School timetable generator: lessons and PPA on the same grid

Spreadsheets take weeks and hide clashes. Atlas builds the weekly timetable with teaching hours and the teacher’s PPA / complementary hours together — then you edit, publish and export. Free 24 hour trial on your school’s data.

What a timetable lead actually needs

Taught hours and PPA / complementary hours on the same weekly grid.

Hard constraints by teacher and subject; simultaneous groups; consecutive blocks (including split-day vocational).

Drag-and-drop on the grid without breaking a whole-block lesson.

Publish a read-only version for staff; see what changed versus the published grid.

Excel, ICS and print for SLT and the staffroom.

Request the free 24 h trial: login by email, generate and export for one day. No credit card. The licence fee is sent by email.

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Why spreadsheets fail the timetable lead

The weekly grid looks similar every year, but clashes explode: part-time staff, shared rooms, consecutive vocational blocks, simultaneous groups, break duty and PPA / complementary hours that still have to sit on the same timetable as taught lessons.

A spreadsheet stores names well. It does not stop you putting a teacher in two rooms, splitting a four-hour workshop, or publishing a grid that then unravels in the staffroom.

Mistakes that cost a week in September

Filling taught hours first and leaving PPA / complementary hours as leftover scraps.
Ignoring blocked windows (meetings, part-time days, non-contact).
Splitting a consecutive vocational block across a break or the lunch split.

A method that survives contact with the staffroom

Lock the data: teachers, classes, assignments and the rules SLT already agreed.
Pilot one year group or course so the engine respects the hard rules.
Drag the remaining clashes on the grid without breaking whole-block lessons.
Publish read-only for staff and export Excel or ICS.

What belongs in a timetable tool (and what does not)

Atlas is for the timetable, not a full MIS: no grades, admissions or parent billing. Fast / medium / normal runs, then you still edit by hand. Export so SLT and heads of department see the same file.

Per-teacher constraints and optional weekly windows.
Taught hours and PPA / complementary hours on one grid.
Whole consecutive blocks, including a break or a split day.
Export for the staffroom and the archive.

Frequently asked questions about the free trial

Is the 24 h trial really free?

Yes. You receive a temporary account by email with no credit card. It expires 24 hours after activation and helps you validate fit before purchasing a licence.

Can I use real school data?

Yes, and that is recommended. You can test teacher constraints, vocational or secondary modules and export with your own structure.

How is this different from a fully free tool with no support?

Atlas targets centres that need advanced rules, coherent editing and commercial support. The trial measures value on your real case, not an empty demo.

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