We have updated our timetabling approach to support the University’s Student Success strategy, respond to student feedback, and help make their studies as manageable and flexible as possible.
Please familiarise yourself with the new timetabling principles, key dates and processes below. You can view our full timetabling principles and guidance on the Timetabling Sharepoint Site.
Timetable Principles
Our Academic Scheduling Delivery Group has worked with the Students’ Union to agree the following timetabling principles:
1. Campus travel
Students should only travel to campus where they have two+ hours of teaching.
2. Teaching days
Teaching should normally be scheduled across no more than three days per week.
3. Teaching blocks
No more than four consecutive hours of teaching without a break.
4. Gaps
Avoid gaps of more than three hours between on-campus sessions.
Timetable changes and publication to students
If you have a timetabling request, our Timetabling team will try their best to accommodate it. You will also have time to make changes to draft timetables before they are published to students.
Timeframe for 2026:
- Draft timetable available to staff from Monday 8 June to Monday 27 July – check quality, identify missing information - such as staffing or modules not yet requested, and any other issues.
- Publication to returning students on Monday 27 July – changes will now be visible to returning students.
What this means:
- Use the pre‑publication period to fix issues
- Treat published timetables as fixed
- Focus on must‑have rather than nice-to-have changes that improve student experience
- Control and justify to students any changes made to published timetables
