Design and Technology

Design and Technology (D&T) gives young people the skills and abilities to engage positively with the designed and made world and to harness the benefits of technology. 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.

Key Stage 3

Key Stage 3 students follow a rotation system which allows them to experience many disciplines in D&T. They will cover Technology, Food Preparation and Nutrition and Textiles. The courses aim to teach students about design and making principles, investigation and evaluation, material and component manipulation, food preparation, diet and nutrition.

Year 7 and 8 will take 4 disciplines on a carousel basis, sampling each subject for 10 weeks. Typical products made in D&T are pencil cases, CAD/CAM motorised cars, steel figures, hand tools, printed phone pouches, textiles masks, snoods, electronic circuits. Food Preparation and Nutrition focuses on promoting healthy diets and nutritional awareness, and students make dishes such as couscous, fruit salads, pasta dishes and quiche.

Year 9 will cover 5 D&T disciplines, each unit being 8 weeks in length. These units are set out to prepare students for GCSE Technology and Food Prep and Nutrition, and cover GCSE skills and knowledge objectives, with GCSE-based assessment.

Key Stage 4

Within Design and Technology, we offer AQA GCSE courses in Food Preparation and Nutrition, Design and Technology and Art and Design Textiles. Students start their GCSE in Year 10, covering theory and practical work, small projects, class tests and mock exams. Term 6 of Year 10 is normally dedicated to investigation and research into a project, a Non-Exam Assessment (NEA), in readiness for completion in Year 11. Typical NEAs include: dresses and children’s soft toys in Textiles, lamps, furniture, robot arms and shop displays in D&T and diet, health or ethical-conscious recipes in Food Preparation and Nutrition.

Year 10 D&T students will learn about new and emerging technologies, modern and smart materials, design strategies, specialist technical principles, designers and manufacturing methods.

Students taking GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition will cover nutrition and health, food science, food safety, food choice and food provenance.

Art Textiles students will study fashion, costume design, constructed textiles, printed and dyed textiles, stitched and/or embellished textiles and textiles for interiors

Key Stage 5

We offer AQA A-Level Design and Technology - Product Design. Year12 students build on their existing skills by undertaking a number of small projects to enable them to develop new, more advanced practical skills and processes, to prepare themselves for a Non-Exam Assessment in Year13. They will investigate historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic influences on design and technology, whilst enjoying opportunities to put their learning in to practice by producing prototypes of their choice. Students will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a designer, alongside the knowledge and skills sought by higher education and employers. Constantly changing trends, technological advancement and market needs mean that Product Design students need to be fully aware of many aspects of D&T. The A-Level is broken down into Design and Making principles; the consumer and the needs for design, the environmental impacts of design, current designers and Technical Principles; processes, manufacturing, material manipulation and testing.

This creative and thought-provoking A-level gives students the practical skills, theoretical knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of careers, especially those in the creative industries. Many of our students have moved onto University, College and Apprenticeships, studying D&T related qualifications such as Furniture Making, Fashion Design, Motorsport, Automotive Engineering, Architecture and Theatre Set-Building.