Design & Technology

‘Design & Technology is about making things that people want and that work well. Creating these things is hugely exciting.’

Sir James Dyson, Chairman, Dyson Ltd.

WHAT WILL I LEARN & WHAT SKILLS WILL I DEVELOP?

At each level in the first three years, the emphasis is on enjoyment and learning through experiencing a wide range of practical skills and techniques related to design and the manufactured world that is all around us. All the projects that are undertaken will consist of key elements taught at exam level.

SAFETY

All pupils are introduced to the proper safe working practices at every stage of their work and will be issued with the appropriate personal protective equipment (and given appropriate instructions) whenever necessary.

YEARS 7 & 8

In the first two years pupils will have 3 hours of lessons per fortnight of Design Technology. They will learn workshop skills using a wide variety of tools and equipment – including some power tools and computer aided design software. Alongside this they will begin to design aspects of their own projects and learn about the design process. The work is mostly practical with some drawing and writing. As their confidence and ability increase, they will have more say over how their design projects look and work. Each pupil will be expected to research aspects for their projects for themselves. Projects will involve the use of wood, metal and plastics using a wide range of manufacturing techniques, including the use of

CAD (computer aided design) and CAM (computer aided manufacture) and 3D printing. Included in the programme is a module of graphics to ensure that all are able to successfully produce drawings that can convey exciting and innovative ideas.

YEAR 9

Pupils in Year 9 are invited to consider Design Technology as an option. During the Year 9 course the students will cover a range of activities to build the necessary foundation for GCSE: the course endeavours to build designers who are willing to challenge and push creativity in their concepts and develop confidence in experimentation and innovation.

In opting for Design & Technology they will experience project work that will give them the ability to maximise their potential at GCSE. The course is design based and will provide them with many of the fundamental graphic, designing and making skills that they will need. It will focus on creativity and build on themes from a commercial and industrial perspective. The projects will be exciting and challenging and introduce an enhanced understanding of workshop skills from Years 7 & 8. The projects will cover the use of woods, metals, and plastics as well as ICT and CAD/3D printing. They will also undertake a larger creative based project where they have far more autonomy in the design process and will build key folio and problem solving skills important for GCSE.

Work in this year will be far more focused on the design process and all practical projects will be pushing the pupils’ design and workshop ability to produce accurate and exciting products to take home.

DT allows you to apply a great range of the knowledge and skills learnt in the workshop and other subjects, such as Maths, Physics, Chemistry, English, ICT and Art. It is a great subject for pupils wanting to go on to creative industries, engineering, architecture, Product Design, Industrial Design and many more. The planning and time management skills learnt though Design Technology are transferable into a wide range of potential career paths.