Guides

How to add a school timetable to Google Calendar or your iPhone

Updated Nov 10, 2026

To add a school timetable to Google Calendar or the iPhone Calendar app, create one repeating event per lesson (or per school day), set it to repeat weekly, or every 2 weeks for a week 1/week 2 timetable, and end the repeat on the last day of the school year. Expect 30 to 60 minutes for a secondary timetable. The quicker route is to subscribe once to a calendar link that already holds the timetable.

Before you start

• Have the timetable to hand: the PDF, a printout or the school app.
• Decide how much detail you need. One event per school day ("School 8:40–15:20") takes five minutes. One event per lesson takes much longer, but it tells you when PE is.
• Make a separate calendar for it, such as "Year 8 timetable". Then you can hide it with one tick during the holidays, and you can delete the lot in one go next September.
• Note the last day of the summer term from the school's term dates. You'll need it for every event.

Google Calendar (current web version)

Setting up repeats is easiest on a computer.

1. Open Google Calendar and create the separate calendar: next to Other calendars, click Add other calendars (the plus sign) › Create new calendar.
2. Click Create, then add the first lesson with its title, day and times, and choose your new calendar.
3. Next to Does not repeat, open the menu and choose Custom. Set it to repeat every 1 week, or every 2 weeks for a week 1/week 2 timetable.
4. In the same box, set it to end on the last day of the summer term, so the lessons don't carry on into the holidays and next year.
5. Click Save. Repeat for every lesson.

In the Google Calendar app on Android or iPhone it works the same way: tap Create › Event, then More options › Does not repeat.

iPhone Calendar (iOS 26 and later)

1. Open Calendar, tap the Calendars button, then Add Calendar › Add Calendar to make the separate calendar.
2. Go back to the week the timetable starts, tap + and enter the first lesson.
3. Tap Repeat. Choose a weekly repeat, or every 2 weeks for a week 1/week 2 timetable. Custom lets you pick several weekdays for the same lesson.
4. Tap End Repeat, choose On Date and set the last day of the summer term.
5. Check that the event is in your timetable calendar, then tap Done.

On iOS 18 the steps are the same; the Calendars button is a word at the bottom of the screen.

Week 1 and week 2

Enter week 1 starting from a Monday the school calls week 1, and week 2 starting from the Monday after it, both repeating every 2 weeks. Many schools keep their own count, though, and it doesn't always line up with a simple fortnightly repeat. Week 1/week 2 timetables explains when the repeat drifts and how to keep it right.

The half-term problem

A repeating event doesn't know about school holidays. Your calendar will show maths through half term, Christmas and Easter. You have three options:

• Hide the timetable calendar during each holiday (one tick).
• Delete the holiday weeks from each repeating event. On both phones you can delete just one occurrence, but you have to do it lesson by lesson.
• End every repeat at the start of each holiday and set it up again afterwards. That's the most accurate, and the most work.

How long it really takes

For a primary class, with one event per school day plus PE and swimming, plan for 10 to 15 minutes. For a secondary timetable with 25 to 30 lessons a week it's 30 to 60 minutes, and twice that for a two-week timetable. Every family does the same work, and again whenever a lesson moves. To save your partner doing it too, share the calendar.

Or subscribe once

If someone has already turned the timetable into a calendar link, you subscribe and the lessons appear. When the timetable changes, your calendar fetches the new version on its own. Subscribing to a calendar shows how on every phone. If your school app offers a timetable export, start there: which school apps can do that. With takt, one parent sends the class timetable as a photo or PDF and every family subscribes with one tap.

Frequently asked questions

Can I import a timetable into Google Calendar from a file?

Yes, if you have an .ics file: in Google Calendar on a computer, open Settings › Import and export and select the file. Google warns that imported events don't stay in sync, so later changes won't reach your calendar. A PDF or a photo can't be imported; you type it in or use a calendar link.

How do I add a timetable to my iPhone calendar?

Create a repeating event for each lesson in the Calendar app, with Repeat set to weekly or every 2 weeks and End Repeat set to the last day of the summer term. If you have a calendar link instead, subscribing is quicker: Calendars › Add Calendar › Add Subscription Calendar.

How do I stop the timetable showing during half term?

Keep the timetable in its own calendar and untick it in the calendar list for the holiday. Hiding doesn't delete anything; tick it again when school starts.