Build the timetable once, run cover every morning, and keep both fair
A complete kit for the person who owns the school timetable and the cover line: from the curriculum plan in January to the 07:00 phone call on a wet Monday, with every file you need to do it on purpose.
- A 24-sheet Timetable and Cover Workbook: curriculum plan, staffing, the timetable with teacher, class and room clash checks, duties, exams, cover log, free-staff finder, substitute checks and dashboards
- A Curriculum and Staffing Calculator for FTE by subject, next year's gap and what-if scenarios
- Six fillable forms, three adoptable policies, 41 messages and a substitute induction sheet with a safeguarding briefing
- A 5-page staffroom print pack: cover board, duties rota poster, absence-reporting card, invigilation card and cover lesson card
The School Timetable and Cover Planner · Bodhih Pro Kits · 251 by Bodhih Training, trainers to 2,000+ companies since 2008.
How do you build a school timetable and manage teacher cover?
Start from the curriculum plan, staff it subject by subject, write the model with hard and soft rules, then place the hardest constraints first, checking for clashes after each stage. Run cover by a reporting deadline, a written priority order and a cap per teacher. The School Timetable and Cover Planner from Bodhih Training gives you tools for every step.
Want the full free guide first? Read How to Build a School Timetable and Manage Teacher Cover Fairly.
You already feel the problem. Here is what it is costing you.
The same kind people cover every time
Cover goes to whoever answers first or never says no. Nobody can prove whether it is fair, so everyone suspects it is not.
Changes break the timetable quietly
A swap typed straight into the system creates a clash two weeks later. Half the people affected hear about it at the classroom door.
The staffing gap appears in August
The school-wide total looked fine in February. The shortfall was in one subject, and the total hid it.
Substitutes arrive before their checks
A busy morning, an agency name, a classroom that needs an adult. Without a clear status for every substitute, the safest decision is also the slowest.
Duties have gaps nobody sees
A swap agreed in the corridor leaves a supervision point with one adult instead of two. Nothing happens, until the day something does.
Picture the next few weeks with the kit open beside you.
Imagine the 07:00 phone call on a Monday in March. You log the absence, set the lookup period, and the free-staff sheet tells you who to ask first: a cover supervisor with room in their day, then the teacher with the fewest cover lessons this term. You allocate, the checks say OK, and the cover is published before most people have taken their coats off.
Now imagine the same school in February, when you open the calculator and see next year's gap subject by subject, while there is still time to advertise. When you build in the spring, you place the option blocks first, run the clash check after every stage, and publish a timetable that has already been read through every teacher's eyes.
As you put the duties rota poster up and the absence card on the staffroom door, notice how many questions stop arriving at your desk. People can see the rule, and they can see it is applied to everyone.
Whether you start with tomorrow's cover or next year's curriculum plan, the first hour on the Start-here map gets you working in the file that matters most to you this week.
19 files that do the work for you
The e-book shows you how. The tools make it happen. Here is exactly what you download.
The School Timetable and Cover Planner (e-book, PDF)
The guide: methods, worked examples, scripts and exercises
Start here: timetable and cover map
Your first hour, brand it in five minutes, the whole job in ten steps with the file to open at each, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan.
Timetable and Cover Workbook
24-sheet workbook: settings, cycle calendar, curriculum plan and grade check, staff loads and planning time, allocation and subject check, the timetable with teacher, class and room clash detection, class, teacher and room views, rooms, duties and duty cover, exams and invigilation, absence log, cover log with checks and caps, free-staff finder, substitute pool with check review dates, cover cost, weekly cover and two dashboards with charts.
Curriculum and Staffing Calculator
6-sheet calculator: periods per class against the cycle for each grade, teacher periods and FTE needed by subject now and next year, the gap against staff in post, and what-if scenarios with a chart.
Curriculum plan worksheet and staff preferences form
Four-page fillable form: the curriculum plan worksheet for one grade, the option block planner, and the staff preferences and constraints form each teacher fills before the build.
Timetable change request
Two-page fillable form: what change is asked for and why, the knock-on check across teachers, rooms, classes and cover, the decision, and who was told.
Daily cover sheet and cover work quality check
Three-page fillable form for every school day: the morning cover sheet, the cover work set by the absent teacher, and the cover work quality check the cover supervisor returns.
End-of-year timetable review
Three-page fillable review: what the numbers say, what staff, students and leaders say, and the decisions and dates for next year's build.
Timetabling, cover and duties policies
Three one-page policies to adapt and adopt: timetabling principles with hard and soft rules and the build sequence, a cover policy with reporting, priority order, caps and quality, and a duties and supervision rota policy.
Message library: cover, duties and timetable changes
41 ready-to-adapt messages and scripts: absence reporting, cover requests and thanks, cover work, substitute and agency bookings, duties and swaps, timetable change notices to staff, students and parents, new joiners and exams.
Substitute teacher induction sheet
A two-page induction for every substitute or supply teacher: arrival and checks, the safeguarding briefing table, running a cover lesson, site and emergencies, and a briefing record.
Worked example pack: a 24-class school's timetable and four weeks of cover
One composite school from the curriculum plan to the staffing gap, the six-day model, the build sequence with a full class timetable, a clash caught, duties and exams, then four weeks of cover with fairness checks, a completed daily cover sheet and a completed change request.
AI prompt pack for timetablers and cover leads
26 tool-agnostic prompts grouped by step: curriculum and staffing, building and checking, rooms, duties and exams, daily cover, fairness, review and communication. Each has what to paste in and what to check.
Build-sequence decision card and mistakes to avoid
Fifteen 'if this, do this' rows for the build, changes, cover, substitutes, duties and exams, plus twenty mistakes to avoid.
Numbers that matter: timetable and cover KPI card
Fourteen numbers the job runs on, each with a plain-words definition, the exact formula, where it lives in the workbook and what to do if it moves.
Teacher time, cover and background checks by country (October 2026)
Dated orientation for the UK (England), India, the US, the UAE, Singapore and Australia on teaching and planning time, cover limits, supervision and substitute checks, with the sources checked.
Staffroom print pack
5 pages to print and laminate: the staffroom cover board, the duties rota poster, two absence-reporting cards with the morning deadline, the exam invigilation card and the running-a-cover-lesson card with the safeguarding lead's name.
Timetable build and review calendar
29 calendar events for one full timetabling year: curriculum plan, options, staffing, preferences, the four build stages, checks, publication, duties, cover policy, substitutes, exams, the first weeks of term and the review. Starts on the first Monday of January for a September start; move the whole calendar if your year starts in January or April.
Timetable and cover task board
38 tasks across set-up, curriculum, staffing, model, build, check, publish, policy, duties, cover, exams, changes and review, ready to import into Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira.
Chapter by chapter
Each chapter opens with a real situation, gives you a method and ends with something to do today, using the tools in your kit.
- Format
- PDF e-book + XLSX + fillable PDF + DOCX + printable PDF + ICS + CSV
- Files
- 19 files plus a one-click ZIP
- E-book
- 57 pages
- Works with
- Excel, Google Sheets, LibreOffice, Word, Google Docs, Acrobat Reader, Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, Trello, Asana, Notion
- Best for
- Schools, colleges and large institutes with roughly 8 to 60 classes, on a weekly, six-day or two-week cycle
Start From the Curriculum Plan
Periods per cycle for every grade and subject, adding up exactly, before anyone looks at staffing.
The Staffing Plan: Who Teaches What
Teacher periods, maximum loads and FTE by subject, with the gap read subject by subject, not in total.
The Timetable Model in Plain Words
Cycles, periods, option blocks built from choices, hard and soft rules, and when software beats a spreadsheet.
The Build: Hardest Constraints First
Blocks, part-timers, specialist rooms, constrained teachers, then the rest, with a clash check after every stage.
Checking, Publishing and Rooms
Numbers first, then human eyes on every view; drafts for factual checks, one publication and room utilisation.
Duties and Supervision
Supervision points from your safeguarding lead, every point covered, duties shared fairly by FTE.
Exams, Assessments and Invigilation
Running two timetables at once: exam rooms, displaced lessons, invigilators without clashes.
Daily Cover, From the Phone Call to the Last Bell
The absence deadline, the priority rule, the free-staff finder, caps, cover work and the cover morning routine.
Substitutes, Cover Supervisors and Safer Staffing
Background-check status, safeguarding briefings and a clear role for cover supervisors.
Fair Workload, Changes, Data and AI
Caps and published totals, every change through one form, numbers read in context, and AI that drafts while people decide.
Not just reading. Tools you will actually open again.
Start here
- 00-Start-Here-Timetable-and-Cover-Map: your first hour, brand it in five minutes, the job in ten steps with the file for each, your first week and a 30/60/90 day plan
- The e-book (PDF, about 9,400 words): ten chapters, worked examples and two appendices
Workbooks
- Timetable-and-Cover-Workbook (24 sheets): settings, cycle calendar, curriculum plan and grade check, staff loads and planning time, allocation and subject check, the timetable with clash detection, class, teacher and room views, rooms, duties and duty cover, exams and invigilation, absence log, cover log with checks and caps, free-staff finder, substitute pool, cover cost, weekly cover and two dashboards
- Curriculum-and-Staffing-Calculator (6 sheets): grades against the cycle, teacher periods and FTE by subject, the gap and scenarios with a chart
Forms (fillable PDF)
- Curriculum-Plan-and-Staff-Preferences-Forms: curriculum plan worksheet, option block planner, staff preferences and constraints form, timetabler's summary
- Timetable-Change-Request-Form: request, knock-on check, decision and who was told
- Daily-Cover-Sheet-and-Cover-Work-Check: the morning cover sheet, the cover work template and the cover work quality check
- End-of-Year-Timetable-Review: the numbers, what people say and decisions for next year
Word templates
- Timetabling-Cover-and-Duties-Policies: timetabling principles, cover policy and duties rota policy, ready to adapt
- Message-Library-Cover-Duties-and-Timetable-Changes: 41 messages and scripts for absence, cover, cover work, substitutes, duties, change notices to staff, students and parents, joiners and exams
- Substitute-Teacher-Induction-Sheet: arrival, safeguarding briefing table, running the lesson, emergencies and a briefing record
- Worked-Example-Pack-Harbourview-Timetable-and-Cover: a 24-class school's build and four weeks of cover, with completed forms
- AI-Prompt-Pack-for-Timetablers-and-Cover-Leads: 26 tool-agnostic prompts with what to paste in and what to check
Cheat sheets
- Build-Sequence-Decision-Card-and-Mistakes: 15 'if this, do this' rows and 20 mistakes to avoid
- Numbers-That-Matter-Timetable-and-Cover-KPI-Card: 14 numbers with formulas, where they live and what to do if they move
- Teacher-Time-Cover-and-Checks-by-Country-Oct-2026: dated orientation for the UK (England), India, the US, the UAE, Singapore and Australia
Print pack
- Staffroom-Print-Pack (5 pages): staffroom cover board, duties rota poster, absence-reporting cards with the morning deadline, exam invigilation card and running-a-cover-lesson card
Calendar and import
- Timetable-Build-and-Review-Calendar (.ics): 29 events for one full timetabling year
- Timetable-and-Cover-Task-Board (.csv): 38 tasks for Trello, Asana, Notion, Planner or Jira
When you have worked through it, you will be able to…
Every outcome is practised with a worked example and a tool, not just described.
- You will be able to turn a curriculum plan into teacher periods and FTE by subject, and spot a staffing gap months early
- You will be able to write a timetable model with hard rules and ranked soft rules that settles arguments before they start
- You will be able to build a timetable hardest constraints first, with a clash check after every stage
- You will be able to run a cover morning by a deadline, a priority order and a cap per teacher
- You will be able to keep substitutes' check status and safeguarding briefings visible before every booking
- You will be able to cover every supervision point and share duties and invigilation fairly
- You will be able to send every timetable change through one form and tell everyone affected the same day
- You will be able to give leaders a short set of numbers, read in context
Know your starting point. Prove your progress.
People who measure before and after improve faster and can show it. AssessAll, our sister assessment platform, has AI-graded assessments that pair with this kit. Take one now, work through the kit, then re-take it.
Budget & Resource Allocation Reasoning
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentWorkforce Planning and Scheduling Assessment for Contact Centre and Service Operations Teams
Take the assessment →AssessAll assessmentFlowcharts & Process Logic
Take the assessment →JobularyLearn by doing: the 70-20-10 model explained (Jobulary)
Make it a growth plan →A taste of Chapter 9
Every school that works with children should have a safeguarding structure: a named designated safeguarding lead, safer recruitment with background checks, a staff code of conduct, clear reporting routes, and controls on visitors and on who collects children. Substitutes, supply teachers, cover supervisors and agency staff are inside that structure, not outside it. What a background check is depends on where you are: an enhanced criminal record check with a barred-list check in England, police verification or clearance in India and many other countries, state fingerprint-based checks in the United States, a Working With Children Check in each Australian state and territory. When a substitute comes through an agency, schools in many systems require written confirmation from the agency of the checks it has made, before the person starts. The dated country sheet names the current rules for six countries; your safeguarding lead and regulator decide what applies to you.
The honest comparison
| Free templates and typical advice | This kit | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | Last year's timetable, edited | This year's curriculum plan, checked against the cycle |
| Staffing | A school-wide total | FTE and gaps subject by subject, with scenarios |
| Clashes | Found when someone turns up to an occupied room | Flagged on every lesson row as you type |
| Cover | Whoever answers first | A written priority order, a free-staff finder and a cap per teacher |
| Substitutes | A name from an agency email | A status for every person: checks, review date and briefing |
| Duties | A rota copied from last year | Points from your safeguarding lead, every point checked every day |
| Changes | Typed straight in | One form, a knock-on check and ready-made notices for every audience |
Made for you if…
- Deputy and assistant heads who own the school timetable
- Cover managers, cover leads and school operations leads
- Principals of small private and international schools who do the timetable themselves
- Academic coordinators in colleges and large coaching institutes
- Exams officers and duties leads who share the same people and rooms
- New timetablers taking over from someone who kept it all in their head
Probably not for you if…
- Batch scheduling for a tuition or coaching centre (see The Tuition and Coaching Centre Operations Manual)
- Staff-to-child ratio rostering in early years settings (see The Preschool and Daycare Operations Kit)
- Anyone looking for a legal opinion on working time or safeguarding: the kit organises the job and points you to your regulator
Built by trainers, tested in real rooms.
Bodhih Training has designed and delivered corporate programmes since 2008. Bodhih Pro Kits package what works in those workshops into a guide plus the exact tools we use, so you can apply it the same day without a facilitator in the room.
From here to using it in three steps
- STEP 1
Tap Get the kit
Name, email and country. UPI, card or netbanking in India; international cards everywhere else. No account to create.
- STEP 2
Download instantly
Your download page opens at once, with every file and a one-click ZIP. A permanent link lands in your inbox too.
- STEP 3
Open the first tool
Start with the quick-start chapter, then the main spreadsheet or planner. Most buyers use something from the kit the same day.
Make tomorrow morning calmer
Open the Start-here map, follow the first hour, and type your cycle into the workbook today. Whether you begin with tomorrow's cover or next year's curriculum plan, you will be working from a rule everyone can see.
Personal licence for the buyer's own use (and use with your own team or clients where the kit says so). Please don't share or resell the files. Team and company licences: solutions@bodhih.com.
What buyers say
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The Bodhih family, when you are ready for more
The Preschool and Daycare Operations Kit
Run a preschool, nursery or daycare centre.
The Online Academy and Blended Programme Kit
Run an online academy or blended programme as an education business.
The Tuition and Coaching Centre Operations Manual
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AssessAll
250+ AI-graded assessments to measure skills and earn verified credentials.
Jobulary
Individual development plans that start from evidence and stay yours.
Bodhih Training
Run this topic as a live workshop for your team, in person or online.
Pewple
Book a vetted coach for career, leadership or communication. Pay per session.
Bodhih.org pathways
Certification pathways in Applied AI, Workplace English and management.
The School Timetable and Cover Planner: FAQs
Read the free guideAlready bought? Resend my linkHow do I build a school timetable from scratch?
Start from the curriculum plan, not last year's timetable, and make every grade add up exactly to the cycle. Staff it subject by subject, write the model with hard and soft rules, then place the hardest pieces first: option blocks, part-time staff, specialist rooms and doubles, constrained teachers, then the rest. Check for clashes after every stage.
Is a spreadsheet enough, or do I need timetabling software?
A spreadsheet is enough for up to a few dozen classes with a stable curriculum, and it is the best place to plan, check and run cover because every rule is visible. Dedicated timetabling software helps when the build takes weeks of placing by hand or you run many blocks or sites. The workbook's checks work with a lesson list exported from any tool.
How should a school decide who covers an absent teacher?
By a written priority order applied the same way every morning: cover supervisors first, then cleared substitutes for planned or longer absences, then free teachers under a cap with the fewest cover lessons per FTE, then a leader. The kit includes the policy, the free-staff finder and the checks.
Can I use this with my staff?
Yes. Use the kit within your own school or institute under the personal licence: share the printed posters, the forms and the messages with your team. Company, group and multi-site licences are available through solutions@bodhih.com.
Does it work in my country?
The method works anywhere, for any cycle and any currency. The dated sheet covers the UK (England), India, the US, the UAE, Singapore and Australia as of October 2026. Working time, cover limits, supervision and background-check rules vary by country, state and contract, so check your regulator, contracts and HR adviser.
Does the kit replace our safeguarding policy?
No. It builds safeguarding into timetabling and cover: supervision points from your designated safeguarding lead, check status for every substitute, a briefing before the first lesson. Your safeguarding policy, your designated safeguarding lead and a qualified review remain essential. The templates are starting points, not legal documents.
What is an option block?
A set of subjects that run at the same time across a grade, so each student takes one subject from each block. Blocks are built from students' choices: subjects that many students take together must sit in different blocks.
How can I measure my starting point?
AssessAll assessments that fit this job (separate products, not included) include Budget & Resource Allocation Reasoning, the Workforce Planning and Scheduling Assessment for Contact Centre and Service Operations Teams, and Flowcharts & Process Logic. They give you or your team a baseline in resource allocation, scheduling judgment and process logic.
How do I turn this into a development plan for my team?
Most timetabling skill is learned by doing, with feedback. Jobulary's article Learn by doing: the 70-20-10 model explained shows how to build a development plan around real tasks, such as running the cover morning or one build stage with a mentor.
Can we use AI to build the timetable?
AI can draft, check and summarise: count option pairs, scan an export for clashes, suggest a duties rota or a cover allocation that follows your rule. A person decides every allocation and change. The 26 prompts in the kit say what to paste in and what to check, and never to paste student, health or safeguarding information.
How much does The School Timetable and Cover Planner cost?
₹999 including 18% GST for buyers in India, or $29 for buyers outside India. One-time payment, no subscription, with an automatic invoice.
How do I get the files after paying?
Instantly. Your download page opens the moment payment succeeds, and a permanent download link is emailed to you. Download each file separately or everything in one ZIP.
What software do I need?
Any of the usual tools: Excel or Google Sheets for spreadsheets, Word or Google Docs for templates, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Preview, Xodo or GoodNotes for the fillable PDFs, and Google, Outlook or Apple Calendar for the calendar plan.
Can I get a refund?
Because it is a digital download, kits are not refundable once downloaded. We always refund a duplicate charge or a failed delivery, and if a file is corrupted and we cannot fix it within 3 working days. Full terms: bodhih.org/refunds.
Can my company buy this for a team?
Yes. Team and company licences, and workshops on this topic run by Bodhih Training, are available. Write to solutions@bodhih.com or call +91 99000 11601.
