Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2 3

Original poster

to ask if anyone can tell me the point of a 2 week timetable?

75 replies

freddiefrog · 11/09/2013 20:53

Eldest daughter started secondary school last week.

They have a 2 week timetable which just serves to confuse the dickens out of everyone, mostly me

Helpfully , school haven't indicated on the timetable which side is week one and which side is week two, meaning that we both got thoroughly confused this morning and she ended up needlessly carting her games kit around all day.

I had been going on the assumption that this week was week 2. Their first week was last week and I wrongly thought that that would be week 1, being week 1 in the term and all that.

I'm sure she'll find her feet soon and it'll all make sense, but dear god, they don't make it easy for you.

Is there a point to it that I'm missing? She has the same lessons each week, just on different days depending on which week it is.

OP posts:

lljkk · 11/09/2013 21:32

My secondary we had the same timetable every day; I find the English system ridiculous, one or 2 week makes no difference.

Good thing about Dd's 2 week schedule is that she has many days with only 3 subjects, so not many books to carry around.

DeepPurple · 11/09/2013 21:33

We had a two week timetable when I was at school and that was a long time ago!

ILoveOnionRings · 11/09/2013 21:33

In her planner does say what week it is next to the date?

ExitPursuedByADragon · 11/09/2013 21:35

Crikey. Never heard of this.

noblegiraffe · 11/09/2013 21:36

Our KS3 classes have 7 lessons of maths a fortnight, 3 one week, 4 the next. If it were a one week timetable, we'd probably lose one of those lessons.

Our student homework diaries have which week it is.

ILoveOnionRings · 11/09/2013 21:36

I am sat here trying to visualise out timetables - I think they say on the day Mon 1, Tues 1 and then Mon 2, Tues 2 for week 2.

Original poster

freddiefrog · 11/09/2013 21:37

No, there's no dates or anything.

1 A4 sheet with a table headed Monday - Friday, periods 1 - 5 and all these codes for each lesson - Gg = geography (I presume), Ga = Games, etc.

No dates, nothing.

I think we've worked it out now by the fact she didn't have games today, therefore it's week 1

I hope

OP posts:

lljkk · 11/09/2013 21:43

We had no info about which week they started on, either, Although DS reckoned it was always Wk1 (goes to a different school from DD and Ds not generally clued up about much).

Mine have lockers so PE kit stays there most the time, anyway.

OldBeanbagz · 11/09/2013 21:45

My new Y7 DD has started at a school which has just changed over to a 2 week timetable.

Apparently it's causing a lot of confusion with the older kids but we're new to the school so it's not really been a problem. We were used to having alternate weeks for some subjects at primary too.

The only confusing thing is that some after school activities are only on the B week so i'm going to have to get DD to write everything in her planner.

Dancergirl · 11/09/2013 21:50

Yup, 2 week timetable.

OP, it should say what week it is on the schools website probably on the calendar.

Dds school also have just 5 periods each day, each one is an hour. I think it's brilliant, an hour is a perfect length for a lesson. 35 mins too short to get much done and 1hr 10 mins is too long! Also only 5 different subjects a day gives them a chance to digest what they've learnt.

Dancergirl · 11/09/2013 21:51

Yup, 2 week timetable.

OP, it should say what week it is on the schools website probably on the calendar.

BlackeyedSusan · 11/09/2013 21:53

oh fantastic, one dyspraxic and one asd child... that is going to be hell...

exoticfruits · 11/09/2013 22:15

My DCs always had it. I got them to write them out and then pinned them up, the right week on top.it was never a problem.

Screwfox · 11/09/2013 22:26

Blackeyed. I know of kids more disadvantaged than that who cope fine

elinorbellowed · 11/09/2013 22:30

The point is to drive teachers insane. not bitter at all, oh no, not me

MissBetseyTrotwood · 11/09/2013 22:34

I've taught in schools using both. I prefer the two week; invariably there's always one class that has most of their lessons at difficult times and a fortnightly timetable gives more flexibility.

Agreed that, wrt the planning and preparing, laminate the timetable if you can, then flip it each week in the planner, sticking it back in with sellotape.

The fortnightly school had a large number of children on the autistic spectrum (there was an on site unit) and the flipping timetable seemed to work fine. One boy had a small laminated copy attached to his belt loop on a stretchy keyring thing so if he was unsure he could check. Obv his parents would change it each week.

MrsAMerrick · 11/09/2013 22:44

I thought all secondaries had 2 week timetables? Our DCs planners have which week is A and B inside, its also on the school website. TBH, it's never been a problem. You'll get used to it!

Spikeytree · 11/09/2013 22:49

We don't have a 2 week timetable but we do have 30 periods a week (50 mins each). I hated the 2 week timetable in my last school.

eddiemairswife · 11/09/2013 23:21

HattieJack Did you go to my old school? We had a 7 day timetable, but never expected our parents to worry about what day it was. Surely at secondary school it's up to the pupils to remember when to take PE kit etc.

HattyJack · 11/09/2013 23:40

Did your school have a North block, a South block and a weird hinterland in-between with rooms mysteriously numbered 61, 62 and 63, eddiemairswife?

namechangesforthehardstuff · 11/09/2013 23:56

Afaik from talking to timetablers a two week timetable is thought to be the last resort of a scoundrel. it's tricky to do a timetable no doubt and if you can't make it work the two week option is your friend. This is good because timetablers have very few friends...

So YANBU.

cantspel · 12/09/2013 00:02

my son has a 2 week time table and i have no idea what week he is on but he does which is all that matters. He also has his planner so knows when each homework was set and when due and i leave him to get on with it.

MrsCakesPremonition · 12/09/2013 00:02

"Surely at secondary school it's up to the pupils to remember when to take PE kit etc." - probably, but it's nice to think that a child who has got confused might be allowed to ask one of their parents for some help, especially less than 2 weeks after starting a new school.

MortifiedAdams · 12/09/2013 00:03

Write A on one timetable and B on the other.

Go through her planner (her, not you), amd write A or B on the.monday of each week according to which it is.

cantspel · 12/09/2013 00:06

surely they dont get confused as they will know the lessons they had that day so if unsure they look at the planner and see which lessons are set for the following day.

Flip

1 2 3