Design & Technology

In Year 7, students study through a variety of Design and making activities:

Textiles Lanterns: This 6 week module, based in the Textiles area, introduces pupils to a range of different fabrics and the properties of natural and synthetic fibres. They gain inspiration from a different culture to create pattern repeats using CAD/CAM. They learn sewing machine skills to produce a lantern.

Food and Nutrition: This 6 week module provides an introduction to the principals of nutrition and health. The pupils will become competent in a range of cooking techniques for example using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in a variety of ways, using an awareness of sensory attributes, knife skills and developing healthy products. They will make healthy scones, soup, vegetable muffins and cous cous salad. They will also complete a scientific experiment.

Sounds good: This 6 week module will encourage pupils to analyse a topic, produce research and develop specifications. Pupils will then develop a range of solutions using design techniques and CAD to produce a laser cut headphone wrap.

Mood light: This 6 week module provides an introduction to Electronics. Pupils create a Mood lamp circuit that has a rainbow LED feature controlled by a light dependent resistor. Pupils will learn about electronic components, 3D Printing, laser cutting and engraving as well as how to populate and solder a circuit and health and safety.

Spike Prime Robotics: This 7 week module introduces students to Robotics. Through the assembly and programming of a Lego Spike Prime robot kits, students have the opportunity to investigate key Technology principles such as problem solving, motion, gears and levers. Students learn to adapt their robots to be able to complete tasks in a range of different physical environments through a variety of challenges.

In Year 8 students study through a variety of Design and making activities:

Textiles Phone Angel: This 6 week module, based in the Textiles area, increases pupils knowledge of fabrics and their properties. They learn how to apply colour and pattern onto fabric by hand and computer techniques. They design and make a cover for a phone angel, applying colour and pattern, adding applique work and other decorative techniques.

Food and Nutrition: During this 6 week module pupils will learn about a healthy diet, become competent in a range of cooking techniques, how to combine ingredients and adapt their own recipes. They will cook savoury dishes, investigate the function of ingredients and design and make products of their own.

Phone angel RM: During this 6 week module pupils will investigate a range of making skills in order to manufacture a mobile phone docking station. Students will study electronic systems and resistant materials. Students will be trained to use a wide range of workshop machinery, and electronics manufacturing equipment in order to produce a fully functional product. Students will experience working with a range of materials and will learn about their working properties during this topic.

CAD Phone Angel: This 6 week module incorporates a number of different drawing, CAD and designing elements. Pupils will develop a range of solutions leading to an OnShape model for wings/arms for their Phone angel. Pupils are encouraged to be as self-directed as possible and draw on inspiration from new and future technologies when designing.

Retro gaming design: This 6 week module focuses on design strategies and CAD. Students have the opportunity to research, design and 3D Print their own Retro gaming character based on a design brief. During the project students will learn about and practise a range of sketching techniques as well as CAD Design work. Students will learn about additive manufacturing processes and learn about the basics of slicing and 3D Printing.

In Year 9 students study through a variety of Design and making activities:

Product design GENIE lighting: This 6 week module will teach the pupils how to design and make an electronic product and programme it. Modelled closely on GCSE requirements, students will have the opportunity to develop and program a microcontroller to meet a users needs. Students will learn the systems approach to PCB design, as well as a range on manufacturing techniques that are suitable for producing electronic circuits. Students will create a 3D Printed casing for the project.

Fashion upcycling: This 6 week module in the Textiles room involves students designing and upcycling an old piece of clothing. During the 10 weeks pupils will have the opportunity to create designs to improve an old piece of clothing and develop their skills with textile techniques such as sublimation printing, patchwork, applique, reverse applique, free hand embroidery and machine embroidery.

Food and Nutrition: During this 6 week module pupils will concentrate on investigating and making street food from around the world. Pupils will focus on investigating the foods available in different cultures, making a range of street foods and presenting them, experimenting with the functions of ingredients, working individually and in groups.

Pencil box: This 6 week module focuses on Resistant materials, CAD and Laser cutting. Students have the opportunity to use a range of resistant materials to produce a wooden pencil case. Students will use pine and a wide variety of manufacturing techniques in the workshop to produce an accurate wooden pencil case. The project also incorporates advanced CAD in the form of OnShape to design the pencil case parts accurately and to produce engineering drawings to follow.

VEXVR Robotics: This 6 week module will teach the pupils how to use Python coding to problem solve using robots in Virtual reality tasks. The tasks range from cleaning the ocean to stacking cones in an arena to picking up and catapulting balls and blocks through goals. The robots use a range of inputs and outputs that need to be autonomously programmed to complete each task.

Students choose their GCSE course at the end of Year 9. The range of Design & Technology GCSE syllabuses available to pupils are:

GCSE Design & Technology (AQA) GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition (AQA) Further details on course content and specification can be found on their websites: www.aqa.org.uk

Course Content

Whichever Design & Technology course is chosen, students will be required to complete both a practical project and a terminal examination during Year 11. These are weighted as below for all of the Design & Technology subjects.

Non Examined Assessment (50%) + Examination (50%) = GCSE (100%)

Non Examined Assessment (NEA) Details

The Design & Technology NEA will consist of a single project that will be undertaken during Year 11. The student and the teacher will select this project from the list given by the examination board in June of Year 10. It will involve the production of a design folio and lead to the manufacture of a chosen project.

The Food preparation and Nutrition GCSE consists of 2 NEA tasks. Task 1 (15%) is a food investigation which involves a written report on a practical investigation and will assess students understanding of properties of ingredients etc. Task 2 (35%) is a food preparation assessment where students design and produce 3 dishes.

Examination Details

Students will start the preparation for the Design & Technology examinations at the beginning of Year 10. The paper is not tiered which allows all students full access to the whole range of grades 9-1. The examination papers will be completed during the summer term of Year 11.

Extra Curricular Activities and Visits

Design and Technology co-ordinate and run an extremely popular STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) club which is open to all year groups and gives students a huge range of amazing opportunities to participate in regional and national competitions. Within the last year, the STEM club has won several of these competitions such as the regional VEX Robotics tournament – qualifying for the nationals and finishing 4th. They were also winners at the Rotary challenge. We have also had a regional FutureChef competitor this year. STEM club runs on Mondays after school, is co-ordinated by Mrs Caw and Mr Jousiffe and involves a range of Technology and Computing staff.

The department organises and runs several educational visits including a biannual West Coast of America trip run jointly with Geography. The trip takes Y9, 10 and 11 students to San Francisco, to The Grand Canyon for a Helicopter ride, on to Las Vegas and the Hoover Dam, through Death Valley and on to LA to visit Universal studios and the Staples centre. We also take robotics students on a residential to the VEX Robotics nationals as well as numerous local trips to a wide range of STEM competitions such as VEX Robotics, FutureChef, Faraday challenge, Rotary Challenge and EEP Lego Robotics.