Design and Technology Curriculum Intent:

Within Design and Technology at KS3, it is our goal to deliver a curriculum which engages students at all levels of ability and encourages our learners to be confident enough to take design risks, under calculated and supported learning experiences.

“Design and Technology is a phenomenally important subject. Logical, creative and practical, it’s the only opportunity students have in school to apply what they learn in Maths and Science.”

Sir James Dyson

Design and technology prepares pupils to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. They learn to think and intervene creatively to improve the quality of life. The subject calls for pupils to become autonomous and creative problem-solvers, as individuals and as members of a team. They must look for needs, wants and opportunities and respond to them by developing a range of ideas and making products and systems. They combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social and environmental issues, function and industrial practices. As they do so, they reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and effects.

Through design and technology, all pupils can become discriminating and informed users of products and become innovative designers. They learn how products and systems are designed and manufactured, how to be innovative and to make creative use of a variety of resources including digital technologies, to improve the world around them. We aim to provide a curriculum that will be relevant for the future and to prepare students for work within the full range of Design & Technology careers both locally and beyond. A curriculum that demonstrates that the skills fostered by Design and Technology are valuable preparation for careers in many other fields e.g. medicine, law and computer science.

During their learning, students experience three disciplines within the subject: Food Technology, Resistant Materials and Graphics on a rotational basis. Within these rotations, students will learn the core information relating to their project and then the methods and skills to use all tools and equipment accurately and safely. Tool skills are a process of development, so in year 7, there is a focus on identification of tools and how to use them safely and accurately.

In year 8, there is further development of the tool skills, with a greater amount of challenge for the students, incorporating a deeper application of the core knowledge delivered. Computer aided design (CAD) skills are introduced, using design software (2d design) which enables the students to create design ideas that are then exported to computer aided manufacture (CAM) equipment. The use of CAD/CAM is widespread across industry globally and it is essential that students are competent in its use from an early stage in their learning.

In year 9, students have the opportunity to put all learning into a final practical product, which provides students with a more robust challenge, calling on all prior learning and skills that have been taught to them. The aim of the process is to prepare the students for the depth of challenge they would face in KS4, if they were to take Design and Technology as an option subject. The process of design follows a sequence of investigations, which informs the designer of the wants and needs of a product and a customer, which once researched, will provide a direction upon which the student’s progress to a completed product.

“Design and Technology teaches young people to ‘think with their hands.’ The ability to use tools and materials to solve problems is vital, and is as important in medicine and surgery as in the jeweller’s workshop or the sculptor’s studio. Now more than ever, D&T is a crucial subject for every young person.”

Professor Roger Kneebone, Imperial College, London.

At the centre of the subject is creativity and imagination. Design & Technology is a subject which draws, develops and implements a range of different disciplines including mathematics, science, computing, geography, business studies and art. The subject embeds high quality literacy skills through analysis and evaluation techniques, thus sits firmly within the STEM subjects.

Iteration is an essential experience to the students and the realisation that some change may be required, in order to better meet the needs of the client, is a fundamental process, leading to success. The journey of iteration is a challenging concept, which often leads to an evolution in their designs. Therefore, design resilience is an integral part of learning and design failure is very different to failure itself. This is a difficult concept for students to adjust to at times, which can lead to simplifying plans in order to succeed. Our learners need to strive towards openness in their process, aiming to celebrate the iteration of their designs. This process is fully embraced within GCSE learning and will be a key factor in the design journey within the controlled assessment process.

At KS4 we offer 3 specialism pathways:

•  Hospitality and catering - WJEC
•  Design Technology – Edexcel 9-1
•  3D Art & Design - AQA

All offer the opportunity of practical experimentation and product realisation based on contextual theoretical study.

In order to succeed at D&T students will be required to carry out independent research and to engage with remote learning tasks.

Recommended sites to utilise are as follows:

STEM related study – www.stem.org.uk

Subject specific information – www.technologystudent.com

3d design software sites – TinkerCAD, Google sketchup