Design & Technology

About Design and Technology

The core experience in Design and Technology is essentially about providing opportunities for students to develop their capability, through combining their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to create quality products. As a school we place an emphasis on “quality” products as there is great benefit in students experiencing success and seeing and handling products that are well made. In addition the school sees the preparation of young people for citizenship in a technological society as a central activity within the subject.

The core activity of Design and Technology involves investigative, disassembly and evaluative activities related to products and their applications; focused practical tasks to develop skills and the fields of knowledge; materials and components; control and systems, which include mechanical, electrical and electronic and pneumatic, structures; quality and health and safety. The knowledge used in Design and Technology is critical to the sound development of products. This knowledge and understanding will be taught specifically within D&T, but will also be drawn from other curriculum areas like science, mathematics, art and design, business education (extra – curricular clubs) & ICT.  D&T also contributes to these subjects and some other curriculum areas.

Design and Technology provides excellent opportunities for students to apply value judgements of an aesthetic, economic, moral, social, and technical nature in their designing and to existing products and their applications.

Students will use a range of communication skills, including verbal, graphical and modelling skills, to help their thinking and ability to take action in the process of designing. D&T provides excellent opportunities for individual work and teamwork.

The subject has a crucial role in developing industrial partnerships where work in school can have a realistic focus by active involvement of industry in project work or by illustrating industrial processes or techniques.

Design and Technology involves a distinctive creative process that combines the intellectual with practical skills through purposeful practical activities. The creative process in which students are engaged is iterative, with the crucial parts being the user or customer of the product and the quality of the product itself.

The nature of Design and Technology at All Hallows is such that it should provide opportunities for students to engage in activities that are challenging, relevant and motivating. Giving students enjoyment, satisfaction and a sense of purpose, and enabling them to feel they can play a constructive role in a technological society. All Design and Technological activities are a learning experience whereby the students’ repertoire of knowledge, skills and understanding is extended and applied in increasingly more diverse and sophisticated ways.

Staffing

Within Design and Technology we teachers to deliver the full curriculum to all students at both Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4. These are:

• Mr Jousiffe (Head of Technology)
• Mrs Pascucci – (Coordinator of D&T)
• Mrs Caw – Teacher of Technology and Computing
• Mr Carr – Teacher of Computing
• Mrs Rostron – Teacher of Computing and Technology
• Mrs Midgley – Teacher of Computing and Technology
• Miss Dent – Teacher of Art and Technology
• Mr Thomas (Assistant Headteacher)

Accommodation

We have a purpose built department with 5 specialist subject rooms and one central ICT/CADCAM (computer aided design, computer aided manufacture) area. The department is equipped with 40+ computers that operate the latest specialist design software such as 2d design, ProEngineer, Circuit Wizard, Speedstep and Adobe Photoshop.

Key Stage 3 Curriculum

Design and Technology have led the way in remodelling the curriculum in that Key Stage 3 consists of year 7 and 8 only. All pupils follow a structured curriculum at Key Stage 3 which is delivered in two periods per week.

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

Technology in society: This 2 week module introduces the pupils to Design Technology and how important it is to design with the environment in mind.  The concept of the Six R principles and ‘product life cycle.’  Pupils use an old plastic bottle and remake it into a useful product.

Making: This 5 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.

Cooking and Nutrition: This 5 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 scones, soup and fruit salad.

Design: This 10 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.

Design and make: This 10 week module provides an introduction to both Resistant Materials and Electronics, combining features from both to create a clock that has a rainbow LED feature controlled by a light dependent resistor.  Pupils will learn about the properties of materials, how to cut, file and finish acrylic as well as how to populate and solder a circuit, flying leads and health and safety.

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

Product Analysis: This 2 week module introduces the pupils to product analysis, disassembling products, designing new products with a particular target market in mind and the stages of manufacturing products.

Making:  This 5 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 pencil case, applying colour and pattern, adding a zip, applique work and other decorative techniques.

Cooking and Nutrition: During this 5 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.

Design and make: During this 10 week module pupils will investigate design DNA of products, how to write and develop a specification, evaluate their designs against the specification, use CAD and CAM to develop a casing for an amplifier as well as populate and solder a circuit board to control their product.

Designing:  This 10 week module incorporates a number of different drawing and designing elements from designing with a particular context in mind to analysing a topic and producing research that will allow them to develop a detailed specification. Pupils will then develop a range of solutions using design, annotation and modelling techniques. Pupils are encouraged to be as self-directed as possible and draw on inspiration from new and future technologies when designing.

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

Technical drawing: This 3 week module will give pupils the opportunity to learn a variety of technical drawing techniques from Isometric, Orthographic and Exploded drawings. This will enable them to communicate their design ideas for future projects.

Design and make: This 10 week module will teach the pupils how to design and make an electronic board game. From initial research to the design, development and programming of an electronic dice. Pupils will develop their skills and knowledge of microcontrollers as well as the software used to design circuits and printed circuit boards.

Making: During this 5 week module pupils will look at new and emerging technologies in the Textile industry. They will design their own water bottle holder; working independently they will create a pattern and use the sewing machines to produce their product out of Textile materials.

Cooking and nutrition: During this 5 week module pupils will gain a variety of practical skills, focus on the correct use of tools and equipment for food preparation, investigate the recommended nutritional guidelines, cater for the needs of others and consider food science and its impact.

Designing: This 10 week module focuses the pupils on researching and designing for a particular target market, using presentation techniques, prototyping their design solutions and using CAD/CAM to produce a suitable pen drive.

Key Stage 4 Curriculum

Students choose their GCSE course at the end of Year 8. The range of Design & Technology GCSE syllabuses available to pupils during 2016/17 are:

• Design & Technology – Electronic Products (AQA)
• Design & Technology – Food Technology (AQA)
• Design & Technology – Graphic Products (Edexcel)
• Design & Technology – Resistant Materials (AQA)
• Design & Technology – Textiles Technology (AQA)

Further details on course content and specification can be found on their website:

www.aqa.org.uk & www.edexcel.com.

 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.

Coursework (60%) + Examination (40%) = GCSE (100%)

Coursework Details

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

Examination Details

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

Extra Curricular Activities and Visits

The department organises and runs several educational visits. We have a Year 8 and 9 residential retreat to Tyn Dwr, Wales which through activities such as archery, high/low ropes course, hill walking, gorge walking, canoeing and climbing, develops students problem solving skills, team working and leadership skills amongst others.

Other recent trips have included visits to Paris, London, Milano Pro Sports and the NEC Birmingham clothes show.

Design and Technology run many extra-curricular clubs such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) which allow students to participate in regional and national competitions. Within the last year, the STEM club has won several of these competitions such as the regional Rotary Club competition and the national IET Faraday competition.