Overview
Some schools often choose to run a Headstart (Step-up, Flying Start or simliar) type program towards the end of Term 2/4 to either initiate students into their incoming Academic Year classes or to give them a set time frame (2-3 weeks) of trialling their incoming Academic Year classes.
This article will outline the options for managing the timetable based on the type of Headstart program your school chooses to run.
Academic and Calendar Years
In order to allow for more than one timetable in a Calendar year and to accommodate programs like Headstart, Compass uses a concept structure of Academic Years.
Academic Years are specifically not bound to a Calendar Year by design and the relevance can be set in the Configure Schedules section of each Compass Portal via the Tools (Cog) > Administration Tools menu.
If an Academic Year is set to relevant, this will be the default Subjects and Classes view that staff can access via Compass, so it is best to only ever have one set to 'Relevant' and of course the correct Academic Year for the time in question.
In order to access any information from a previous Academic Years (non-relevant), please navigate to the Teaching and Learning Menu (Pencil Icon) > Subjects and Classes > Select the Academic Year as required from the drop-down menu.
An Academic Year contains Subjects, Classes and Sessions. The Import Identifier is used to specifically identify an Academic Year for the purpose of imports, it is a code.
For Example: the identifier for 2025 would simply be '2025' and the Headstart Academic Year would be '2025HS'.
Headstart Options
There are 4 common options in relation to Headstart for schools. Please look at each Option below to ascertain which one applies to your school and then action your timetable accordingly.
Please Note: When implementing a Headstart program, it is important to consider when your classes will run (i.e. per term, per semester or all year) so that your class start and finish dates are set correctly at the beginning of the year, causing you less effort later in the year.
If your intended Headstart program does not fit any of the below options, or you need further advice, please contact our Support team to discuss on 03 9005 5217.
Option 1
The school operates on a Calendar year basis, students only undertake curriculum for their Year Level during the Calendar Year.
In this case, the school is essentially not running a Headstart program and so you will continue business as usual for 2024 and will synchronise your 2025 timetable for next year into an Academic Year labelled '2025'.
Please refer to the applicable Annual Rollover article (
Annual Rollover for Schools using Third Party timetables or
Annual Rollover for Schools using Schedule Builder for further details on this process and to ensure you meet the required timelines for this process.
Option 2
The school starts their 2024 timetable during the 2024 Calendar Year (i.e. students begin the curriculum for their 2025 Academic Year within the 2024 Calendar Year).
Schools operating under this option will need to:- Configure their 2025 schedule (refer to the Configure Schedule article for details on this process)
- Ensure only the 2025 Academic Year is set as 'Relevant'
- Sync the school's 2025 Timetable into the 2025 Academic Year
Option 3
The school does a period of time in 2024 on the 2025 Timetable to acclimatise students to their curriculum for next year. The timetable is then 'reset' when the Calendar Year ticks over. There is no expectation of Class continuity for the Headstart program into the 2025 Calendar Year.
The steps for this option are:- *Contact Compass Support to request a unique interim Academic Year be created for this period (03 9005 5217 or support@compass.edu.au). It will have it's own unique import identifier, for example '2025HS'
- The Headstart timetable is synchronised into this unique 2025HS (or similar) Academic Year
- The Headstart Academic Year (2025HS) is set as 'Relevant' (information on how to set an Academic Year as 'Relevant' is contained in the Configure Schedule article under the sub-heading 'Academic Years').
- When the Headstart program concludes, the unique Academic Year needs to be set to 'Not Relevant' and the standard 2025 Academic Year will need to be set as 'Relevant'
For the 2025 Calendar Year, the timetable will be synced into the standard 2025 Academic Year.
*Please Note: With regard to Headstart Option 3, if your school is doing a large portion of time in the new academic year timetable, i.e. Year 11 students are spending Term 4 in their Year 12 classes, you will need to import your timetable into the current academic year if you don't want 2 separate daily organisation files. Because external timetabling packages can import into one academic year at a time, we recommend, given the large amount of time, it's not ideal to be running DO out of 2 files (when you rollover edval for example, you would continue to import into 2025).
Option 4
The school runs a special program which is unrelated to this or next Calendar Year.
The steps for this option are the same for Option 3.
Compass Support
All schools need to have completed all steps of the Rollover process for their 2025 Timetable before Wednesday 15th January 2025.
The Compass Support Team is available for assistance throughout the year and can be contacted between 7am - 7pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) on 03 9005 5217 or support@compass.edu.au .
If you do not understand any part of this process or the steps required, or believe that you will not meet the 2025 Timetable deadline listed above please contact the Compass Support Team immediately.
It is extremely important to us that your school successfully sets up the required timetable option for your Headstart program and that the school is also ready to mark the roll from day one of term, without issue.
The first few days of term are extremely busy for both schools and the Compass Team, and troubleshooting calendar/schedule issues is complex and time consuming. For that reason, please do not leave this process until the last minute.
As stated, schools requesting support for all steps after the date above will incur an $800 support fee. In this circumstance, we also would be unable to guarantee that your portal will be ready for your first teaching day of term.