Information for schools
An after-school electronics program that complements what you already run.
Eight weekly one-hour sessions for ages 10–14. Students build real circuits and program them in Python. No soldering, no mains power. We supply all equipment and take it away again — you provide a room with desks.
Where this sits
Construction-based STEM programs — LEGO robotics and similar — are an excellent mechanical foundation, and this is not a replacement for them. It's the next rung: real components, real circuits and real code, for students who have outgrown building and want to make something that runs.
The gap it fills: most in-person STEM provision on the Gold Coast stops at around age 12. This program is built for 10–14, with a soldering-based follow-on course for older students.
Learning outcomes
The course is structured around one repeated idea — something senses, code decides, something acts — widened each week.
-
Digital systems
Circuits, current and resistance; how a microcontroller interacts with physical components; digital vs analog signals; pulse-width modulation.
-
Programming
Python (MicroPython) in a real editor: variables, loops, conditionals, functions, and reading error messages to locate a defect.
-
Systematic debugging
Fault-finding by bisection, hypothesis testing, and instrument use (multimeter continuity and voltage). Transfers directly to software.
-
Design process
Week 8 includes an independent design task: specify, build, test, iterate, and present the outcome to an audience.
-
Prediction and measurement
Students predict outcomes before building, then measure. Being wrong in a recorded, deliberate way is part of the method.
-
Working practice
Component identification, parts kitting, bench organisation and packing-down — the professional habits that make the rest possible.
Mapping to the Australian Curriculum Digital Technologies and Design and Technologies strands is available on request.
What we need from you
| A room with desks | Any classroom. No power points required — everything runs on battery packs, so there are no leads across the floor. |
|---|---|
| One hour a week | Immediately after school, same day each week, for eight weeks. |
| 10–12 students | Minimum 10 for the course to run; maximum 12 so fault-finding stays one-to-one. |
| Nothing else | We bring all equipment, laptops and consumables, and remove them at the end of each session. |
What we provide
-
All equipment
Breadboards, microcontrollers, components, multimeters and laptops. Transported in and out weekly.
-
A take-home kit per student
Included in the fee. Students keep a complete working kit and a printed manual at the end of term.
-
Written curriculum
Full teacher and student manuals, session plans and a materials list — available for your review before you commit.
Safety and compliance
Raised here rather than waiting to be asked, because it's what matters most in approving an external provider.
| Blue Card | Current Queensland working-with-children clearance on a business basis. Card number available for online verification. |
|---|---|
| Public liability insurance | Held. Certificate of currency provided on request. |
| No soldering | Nothing hot, no fumes. All connections are push-fit on breadboards. |
| No mains power | Battery packs only, at extra-low voltage. Nothing plugs into a wall socket. This is a fixed rule of the course design. |
| No lithium cells sent home | Take-home kits contain no button batteries or lithium cells. |
| Supervision ratio | 1:12 maximum. No tools requiring closer supervision are used. |
Fees
$320 per student for the eight-week term, paid by families directly, including all materials and the take-home kit. There are no additional costs to families and no cost to the school.
Billing and enrolment can be handled by us directly, or through your existing extracurricular booking system — whichever suits your administration.
Book a ten-minute demonstration
The fastest way to judge this is to see it. I'll bring a kit, and you can build the week-4 circuit yourself in about five minutes.
Happy to provide the full written curriculum, Blue Card details and insurance certificate in advance of any meeting.