The domino effect of subject selection on your timetable
Students are making big decisions about their futures, administrative staff are trying to keep on top of all the paperwork and timetablers are doing their best to juggle all of the moving parts and prepare for line generation once subject preferences are submitted.
Subject selection isn’t just an administrative project all schools have to endure every year – it’s a critical foundation of the school’s timetable and thus the smooth operation of your school on a day-to-day basis.
And the knock-on effect of every single one of those subject selections has the potential to be massive.
The link between subject selection and timetabling
What is subject selection?
When we talk about subject selection, we’re referring to the process where students choose which subjects they will study in the coming year/s. Often, this involves considering what they may want to do after school so they can prepare for further study. In addition to future pathways (prerequisites, study requirements) it also involves weighing up their personal interests and strengths.
This typically happens months before the process of timetable building begins, however the outcomes underpin the whole process.
Of course, this process heavily influences the way a school shapes their curriculum planning, resources, and staffing. Subject selection determines which subjects run, how many classes are needed and what combinations must be accommodated. It impacts staffing needs, rooming and the flexibility of the timetable. If you'd like to learn more about how to improve subject selection processes in your school, take a look at this handy 3 Ways to improve subject selection at your school blog.
We’re sure you know all about the benefits of a good subject selection process, but what happens when this process performs poorly?
Impact for staff:
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Difficult curriculum planning – you may see a drop in lesson continuity and quality
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Teacher overload or underutilisation – burnout and inequity in teacher workloads can create friction and a noticeable decline in teacher wellbeing.
Impact for students
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Conflicts in allocating preferences meaning students miss out
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Missing out on subjects needed for future study means students may be restricted from meeting the necessary prerequisites for tertiary study after school
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Students may miss out on subjects which match their interests or goals, which can reduce engagement and performance
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Increased stress and anxiety students if the process is confusing or lacks guidance’
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Unbalanced class sizes – overcrowded/under-enrolled subjects can be inefficient and unfair
Impact for school
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Increased administrative strain on manual documentation or resolving issues
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Inefficient resourcing – not utilising the materials or facilities designed for low-demand subjects
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Incomplete or inaccurate data which leads to last-minute changes and administrative strain
Timetable dependencies on subject selection
Staffing and allocations
Subject demand dictates how many teachers are required for each course or curriculum area department. Errors in forecasting here can mean some departments are overstaffed, and others have shortages.
Rooming and facilities
Many specialised subjects, such as science, art or design tech, require specific facilities and equipment such as laboratories, or computers with specific software installed.
Considered planning at this stage allows a school to effectively utilise all rooms and avoid double-booking clashes.
Class sizes and equity
Uneven subject demand can lead to overcrowded or undersized classes – which means your teachers are spread thin or are not being utilised to their full potential. Not only this, but when students are missing out on high-demand subjects, there are equity and student satisfaction issues to manage.
Line generation
The complex process of generating subject lines for timetables is heavily dependent on the quality and balance of the subject selection data.
When student choices are uneven or contain errors, it creates conflicts that make line generation significantly more complex. Inflexible lines, often a result of these issues, limit the ability to accommodate students preferred subject combinations, leading to substandard outcomes for both students and schools.
Example scenarios of subject selection breaking the timetable
Overloaded electives, underused core subjects
Say a popular elective such as Psychology gets unprecedented interest with over 80 students selecting it, while General Mathematics, a core subject, receives only 15 enrolments.
This school will have to urgently reassign staff to cover this elective meaning other departments are understaffed, and other elective classes are likely split into multiple groups for line generation. Meanwhile, core classes are running with half-empty classrooms, wasting teacher time and resources.
To avoid this, ensure your process is closely monitored and has clear guidance for students, so you can minimise confusion and catch any issues early.
Last-minute student switches
In Term 4, long after subject selection has closed, there is a group of 10 students who wish to switch into Media Studies.
To accommodate these switches, a previously perfectly balanced timetable collapses in on itself. Elective lines need to be regenerated, class sizes rebalanced, and staffing schedules rewritten. All this change delays the release of the final timetable and frustrates everyone involved – from admin to teachers and to families.
Timetable tip: Our expert timetablers recommend waiting as long as possible before notifying students of the subjects they have been granted. You never know what will change!
Blocked access to senior subject combinations
A Year 11 student has her heart set on studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences when she finishes high school. To meet university prerequisites, she needs to study both Chemistry and Accelerated Mathematics. However, due to a rigid line structure that didn’t account for common senior subject pairings, both subjects were placed in the same elective line.
Compounding the issue, the subject selection process did not effectively capture or consider reserve preferences, which could have provided valuable insight into student demand and helped inform more flexible line design. As a result, the student was forced to drop one of her key subjects, limiting her post-school options and causing unnecessary stress for her, her family, and school staff.
Remain mindful of common senior subject selection combinations, such as Economics and Business Management, or Visual Arts and Drama
How being strategic with subject selection equals a stronger timetable
Involve timetablers and experts early in the process
Flag potential conflicts, share previous insights and learnings and suggest guidance/subject combinations.
Use data to guide your decision-making
Data on subject popularity and outcomes from previous years can help shape decision making. Use data to balance historical student interest (subjects may trend in/out of favour) with staffing and resource availability.
Use tools to make your life easier
Digital platforms such as Choice in Tes Timetable can help to streamline the subject selection process and even integrate it directly with your school’s master timetable. This reduces manual errors and administrative effort, improves visibility and collaboration, and makes the whole process easier and less stressful for all.
Conclusion
If you’re ready to transform your school’s subject selection process and make sure those dominos are landing exactly where you want them to, get in touch with our team to discover how our school timetabling software, Tes Timetable, and its advanced Choice feature can work for you and your students.