The Subject Explained
The Design & Technology team feel it is important that all students in ever year group experience all available subject areas and activities. We feel that it is important that we build positive relationships with our students so that we can adapt our teaching to suit individual needs and to improve assessment. As a result, in key stage 3, we set each teachers class groups at the start of the year, the group then stays with that teacher for the whole year and rotates to each area in specialist rooms.
Phase One
Year 7
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- In year 7 students join the school with little or no experience of Design and Technological activities and students are excited by the range of experiences we offer them.
- Health and safety is a very important aspect throughout the teaching and learning experience. All staff provide in depth instruction throughout all project work to ensure a safe working environment and to enable individuals to stay safe during lessons.
- Students undertake projects with both a design and make element on a wide variety of topics.
- They experience using Graphic techniques to highlight and present booklet work and design ideas.
- In Electronics components are used and integrated into an interesting product.
- They learn about healthy eating through practical exercises and experiments and experience using a variety of ingredients.
- They work with textile materials and decorative techniques to explore the possibilities of design and manufacture.
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Year 8
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- Year 8 builds upon the experiences students encountered in year 7.
- Students design and make a container which integrates the use of the CAD/CAM.
- Students are notified of which ingredients they need and bring them to practical lessons, enjoying the resulting practical by eating the outcome after the evaluation session has been completed.
- They work with food by designing and making and gaining a deeper understanding of the nutritional values the food contains.
- Expand their knowledge and understanding of using compliant materials in a textiles medium. Focusing on decorative techniques to produce a cushion.
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Year 9
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- Students demonstrate the skills and knowledge learnt in years 7 and 8 by bringing them together in the projects they undertake in year 9.
- Textiles utilises the computerised embroidery machine by integrating it’s use into a project looking at bag design and styling.
- In food features highly students can put the skills learnt previously into action and design and make for an ever more discerning and maturing taste.
- Students experience the use of mechanisms in products to control and produce a pull along toy. The project on automata design and manufacture.
- In Graphic Products they will experience the use of the CAD/CAM by using an Industry standard computer programme (Adobe illustrator) and the Roland Comm (plotter/cutter) to support a project where design and make is a central component.
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All projects are monitored and assessed by the staff. All assessments give students an indication of the levels they are working at and areas in which they can improve.
Phase Two
Students are given a choice of which area of Design & technology they would wish to work in as part of the school key stage 4 option systems.
The options are:
GCSE Design & Technology - Graphic Products
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Content to follow - check back soon !
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GCSE Design & Technology - Food Technology
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GCSE Design & Technology - Resistant Materials
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GCSE Design & Technology - Textiles
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Content to follow - check back soon !
