Starting a new timetable

Starting a new timetable is an exciting time. There are, however a few ways you can do this in NOVA. I wanted to explain some of them for you to consider.

The first way is to ‘transfer your curriculum’. This is where you define which blocks you want to be in each year group. You can define them in the same year group or move them into other year groups as well. Combined with this you can take the staff and resources with it (indicated by the face icon). This is ideal when you want to create a new timetable and keep all the staff in current year 10 classes as they move into year 11. This short video shows how to do this;

Once you transfer the curriculum you will have a new NOVA file which you can then work on. Be sure to rename it and save to your preferred location.

Another way you can start a new file is to start from scratch. Now this seems like a lot of work, but I would recommend that new timetablers do this if they can. It gives you an opportunity to use data that is up to date, and lets you put the right teachers and subjects into the file. It also lets you put your learning into practice. You will have to define everything from the cycle to the session lengths which is great for personal development.

The final way I will mention is that you can just copy the file and then reuse it (data> duplicate). This means that you have an exact copy which you can adapt. Remember to remove the SQL links so it doesn’t have the codes for this years timetable. Use tools | Remove SQL links (make sure this is on the new timetable only. Don’t remove them from the current file you have duplicated!). A good way to make sure you are in the right file is to add a colour to the file itself. This means that you can see straight away if you are in the right file. To do this go to data> edit colour, then choose your colour.

Whichever method you choose depends on your level of experience and how much time you have to dedicate to the process. There is no real ‘right way’.