Planning a dance school timetable that fills classes
A timetable is your product and your cost base at the same time. Every empty half hour of hall hire is money gone, and every awkward gap between siblings' classes is a reason for a family to leave.
Start with families, not the hall
Group sibling-friendly ages back to back so one trip covers two dancers. Cluster younger classes early on Saturdays and after school, and keep senior or exam work later in the evening.
Set a capacity per class and mean it
- Pre-school: small groups, typically 10–12 with a helper
- Recreational juniors: 15–20 depending on floor space
- Exam and graded classes: cap to protect teaching quality
- Open a waiting list rather than squeezing in extras
Protect your teachers
Back-to-back teaching across two venues is how cover requests start. Build in travel time, and keep a shortlist of cover teachers with the right DBS status already on file.
Review capacity every half term
Two or three chronically half-empty classes will quietly cost you a hall hire slot each week. Merge them, move them or change the age band — and use the freed slot for the class with a waiting list.