Tes launches Timetable 2.0 to help schools build smarter timetables in hours, not weeks

• New cloud-based platform uses AI to automate one of the most time-consuming jobs in schools, reducing reliance on spreadsheets and specialist expertise

Tes has today launched Timetable 2.0 Essentials, a new cloud-based timetabling platform designed to help primary and secondary schools create, manage and adapt bespoke timetables in hours rather than weeks.

Unlike traditional specialist timetabling software, which often requires weeks of training and can lock schools into complex systems, Timetable 2.0 Essentials is designed for ease of use. Built to integrate directly with management information systems, Timetable 2.0 Essentials imports school data automatically and uses AI to generate a working timetable in hours. Schools can then refine allocations, room usage and staffing with just a few clicks, replacing manual processes that often rely on spreadsheets, paper records and institutional knowledge held by a single member of staff.

School timetabling has become increasingly complex, with leaders balancing part-time staff, job shares, specialist and elective subject requirements, split year groups and last-minute absences. For many schools, small changes can create significant disruption, leaving leadership teams with little flexibility ahead of the new academic year.

Tes Timetable 2.0 Essentials addresses these challenges through a guided, step-by-step workflow that enables any member of the leadership team to contribute to or take ownership of the process. By automating timetable generation and providing a clear overview of staff allocations, room usage and potential clashes, schools can spend less time managing logistics and more time making informed decisions about teaching, staffing and student outcomes. Because the process is captured within the platform rather than relying on one individual’s expertise, critical knowledge stays with the school even when timetabling responsibilities change.

For primary schools more specifically, it gives schools the flexibility to build timetables around varied lesson lengths and scheduling structures, while making it easier to coordinate additional teaching support, including buddy teaching and targeted learner interventions. Its integrated Cover feature also enables schools to schedule support teachers and teaching assistants, instantly notify staff of changes and manage last-minute cover requirements with minimal administration.

Rod Williams, CEO at Tes, said: “Creating a school timetable is one of the most demanding operational tasks leaders face each year, yet too many schools are still relying on spreadsheets, whiteboards and even sticky notes that depend on the expertise and knowledge of a single individual. Timetable 2.0 removes that complexity and dependency. By using the power of AI, combined with a guided workflow process, we’re helping schools to optimise their timetables for pupils and teachers alike, in a fraction of the time that they’re used to, while giving leadership teams the ability to adapt more quickly as circumstances change.”

The platform also empowers schools to organise pupils into custom groups, apply school-specific constraints and manage teacher cover more effectively. Timetables can be shared with students and staff, making access simple and secure, while teachers can be kept up to date automatically whenever timetable changes are made. As a cloud-based solution, it ensures timetable data remains securely accessible from anywhere.

Timetable 2.0 Essentials is the latest addition to Tes’ portfolio of school management solutions, supporting more than 14 million educators worldwide with technology that helps schools operate more effectively. Future enhancements will support more collaborative planning, growing SEND requirements, increasingly complex technical and vocational curricula, and greater flexibility in how schools manage their people and resources.