Peer Tutoring Schedule Import

This guide explains peer tutoring schedule import for peer-support coordinators and supervising teachers. 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.

Peer tutoring schedules connect tutor groups, participating pupils and the adults responsible for the programme. Some pupils may attend support in one subject and help another group later, so simple group labels can hide shared commitments. Record the agreed activity and neutral group identities before choosing time slots. Then distinguish preparation, the tutoring session and any staff review. This helps the coordinator allocate rooms and supervision while preserving the rest of the school timetable.

It also makes a pupil or teacher absence easier to review without implying that scheduling software selects suitable tutors or assesses learning needs.

Peer Tutoring 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 sheet calls the same pupil group Tutors 2 in one row and T2 in another. It also includes learning notes beside participant names. Those values should not create duplicate group identities or become operational titles in an imported timetable for general circulation.

Prepare a minimal scheduling copy with stable group codes and approved staff names. Keep learning notes in their existing school record system. Test a tutor group that has two programme roles using the current import template before loading the full set of sessions.

Check the result: The imported sample connects both roles to the intended group and preserves the correct activities, while operational labels contain no private learning notes or duplicate groups created by inconsistent shorthand in the source.

Peer Tutoring 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

Use the programme’s actual overlap patterns when evaluating software. Include one pupil group that participates in two roles and a supervisor with teaching duties. Ask the coordinator to change one session and explain the effect on both groups. Tutor selection, safeguarding arrangements and support decisions remain with the school’s responsible staff; the schedule should make their approved operational choices clear.

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 peer tutoring?

• Overlooking pupils who have more than one role.
• Treating a tutor absence as permission to merge groups automatically.
• Including private learning information in shared schedule labels.

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.