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The Individual Learning Situation Failure To Appreciate The Variation ...



The individual learning situation
Failure to appreciate the variation between and within LEA's is a prime reason for failure in policies aimed at easing the transfer of pupils between key stages, and particularly where DT is concerned. A policy that works wonderfully in one school may be inappropriate in a nearby school where the situation is different. The most important contributory variations that affect the construction of a policy are:
Catchment area of the KS3 School: In an area where a KS3 provider has just one or two feeder schools, liaison between them is fairly easy. Additionally, DT teachers will be receiving pupils with a consistent background with respect to the amount and nature of DT work they did at KS2. Similarly, the feeder schools in such a situation will find it easy to formulate a DT policy that adequately prepares their pupils for secondary work.
Obviously, the converse is true, and more complex catchment schemes will result in a more complex set of considerations for DT teachers at both levels. This problem is more acute with DT than with core subjects, as there is considerable variation between the time, nature and extent of DT education in different institutions when compared to (for example) that which exists in English and Maths since the introduction of national literacy and numeracy schemes. In the long term, similar standardization may help to minimise variable levels of knowledge, but in the short term, all that can be done is to make DT teachers aware of the need to ensure that all pupils entering KS3 have the necessary KS2 experience. (Garner, 1991).
School leadership at both levels: aside from the obvious need for a coordinated management of transition, school leadership determines the extent to which DT is taught (particularly at KS2), the choice of component subjects that are available, the financial resources open to DT departments and so on. Related to this are such factors as the appointment of teachers with appropriate specialist subject knowledge at KS3, and the formulation of a health and safety policy which prescribes the activities which may and may not be carried out during DT lessons.
Pupil Demographics, which affect DT in a similar manner to other subjects. In terms of facilitating transition, the attainment levels of KS2 pupils will be of particular importance (Butler, 2007).

The fundamental point that is obvious in this last key issues section is that it is not possible to formulate a single comprehensive policy on the transition between KS2 and KS3 DT because of the local factors that are involved. Instead, it is suggested that each LEA makes provision for assessing the success of this transition, and acts upon the information so obtained.

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