Primary & infant
Suggested playground and lunch zones, a weekly template, and same-day cover when someone calls in sick.
Every slot covered, every day.
When someone calls in sick at 07:40, the office gets a worked-out board instead of a blank spreadsheet. From a small primary playground rota to a secondary school with teaching-slot clash checks — as simple or as capable as you need.
- 3-month trialFull product on your own data
- Clear cover rulesSuggestions you can check before publish
- Priced by rota seatsUnlimited admin logins
- Built for trustsSSO, SCIM and multi-site
The day
See every slot before the playground fills
Today is the board for break, lunch and cover. Build it from your weekly template, update it when absences come in, and publish when SLT is happy.
More on Today and coverReporting
Coverage figures you can share
See gaps closed on the day, how evenly duties are shared, and when boards are published. View one school or the whole trust.
For trusts and MATsFlexible setup
As simple or as capable as you need
SchoolRota is not a teaching timetable builder — it is the operational board for duties and cover. The setup wizard adapts to your school type, and you only turn on what you need.
Secondary & special
Corridor, gate and dining rotas. Import teaching slots so cover never clashes with a lesson. Capability rules for qualified staff.
All-through & trusts
Mixed-phase zones, week A/B timetables, multi-site supply pools, SSO/SCIM and trust-wide reporting.
For the people who keep the day running
Spreadsheets fall apart when someone calls in sick. SchoolRota keeps the planned rota, the live day and cover suggestions in one place.
Today board
Break, lunch and cover on one published board. Filter by zone or person and keep a version history of changes.
Cover that follows your rules
When someone is off, SchoolRota suggests cover based on grades, capabilities and fairness. You confirm before staff are notified.
Weekly plan, daily board
Set the weekday pattern once. Turn it into each day's board in the morning, then update it when things change.
Simple or capable
Start with playground and lunch duty at a small primary. Add teaching-slot imports and corridor rotas when you need them.
Who it is for
Any school that runs a duty rota
Rotas are built from zones, time windows and staffing requirements, so nothing is tied to a particular phase or size. If your staff cover a playground, a dining hall, a corridor or a gate, it fits.
Primary and infant schools
Playground, lunch hall and gate duties across a small team, where one absence changes the whole morning.
Secondary and all-through
Break, lunch, corridor and gate duty across a large staff list. Import teaching slots so duties avoid lesson clashes.
Special and alternative provision
Higher staffing ratios and named capabilities, with rules that stop a slot being filled by someone unqualified.
Trusts, federations and groups
Several schools under one organisation, one seat pool, shared sign-in and reporting across every site.
How it works
- 1
Choose your school type
Pick primary, secondary, special or all-through and get matching zone presets. Add staff, zones and your weekly template.
- 2
Create today's board
One click turns the weekly template into a dated daily board.
- 3
Record absences
The office logs who is off. SchoolRota suggests cover before anything is published.
- 4
Publish
Check the gaps, confirm the board, and notify staff.
One trust, many schools
MATs get a site switcher, shared SSO, SCIM site mapping, cross-site supply and trust-wide reporting. Staff and billing stay in one place.
Trust features- Multi-site signup at the start
- Separate rotas and setup per school
- One seat pool for the trust
- Analytics across sites
Common questions
- What is SchoolRota?
- SchoolRota is operational staffing software for UK schools: duty rotas, break and lunch cover, and same-day changes. You keep a weekly template, turn it into a daily board, and use a rules-based cover engine when people are off. It does not build your teaching timetable, but you can import teaching slots to avoid clashes.
- Who is it for?
- School offices, duty leads and SLT in UK schools of any phase, including primary, secondary, all-through, special and independent. Trusts and federations can run several schools in one organisation with shared sign-in and reporting.
- Does it work for secondary schools?
- Yes. Duty rotas are built from zones, time windows and staffing requirements rather than a fixed phase model, so break, lunch, corridor and gate duty work the same at any size. SchoolRota does not build your teaching timetable, but you can import teaching slots so it never puts someone on duty during a lesson.
- How does the free trial work?
- You get three months free after card checkout. That includes your school portal, setup wizards and the core product. Billing starts after the trial unless you cancel.
- Does SchoolRota replace our MIS?
- No. It is for duty and cover rotas. You can optionally import teaching slots to avoid clashes, but your MIS stays the system of record for pupils and classes.
- Can we start simple and add complexity later?
- Yes. Choose your school type during setup and SchoolRota suggests the right zones and steps. A small primary can run playground and lunch duty only. Secondary and all-through schools can add teaching-slot imports, week A/B anchors and corridor rotas when ready — nothing is forced on day one.
- Can our trust use SSO and SCIM?
- Yes. Owners can set up OIDC sign-in and SCIM for Entra ID, Okta or Google Workspace. Site membership can come from IdP attributes or group names.
Try it with your school
Start a free trial and set up your portal when you are ready.