Motor Mechanics

Year 10, 11, and the EEU pupils at Muntham House School have the opportunity to undertake a Motorcycle Mechanics Course in the specialist mechanics workshop. The course can be taken at Unit Award Level, and then progress to the Industry Standard IMI Accredited Course. Pupils undertake service and maintenance tasks, and these form part of the assessment.

Pupils carry out practical tasks on engines, wheels, tyres, braking systems, cooling systems and MOT testing requirements. During the course, they will disassemble and rebuild a motorcycle, learning about the components. This gives pupils an insight into working in the motor trade leading to possible careers as a mechanic or motor vehicle worker.

 The Mechanics Course Aims to:

• Teach pupils to use the tools in the workshop safely.
• To help pupils engage in practical tasks and hands-on learning.
• To learn life skills and opportunities for potential employment.
• To solve problems and enter into a career or potential employment in the Mechanics industry.

Intent

We intend to meet the needs of the pupils at Muntham House school and identify the bespoke need of the pupils to motivate them to allow them to progress with independent skills and become ready for the world of work and potential employment. We aim to teach pupils to be able to develop problem-solving skills, learn to work individually or together as a team and become independent learners.

Resources are planned ahead towards the assessment objectives for the AQA Unit awards assessment criteria working toward completing as many units as possible over the course, with project-based practical tasks.

We hope the work undertaken in the Mechanics course may lead to potential employment and college places or apprenticeships in Car or Motorcycle Mechanics trades, Aeronautical Engineering and Service / Maintenance Engineering.

Implementation

We aim to recognise the needs of the individual pupils, their interests and aptitudes and allocate staffing to help support the pupils in the project work they complete to demonstrate their abilities and learn transferable skills.  A wide range of resources are put in place to deliver the unit content and ensure pupils can access the learning opportunities. We aim to undertake a range of tasks to meet and exceed the assessment criteria and help pupils develop an interest and motivation towards their learning. Pupils will be shown how to tackle tasks initially with support and then repeat them independently to demonstrate competence and their ability to carry out the tasks safety.

Pupils will develop independent problem-solving skills, encourage them to work as a team and reinforce their learning in areas with cross-curricular link, such as Mathematics and Science, where possible.

We aim to undertake visits to local Motorcycle workshops to help pupils see a career path and identify possible job opportunities and forge links with the school where possible. This enhances the motivation of the pupils towards their lessons.

Impact

We aim to work toward pupils completing the assessment criteria showing evidence of this in the form of annotated photographs and worksheets to demonstrate their competency. The course aims for pupils to undertake purposeful and realistic tasks, often based on machines that pupils have renovated and get ready for the road. We aim to help pupils become self-motivated, independent learners to allow them to move on to apprenticeships or further education courses in the Mechanical field, and become a valued member of society to access employment and independence.