Guides

Week 1 and week 2 timetables explained

Updated Nov 10, 2026

A week 1/week 2 timetable (also called week A/week B, or a two-week timetable) repeats every fortnight instead of every week, so Monday in week 1 has different lessons from Monday in week 2. The school decides which week is which. There is no national rule, so the only reliable answer to "is it week 1 or week 2?" is the school's own calendar.

How schools decide week 1 and week 2

Most secondary schools with a two-week timetable publish the cycle with their term dates: a list, a calendar on the website, or a "Week 1" label on the timetable in the school app. Schools handle holidays in different ways:

• The cycle continues through holidays. Holiday weeks still count, so after a one-week half term the week flips.
• The cycle pauses over holidays. The week after half term carries on from the last week before it.
• The cycle restarts. Every term, or every half term, begins with week 1 again.
• Some schools adjust by hand, for example around INSET days, exams or a bank holiday Monday.

Ask the school office or check the newsletter if it isn't written down anywhere. Two schools in the same town can be on different weeks.

Why "every 2 weeks" goes wrong

A repeating event in Google Calendar or on an iPhone counts calendar weeks, including holiday weeks. It has no idea what the school is doing.

An example: the autumn term starts in week 1 and runs seven weeks before half term. The school pauses the cycle over half term, so the first week back is week 2. Your "every 2 weeks" rule also counted the half-term week, so it shows week 1's lessons. Every lesson is now in the wrong week until Christmas, and nothing on your phone tells you.

The same happens in reverse when a school restarts at week 1 after a holiday and the half term before it had an odd number of weeks. A two-week Christmas or Easter break often keeps a rule in step by chance, which is why the mistake tends to show up after a one-week half term.

How to keep it right in a phone calendar

Pick the option that suits how much detail you need.

1. Re-anchor every half term. Set the "every 2 weeks" repeats to end on the last school day before each holiday. After the holiday, start new repeats from the date the school says is week 1. It's accurate, but it means setting the timetable up six times a year. How to set up the repeats.
2. Put a week label in the calendar. Add an all-day event, "Week 1" or "Week 2", on each Monday, taken from the school's list. Keep the timetable itself on paper or in the school app. Ten minutes a term, and you always know which week it is.
3. Use the school app's calendar export, if there is one. The school's system knows the cycle, so the export does too. Only some apps offer it: which school apps can.
4. Subscribe to a calendar someone else keeps in step. If whoever publishes it follows the school's week 1/week 2 dates, the right lessons land in each week and you have no repeat rules to fix. How subscribing works.

A quick check

Whatever you use, look at the first Monday back after each holiday. If the lessons don't match what your child says, the rule has drifted. Correct it then rather than finding out on a PE day without kit.

takt supports two-week timetables: when you send us the timetable, tell us how your school counts its weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Is it week 1 or week 2 this week?

That depends on your school, not on the date. Check the school's term dates page, the newsletter or the timetable in the school app, which often shows the current week. If none of those say, ask the school office.

Is week A the same as week 1?

Usually. Schools use "week 1 and week 2" or "week A and week B" for the same idea: a timetable that repeats every two weeks.

Does the week change after half term?

It depends on the school. Some carry on the cycle as if the holiday weren't there, some count the holiday weeks, and some start again with week 1. A repeating event in your calendar can only follow one of these by chance.

How do I put a two-week timetable in Google Calendar?

Enter week 1 lessons starting from a week 1 Monday and week 2 lessons from the next Monday, each set to repeat every 2 weeks (Does not repeat › Custom). End the repeats at the next holiday and check the week after each break.