In Design and Technology we aim to provide pupils with the skills and abilities to engage positively with the design and making, and to harness the benefits of technology and engineering. Pupils learn how products and systems are designed and manufactured and develop creativity and making skills using a variety of resources including CAM technologies.
In Year 7 the pupils are provided with the opportunity to develop their capability, combining their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to create quality products. Pupils will work with wood and make a paper gripper and improve their designing skills in developing a creature feature. They will then investigate plastics processes when designing and making an animal habit and then finally an electronics project where they will use CAM to develop a night light.
In Year 8 the projects build on the skills and knowledge pupils developed in Year 7, with a focus on creativity and imagination. Pupils learn to design and make products that solve relevant problems within different contexts whilst considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. The pupils design and make a phone holder and a tea light holder that involves working with metal. They continue to develop their electronic skills when designing and making a steady hand game.
As students progress through KS3, they are given the opportunity to focus on specific aspects of the subject such as product design or engineering. They will acquire a broader range of subject knowledge and draw on additional disciplines such as mathematics, science and computing. In Year 9 we prepare the students for selecting Engineering or Design Technology at GCSE.