This document discusses factors that influence school timetables and curriculum planning. It outlines the various courses and qualifications offered in Irish schools at junior and senior cycle levels. It also describes the focus on student learning and skill development. Key considerations in timetable planning include the school context, resources, and balancing curriculum choices. Ongoing review aims to improve student engagement and learning quality at different stages.

2. School context – Influences on timetable

Size

Single sex or mixed

Age and tradition

Facilities and resources

Patron and trustees

Principal/Management team

Students and their parents

Teachers

3. Courses

Junior certificate

Junior Certificate Schools Programme

Transition Year

Leaving Certificate

Leaving Certificate Applied

Further Education

4. Curriculum Choices
Broad and balanced
Flexible and responsive
The Arts?
Music, drama, dance

Core subjects
Science?

Non-exam subjects
P.E., S.P.H.E.,Guidance?

Option subjects
Taster?

LCVP
Status?

e-learning
Priority ?


5. 
Ist Year –critical


2nd Year


3rd year
NCCA Research

Connect with the
Primary.
Critical Year for
student engagement
Levels and uptake
Value –added dimension

7. 
What is working well.........?

What would be even better if......

8. The focus is
on...
•Students making a greater connection with learning
•Improving the quality of learning that takes place
•Ensuring literacy, numeracy and key skills are
embedded in the learning
8

9. Learning
•What a student will learn described in statements of
essential learning across a number of areas of
learning?
•The skills of literacy and numeracy and other key
skills embedded in areas of learning and the
curriculum?
9

10. 10

11. A new Framework for Junior Cycle?
Assessment
• Assessment playing a major part in everyday learning
over the three years of junior cycle?
• Students being more responsible for gathering and
presenting evidence of their learning?
• Teachers judging, giving feedback, and reporting on
that evidence?

12. A new Framework for Junior Cycle?
Qualifications
• Two new qualifications?
• Smaller qualifications with caps on the number of
curriculum components, giving schools more space
and time to spend on their junior cycle programme, on
literacy, numeracy and key skills?

13. 
Transition Year

Pisa Observations

5th year

Great challenge

6th Year

Need for support.
Progression
Observation

14. NCCA 5 key skills for senior cycle

Information processing

Personal effectiveness

Communicating

Critical and creative thinking

Working with others
These skills have been identified as central to teaching and
learning across the curriculum in senior cycle

15. The choices- information of family and
friends-50% and 33% respectively with Career
Guidance~10%. However, the lower the socioeconomic grouping the more critical the
school in guiding the student.

16. 
What is working well........?

What would be even better if......?

17. Timetable

Blueprint for the curriculum

Engine of the school

Statement of the school’s ethos- Mission statement

Stages

Timetabler v Scheduler software
Planning
Class Scheduling
SEN scheduling
Implementing

18. SEN
SEN scheduling
When
How
Who
Teachers
Role of SENO

19. Restrictions

Number of periods in the week

Teacher allocation and class size

Inherited arrangements

A. Ps. On 18 hours

Room availability

Teacher with a single subject

Lack of teachers for a specific subject

20. Inspection recommendations





The full allocation for guidance, learning support, special
education needs and newcomer students should be used for
their intended purpose
All teachers timetables should meet the Depts. contractual
requirements
The school management and staff should revise the policy of
streaming in all subjects and should use a policy of banding
and mixed ability setting
A review of the school timetable should be undertaken in the
medium to short term
The senior in-school management team should take greater
responsibility for the planning and development of the school
timetable and ensure students’ needs are given first
priority
Quotations from two WSE reports

21. 
Curriculum planning

Teacher Capacity
(See handouts)