One of the difficulties currently facing teachers delivering the vocational GCSEs is how to get pupils out of the classroom and into work placements.
This programme follows Ruth Whitehead, head of science at Hanson School in Bradford who's found ways to overcome this difficulty and other hurdles in delivering a successful and enjoyable applied science course.
In an attempt to overcome health and safety issues that affect pupils when they are out on placements, Ruth joins up with the nationwide charity Open Industry. This charity creates the opportunity for her to go into a local factory herself and pick up information and knowledge to give back to pupils in the classroom.
Other course issues Ruth attempts to tackle involve the workload originating from the vocational courses coursework. Ruth's department designs materials to overcome the intense marking pressures that this puts on staff and ensures that pupils' work is monitored throughout the course.
Read a review of this video on the Teacher Training Resource Bank site.
