Ysgol Clywedog School : Introduction

1. Introduction
2. Year 7 - Structures
3. Year 8 - the Night Light
4. Year 9 - An introduction to PICs
5. GCSE Electronic Products
6. GCSE Engineering (double award)
7. Year 11

I am Polly Booker and I’m responsible for systems and control within design and technology.

Before teaching I worked for 23 years in the electronics industry – for Marconi and Micromass. I did a PGCE in 2003-4 and started at Ysgol Clywedog as my first teaching post.

Ysgol Clywedog was built in 2005 and is a modern, light and spacious building.  We are well equipped for work in most areas of design and technology. However, because there was no one responsible for systems and control when the new school was planned and built, the equipment and facilities for electronics are limited (though I am well-resourced with computers).

We cover a wide range of focus areas in D&T at KS3 – resistant materials, graphic products, textiles, food, systems and control. 

There are further subdivisions within the option scheme at KS4 with both electronic products and engineering (double GCSE), food technology and catering GCSEs, health and social care (double GCSE) and pre-vocational workshop skills (non-GCSE).

The most serious constraint to work in design and technology at the school is that each focus area is limited to £250 per year for all consumables. In my case this needs to cover the costs of three Units of work for all pupils at KS3 and two GCSE groups – one in Electronic Products and one in Engineering.