Issue 4 September 2010 - brgs.me

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The introduction of Personal, Learning and Thinking Skills in the KS3 Curriculum at BRGS Impact of recent STEM training organised through Training School Jonathan Fitton - Head of Design & Technology BRGS Technology work featured at the national conference for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). Year 8 and 9 Technology pupils have been the guinea pigs for a Cyber Pet project organised by Jonathan Fitton, Head of Design & Technology. This project has been introduced as a result of a two day training course at Bolton’s Science and Technology (STEM) centre which the school supported as part of Training School and the Maths and computing specialism. The course focused on the incorporation of Computer Aided Design (CAD) and its manufacture (CAM) with Micro- Controller technology. work was then outputted through the school’s Roland CAMM 2 machine in 2mm HIPs (plastic sheet) which was then line bent into a structural housing to package the electronic circuitry. Pupils have risen to the challenge and worked enthusiastically with the variety of work and have produced unique and exciting outcomes. When the success of this work was reported back to the course on day two of the training the tutors expressed intrigue in the fact that very old CAM equipment (15 year old Roland CAMM 2) was being used to deliver a modern approach to Technology teaching. As a result, the merits of the work of BRGS pupils were displayed and featured at the STEM national conference in York in June. Well done to our Technology pupils. Micro-controllers are computers at a mini circuit level and are responsible for the control of many electronic products in the modern world e.g. mobile phones, washing machines, microwaves etc. BRGS pupils designed cyber pets and the program to operate the micro-controller and built the circuitry. They designed and modelled ideas for their casing which they then converted into CAD net profiles. Their 6 . .
. . 7 ‘My National College Leadership Pathways project’ Since first designated as a Training School, a large number of colleagues have completed Leading from the Middle and Leadership Pathways. The impact of the projects undertaken has been widespread and the school would like to thank all particpants to date for their hard work and efforts in developing their work. Jessica Dougherty - Head of English Here’s Jessica Dougherty’s account of her experiences on both programmes: “I completed the NCSL course Leadership Pathways in March 2010 which has enabled me to develop my leadership skills on a whole school basis, engaging with theoretical constructs and ethical considerations of leadership through the practicalities of the development of the school E-Safety Policy, an important aspect of the Every Child Matters and Safeguarding national agenda. “In the previous academic year, I completed the NCSL course Leading from the Middle which I found really useful in enabling me to assess and develop my leadership skills at the departmental level and engage effectively with leadership and management theory and practice, using my involvement with the Lancashire LEA English Subject Team as a member of a working party as a focus and creating resources to support the new Programmes of Study for KS3 (specifically APP) for secondary schools in Lancashire. The LEA workshops and this project were also an invaluable tool in assisting my leadership of the changes in our department, necessary due to the new PoS and in terms of our development of APP, guided work and AFL generally. “I found that the user-friendly and intuitive structure and teaching and learning strategies of both Leading from the Middle and Leadership pathways (online units/critical reviews/ face to face regional workshops and school based coaching sessions) met my learning needs on a personal and professional level as the programmes could be self-directed and tailored to my personal and professional context. I particularly valued the opportunity and time to reflect on, challenge and develop my existing perceptions and practice. “It is essential that a good leader is aware of developments in governmental education and social policy, and maintains a pro-active stance to them. These courses really ensured that I fully grasped and could act on the challenges posed by the current and future national agendas, using research effectively to lead and manage change. “I was aware that the development of the school E-Safety Policy (my whole-school Leadership Pathways project) might be a controversial and sensitive area but it was clearly crucial that staff at BRGS were more aware of the safeguarding/child protection issues concerning E-Safety, as I believe strongly that education should be as much an ethically based process as a cognitive one. The Internet and other digital and information technologies have become integral in the lives of children and young people in today’s society. These technologies obviously open up new exciting opportunities and clearly have been shown to raise educational standards; however, use of these new technologies can put young people at risk within and outside school and obviously as educators at BRGS we have a responsibility to provide the necessary safeguards to help and ensure that we have done everything that could reasonably be expected to manage and reduce these risks. “I have now completed the final draft of the policy, based on consultation with SMT and staff at BRGS. The policy also reflects current DfE, LEA and BECTA guidance, government legislation and is based on the South West Grid for Learning E-Policy model which has now been recommended by Lancashire. In addition, I have provided input in the school’s Safeguarding INSET days in October 2009 and March 2010. The policy will now be open to further consultation with students/parents/governors but as a result of my Leadership Pathways project I feel there is now more clarity at BRGS in terms of appropriate technological communication between staff and students. I enjoyed and valued the experience of both the Leading from the Middle and Leadership Pathways programmes, as both made a significant impact on my continuing professional development, a key component of my effectiveness as an educator and leader. These programmes also provided me with the confidence, motivation and practical strategies necessary for taking on more leadership responsibility in the future.” Congratulations: Leadership Pathways: Jessica Dougherty TLA Stage 1: Kristy Todd Jennifer Magill Holocaust Educator: Margaret Stanley ICT ITQ 3: Clive Davenport Joe Jones Midas Minibus Training: Jane Jackson Steve Haycocks Tom Gray 2-Day Emergency First Aid: Natasha Richardson Claire Frost Jessica Dougherty Audrey Jackson Heather Bowden Steve Mercer Sarah Smith Andrea Price Jaimie Ogle The following staff are underway with these programmes: National College Lead Facilitator: Gill Spokes Leadership Pathways: Colin Williamson Masters in Education: Claire Frost Sarah Freeth Jennifer Magill National College Middle Leadership Development Programme Pilot: Jane Jackson Ben Ventress Kate Byrne National College Diploma of School Business Management: Nikki Wilby National College Certificate of School Business Management: Angela Wardle Michelle Owen ILM Level 3 Line Management: Michelle Owen Craig Scott NVQ Level 4 Management in Hospitality: Sandra Connor
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Page 3 and 4: Impact of Training School Research
Page 5: . . 5 Teaching - an ‘all Masters

Issue 4 September 2010 - brgs.me

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