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Welcome to Design and Technology at The Radclyffe School, Oldham. I am David Taylor and I am responsible for systems and control.
This case study describes the exciting and sometimes demanding process of improving systems and control, design and technology and indeed the entire school over the last five years.
I joined The Radclyffe School as an NQT in September 2003. I am currently acting KS4 manager within the faculty and have previously managed KS3.
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The school has approximately 1,400 pupils on roll aged 11 – 16. Many of our pupils come from areas that have high levels of social deprivation with 28% of pupils entitled to free school meals.
In addition, 38% of our pupils come from ethnic minority groups.
I will describe the improvements we have achieved in teaching and learning, facilities and resources in the time I have been here. |
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When I first started at the school the technology block was a large, cold, unattractive box. The ‘design’ was a 1960s open plan space with the systems and control area linked to both the resistant materials and the art areas. I am sure that you will be able to imagine just how hard it was trying to compete with the noise coming from nearby classes. |
| Original Teaching and Learning Area |
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Design and technology was organised on a ‘traditional’ carousel system, with the pupils doing one 11 hour systems and control Unit of work in each of Y7, Y8 and Y9 – with all the ‘traditional’ problems of rushed work, lack of design opportunities, and little opportunity to form a relationship with pupils.
Only four laptops were available in the systems and control area which meant that the use of ICT with whole groups was impossible. It was limited to some pupils using Crocodile Technology and PCB Wizard at KS4. |
| Original manufacturing area |
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Superficially the results for Electronic Products and systems and Control at GCSE – 26% at A* - C – were not too far out of line with the 31% average for the school. However, we operate a banding system with three levels, and the electronics/systems GCSE option was only available to the higher band. So in fact theses results were poor.
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"By Y9 the pupils saw systems and control as nothing more than soldering.” |
At KS3 there were three projects:
- A fuse tester
- A steady hand game
- A cycle safety light using a 555 timer and flashing a LED
In all projects the pupils simply assembled a fixed circuit. Bought in cases were used so ‘design’ was limited to adding some decorative graphics. By Y9 the pupils saw systems and control as nothing more than soldering.
At GCSE level electronics was taught very traditionally with lots of theory and pages of information copied from various sources. The ‘products’ were simple MDF boxes.
The coursework projects were produced by pupils looking a various circuits from books and magazines, selecting one (without any clear understanding), making it and hoping that it worked.
The usual outcome was non-working circuits and disillusioned pupils.
