Constraint recipe
A consecutive-lesson cap limits how many periods a teacher teaches back to back without a break. Four lessons in a row is a different workload problem from four lessons spread across the day. Double periods and lab blocks may need an approved exception because the curriculum expects adjacent time. Check daily totals and unavailable periods before you tighten the cap.
Key takeaways
- Consecutive caps target back-to-back teaching runs, not daily totals.
- Double periods and lab blocks may need explicit exceptions.
- Breaking a long run often creates a gap; decide which costs more.
- Review daily load and gaps whenever you change the cap.
What the cap is trying to prevent
Four lessons in a row with no break is a different day from four lessons with recovery time between them. The consecutive cap targets the back-to-back pattern: voice strain, travel between rooms, and no time to reset.
Make the cap hard only when policy never allows a longer run. Otherwise keep it soft so practical blocks can survive when rooms and availability are tight.
A worked example: breaking a four-lesson run
Mr. Lind teaches four lessons back to back on Thursday, P1 through P4, against a school cap of three. Moving the fourth lesson ends the run, but look at what it creates.
Before: four consecutive lessons, cap is 3
| Thu | |
|---|---|
| P1 | 7A |
| P2 | 7B |
| P3 | 9C |
| P4 | 8A |
| P5 | |
| P6 | 8B |
- Lesson
- Fourth consecutive lesson
After: 8A moved to P5, run is 3, but P4 is now a gap
| Thu | |
|---|---|
| P1 | 7A |
| P2 | 7B |
| P3 | 9C |
| P4 | Gap |
| P5 | 8A |
| P6 | 8B |
- Moved lesson
- New gap
This trade is the normal case, not a failure. Decide whether your policy weighs a fourth consecutive lesson or an extra gap more heavily, and set the two preferences accordingly. If the moved lesson had been a double period, splitting it would not be an option at all; adjacent time that the curriculum requires needs an exception, not a workaround. See double-period lessons when adjacent time is part of the lesson design.
Set the cap without fighting the curriculum
- Write down the maximum consecutive periods your policy allows, and for whom.
- List subjects that legitimately need double periods or longer blocks, and exempt them.
- Find teachers who exceed the cap and note which lessons create each run.
- Check whether those teachers are also over daily or weekly limits; a consecutive cap cannot fix an overload.
- Adjust the consecutive preference, regenerate, and compare runs against the gaps the fix created.
Ways this cap backfires
- Applying one cap to subjects that require double periods
- Tightening consecutive limits while the teacher is already overloaded weekly
- Judging the fix by the run count alone, without checking the gaps it created
Quick answers
Is a consecutive-period cap hard or soft?
It depends on policy. Many schools keep it soft because a longer run may be the least bad option once rooms and availability are fixed.
Why do consecutive lessons remain after regeneration?
Double periods, lab blocks, scarce rooms, or narrow availability may leave a longer run as the only valid pattern.