A schedule of events that organizes school activities throughout the day, week, term or year. For each activity, a timetable generally specifies a starting and an ending time. Typically the shortest duration on the timetable is called a period. The length of a period varies from country to country and it may vary for different levels of education and types of schools, ranging between 30 and 60 minutes. Time as a resource must be adequately and equitably distributed, depending on the recommended number of periods and the subjects in the curriculum. Some factors that influence timetabling include: the length of the school day, week and year; the number of required contact hours or recommended periods; the number of subjects in the curriculum; the number of teachers; and the availability of facilities.
(Adapted from: SADC & COL 2000).
