Option Blocks Schedule Import

This guide explains option blocks schedule import for academic coordinators and subject allocation teams. Start by preparing clean scheduling data and checking a small sample. Then use the example and checks below to agree a practical next step with the people who run the schedule.

Option blocks place several teaching groups into the same part of the school timetable. The groups may run in parallel, but teachers, rooms and pupil memberships still connect them. Record the approved grouping decisions before placing dated activities. Then review each block as both a set of simultaneous sessions and a collection of individual commitments. This helps the academic team see whether a proposed arrangement fits the available resources. It also makes the effect of a teacher or room change easier to explain.

Subject choices, curriculum decisions and pupil allocation remain with the school’s established academic process.

Option Blocks Schedule Import: worked example

Illustrative planning example. The numbers and timings below explain a possible situation; they are not customer results or required staffing standards.

The source workbook uses Option A for several different year groups. It also contains both a draft allocation sheet and the approved version. Importing the whole file could create duplicate activities or combine unrelated pupil groups under the same operational label in the resulting schedule.

Select the approved planning copy and create distinct year-and-group codes. Preserve parallel block labels as the current template supports. Test one complete block and compare group, teacher and room assignments before importing the remaining dated activities into the draft for academic review and release.

Check the result: The sample contains only the approved activities, with distinct group identities and correct simultaneous assignments rather than duplicates from an obsolete allocation sheet or merged groups created by repeated option labels across different year groups.

Option Blocks Schedule Import: setup checklist

Prepare a minimal scheduling copy

Choose the approved source workbook before preparing an import. A department folder may contain earlier proposals, combined sheets and individual requests for the same activity. Compare them before loading anything. Then use stable codes for staff, groups, rooms and equipment. Keep operational titles clear and remove private notes that do not belong in shared timetable views. Dates and times need consistent values, especially when some cells contain text. Preserve the original file so the coordinator can trace a mapping decision. Finally, prepare the working copy against the current supported import template.

A clean source makes it easier to distinguish an import problem from an unresolved planning decision already present in the spreadsheet.

Test a complete school sequence first

Choose a small sample containing the relationships that matter to the programme. Include a shared teacher, a participant group with two activities and a resource handover where relevant. Then map the fields using the current import template and supported format. Compare the resulting activities with the approved source, including dates, durations and identities. Similar labels can create duplicate resources or split one person into several records. Therefore, inspect more than the total row count. Ask the programme owner to review one complete sequence before loading the remaining data.

Keep a record of the accepted mapping and confirm the full import totals afterwards so the same issue does not recur in a later school planning cycle.

Questions to ask before choosing software

Test a real approved block with a shared teacher and a specialist room requirement. Ask the academic coordinator to follow one pupil group through the proposed sequence, then change a session. The useful result is a clear operational clash review. Do not assume the tool collects subject choices, automatically creates optimal option combinations or replaces a dedicated curriculum-planning process without confirming those capabilities separately.

Bring a representative example to your evaluation. Review the current VeloRoster plan and its limits and Try interactive demo → that reflects your team’s people, spaces and timing needs.

Frequently asked questions

What should we avoid when planning option blocks?

• Assuming parallel sessions cannot share a teacher or pupil conflict.
• Treating a room substitution as a change to pupil subject choices.
• Copying unapproved grouping drafts into a released teaching schedule.

Review these points with the activity owner before you approve the plan.

Can we import the school’s existing spreadsheet unchanged?

Compare it with the current supported template first. Standardise identities, dates and separate activity rows where needed. Then test a small complete sequence. Existing spreadsheets often combine planning notes and bookings, so the coordinator should prepare a clear operational working copy before loading the full programme.

Should private pupil notes appear in the imported labels?

Use neutral group and activity codes for the operational timetable. Keep learning, admissions or permission records in the school’s approved process. Then review the imported sample and its outputs. Shared labels should contain the information readers need to follow the programme, without unrelated personal notes.

What is a better check than counting imported rows alone?

Compare one complete teacher, group and resource sequence with the approved source. Check dates, durations and stable identities as well as totals. Then review duplicate-looking records. A matching row count can still conceal an incorrect room mapping or one person split across several names.

Take the next step. Explore the VeloRoster interactive demo with sample data, then check your requirements against the current access and pricing details. Keep the operational decisions in this guide with the people responsible for your organisation’s schedule.