Timetable groups
Understand the weekly template that groups levels for a term — why you create more than one, and which actions you can take.
A timetable group is a weekly template for a term and a chosen set of levels. It holds the repeating week plan (which class has which subject, teacher, room, and period) and the rules used to build it. It is the pattern of the week — not yet a dated lesson on a specific calendar day.
Who this is for
Academic planners and administrators who organise and compare school schedules.
What a group is
| Piece | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Name | A label you choose, e.g. Term 1 — Primary or Option B — shorter Friday. |
| Term | The term this weekly plan belongs to. |
| Levels | Which levels are covered by this group. |
| Timetable config | The days, hours, and breaks this group's week uses. See Timetable config. |
| Weekly grid | The filled (or draft) schedule for each class in those levels. |
When you later activate the group, the weekly template is turned into real class sessions with dates and times. See Activate and class sessions.
Why create more than one group
Common reasons:
- Separate level setups — Grade 1 uses one day shape (hours and breaks); Grades 2–3 use another. Each group points at the matching timetable config.
- Variants and trials — Build Option A and Option B, compare them, and activate only the one you choose. Draft groups stay invisible to teachers and families.
- Special weeks — A different pattern for an exam week or a shortened week, while keeping the normal week as another group.
You can also clone a group as a new draft so you keep the same rules but start with an empty grid to try a new arrangement.
Where groups live
Go to Academic → Timetable → Groups. Open a group to edit its grid, run the generator, tune constraints, or change its status.
Group statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Draft | Only planners can see and edit it. Not live for the school. |
| Active | The live weekly plan for its levels. Creates class sessions. |
| Inactive | No longer generating sessions; editing is allowed again after deactivate. |
| Archived | Kept for history; no longer the live plan. |
Locked can apply on top of a status: while locked, you cannot drag lessons or save grid edits until you unlock (or deactivate, if it was active).
Actions you can take
| Action | When you'd use it |
|---|---|
| Create | Start a new weekly template for a term, levels, and config. |
| Clone as new draft | Copy the group's policy and setup into a new draft with an empty grid — good for a fresh variant. |
| Generate | Let the generator fill the week. See Generate and activate. |
| Edit by hand | Move lessons, change rooms, pin lessons you want to keep. |
| Lock / Unlock | Protect a finished draft, or freeze an active group from accidental edits. |
| Activate | Make this the live week for its levels and create dated class sessions. |
| Deactivate | Stop live use, allow edits again, then re-activate when ready. |
| Archive | Keep the group for reference when it is no longer live. |
| Print / views | Review or print by class, teacher, or room. |