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Hope Valley is a Technology College in Hope, Derbyshire. The school is an 11 – 16 Comprehensive school with 550 pupils. |
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I am Jim Smith and I came here as head of Design and Technology in 2007.
We have developed a scheme of work at KS3 and KS4 that lays a strong emphasis on integrating electronics with other aspects of D&T and, as a key part of that, involves all the D&T staff in both the development and delivery of Units of work that involve electronics. |
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I am Richard Beeden. I was head of D&T from 2001 until 2007 when Jim took over. I am now an AST and involved in supporting other schools in Derbyshire.
An important aspect of that role is managing the web site www.derbyshiredt.net which has a wide range of downloadable resources (many of which we have developed at Hope Valley College) for D&T.
The school’s approach to work with electronics in recent years has been strongly coloured by our concerns about opportunities for creativity.
Left: Richard Beeden and his son Oliver |
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Left: Images show examples of GCSE projects
When I started in 2001 I set up AQA GCSE Electronic Products from scratch. The specification is clear and well structured. However I found that, after we introduced work with PICs at KS3, the pupils were able to do more exciting and interesting things at KS3 than the specification was pushing us towards at KS4.
For example, the first suggested teaching Unit in the AQA ‘Design and Make It – Electronics Products’ coursework book is an Alarm Project. I tied that with a Y10 group (in the previous year these pupils had worked with PICs) and one comment I had was: ‘I’ve sorted out the electronics and program in this first period. What do you want me to do for the next 10?’ |
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The specification is based on obsolete hard-wired systems and our pupils were capable of producing better designs using PICs.
Furthermore, I have always believed that electronics should be seen as just one aspect of a full D&T project and that high quality product design should also be encouraged. Though I placed strong emphasis on this at KS3 I found that the Electronics Products GCSE gave little credit to pupils for product design. |
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By all the performance indicators everything was well; we were achieving 80% A* - C. But I knew that the pupils were frustrated and so was I.
I then thought how we might retain the good experience of electronics and product design at KS3 and build on it at KS4, without jumping through the artificial hoops of the Electronic Products GCSE.
The idea I came up with was to drop GCSE Electronic Products but to enable those pupils who wished to integrate electronics in Resistant Materials coursework projects to do so. I discussed this with the school’s moderator for Resistant Materials who was happy with the idea. |
I was able to persuade the headteacher that this made good educational sense and we dropped Electronic Products from the options scheme in 2005.
I did consider changing to GCSE Product Design, but I felt that the Specification did not give enough credit for skills.
The remainder of this case study describes how Jim and I, in collaboration with other colleagues in the department, have developed electronics as an integral part of D&T without ‘Electronics’.
