Baysgarth School: An engineering journey (Part 2)

Bio:

This is the second part of a two-part series of podcasts, and the first of its kind recorded live in a school. We are excited to be able to bring you what we plan will be a series of spotlight sessions focused on D&T departments nationally. If you have stumbled across this episode without listening to Part One of the mini-series, I politely suggest you go back, as sequencing is quite essential. 

You can hear part two here on Spotify or Apple  or Amazon.

Baysgarth School is a Co-educational secondary school located in Barton-on-Humber, North Lincolnshire. The school was formed in 1975 by merging Barton Grammar School and Beretun Secondary Modern School. The school moved into new buildings within the last seven years.

Ofsted visited the school in January this year, and the school comfortably retained its rating of 'Good'. The school runs a unique curriculum offer with KS3 covered within years seven and eight, freeing up time for their 'Gateway' curriculum within year nine; this curriculum concentrates on four key areas of student development, these being:

• Achievement - Providing an academic foundation for KS4  study and freeing up time to allow students and their teachers to explore the richness and depth of learning that encourages deeper engagement and cross-curricular work. 
• Preparation for the future - Looking beyond examinations to how their education can help to prepare students for life. 
• Family and Community Engagement - Providing time for visits, cross-curricular work, and promoting community engagement. 
• Intent - Allowing students to change their GCSE option without the stress of having to 'catch up'. Develop a range of employability skills and connect what they do in school to the skillsets and attributes that will prepare students successfully for life.  

In this second part of a two-part mini-series, we meet several year nine and ten students who tell us what they think of the offer within D&T/Engineering and how this has positively affected them. We meet with the Employability Mentor to discuss how students at Baysgarth are prepared for life after school, including higher education and work. Meet with the Headteacher, Richard Briggs, to hear how he,  his senior team, governors and staff have balanced a desire to do what is right for their students with pressures from outside to conform. Finally, we meet parents to hear how the D&T/Engineering offer at Baysgarth has positively impacted their son/daughter's experience of school. 

I don't mind saying we are pretty proud of this podcast's 360 overview of a school's curriculum. We have more planned but would love to know what you think. Please feedback to DesignedforLife@designtechnology.org.uk.

I want to thank all the staff involved at Baysgarth School for their complete cooperation on this project that allowed us to produce this podcast mini-series. 

So sit back, give yourself an hour of reflection and listen to Designed for Life - In conversation with Baysgarth School. 

The Design and Technology Association is indebted to the Edge Foundation for their continued sponsorship of the Designed for Life series of podcasts. Without their support, this venture simply would not be possible.