Hello,
I’m new here and I need some advice on software for creating a timetable for teachers and which can arrange substitutions for absent teachers (manual input is fine too).
Is Gibbon able to do both? Regarding the first point, I’ve found FET and unitime amongst the open source options. What are the advantages and disadvantages of each solution? For the second point, I’m not entirely sure whether they’re capable of doing this (there is a new FET Substitutions Manager).
Thank you
Hi Alfredo, welcome to the community!
Gibbon: it covers substitutions well and timetabling only partly.
Timetabling: Gibbon has no automatic timetable generator. You build the timetable in Timetable Admin (days, columns, periods, classes, teachers, rooms), either by hand or by import. Once it’s in, teachers and students see their timetables, and Gibbon handles room bookings and facility changes.
Substitutions: Recent versions have staff absence and coverage tools in the Staff module. Staff record absences, coverage can go to internal staff or external substitutes, and substitute availability is tracked. Covered lessons show on the substitute’s timetable. Manual input is fine here, as you said.
FET vs UniTime
FET: A desktop app that generates timetables automatically from your constraints (teacher availability, max gaps, room types, etc.). It is very flexible and well suited to K-12 schools. The downsides are a learning curve for the constraint setup, and it’s a standalone tool with no live data or multi-user access.
UniTime: A web-based system aimed mainly at universities (course and exam timetabling, student sectioning). It’s powerful, but it needs a server stack to install and maintain, which is usually overkill for a school. It also isn’t built around day-to-day substitutions.
I haven’t used the FET Substitutions Manager, so check its documentation to see whether it fits your workflow.
A practical setup: generate the timetable in FET, load it into Gibbon, and let Gibbon handle daily operations like absences and substitutes. Gibbon has import tools that make the loading step manageable, and I’m happy to go into how that works if you’re interested.
If you tell us your school size and number of teachers, people here can give more specific advice.
ALFREDO
LAS DOS OPCIONES QUE PROPONES SON [POSIBLE EN GIBBON Y DE FORMA MUY SENCILLA NOSOTROS LLEVAMOS ALGUN TIEMPO TRABJANDO CON GIBBON Y AUNQUE A VECES TENEMOS ALGUNAS DIFICULTADES PORQUE NO CONTAMOS CON UN INGENIERO DE SISTMAS QUE NOS AYUDE A SOLUCIONAR ALGUNO PROBLEMAS, CON TODA SEGURIDAD TE CUENTO QUE NO HE ENCONTRADO OTRA BASE DE DATOS QUE NOS PRESTE LOS MISMOS SERVICIOS DE GIBBON
ARRIESGATE Y VERAS QUE VALE LA PENA
Thank you for your detailed reply. My school has around 2000 students and 200 teachers and staff members. I could use FET+Gibbon to create the timetable and then the substitutions.
Using FET was just a suggestion — I haven’t had to use it before myself.
What format are your timetables currently in — Excel, Word, PDF — or are you starting from scratch? It might be possible to go straight from your existing format to the Gibbon import files, without needing FET at all.
Roughly how many classes or sections are we talking about, and do all teachers follow the same cycle (e.g. a 6-day rotation), or does it vary by grade? And would you be able to share a page from one of your timetables, just to see what the structure looks like?
What software are you using? Are you doing it manually?
I’m using FET, so I can generate files in .xlsx, .ods or .pdf format (from .csv). Of course, I could use different software if I found something better.
The number of classes varies between 80 and 100 depending on various factors; the cycle can be 6 days with a morning rotation or 5 days with a morning rotation plus one afternoon. The number of lessons per day can vary between 5, 6 and 7.
No dedicated software on my end — you could call it manual, but really it’s macros and scripts I’ve developed to transform Excel timetables into the appropriate Gibbon import files. It all depends on the school’s timetable structure.
Since you’re already generating .xlsx from FET, that’s workable. With 80–100 classes and a mixed 5/6-day cycle with morning/afternoon rotations, the structure will need some care, but it’s the kind of thing these scripts are built to handle.