least favourite time of the year. Staff find out their timetables and there is the usual to-ing and Fro-ing regarding what they want to do over what they are doing. It is almost like a contract negotiation every year.

Tears will be shed, old coffee stained mugs smashed and bottom lips stuck out. Two weeks from now all will be forgotten an the timetable will be running smoothly.

An added difficulty is the squeeze in finances, as a result I have been attempting to match the timetable requirements with the available teacher periods as closely as possible.

What drives me insane is the nature of education propriety. We have fantastic staff and I would love to give them their own subject for 100% of the time, but it is impossible for lots of people. However, there is an answer and it lies far away from the governments idea of schools being independent.

There are three schools (non-grammar) that we could work closely with, four if you count the academy. Imagine if all the schools got together and agreed a full common timetable and calendar (not so mad we already have a common sixth form timetable in the area). We could then put staff in front of kids teaching their own subjects all the time.

Once the schools are working together our staff would have massive CPD opportunities, priority promotion oppotunitues, salaries organised by one office rather than the hugely expensive system we have.

There are loads of issues, of course, but in this technologically amazing age surely we could try?

What do you think? I want to start with a common HR/payroll department.