OVERVIEW

WHY IS DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY SO IMPORTANT?

• D&T alongside your (STEM subjects) Sciences, Maths and Engineering experiences D & T gives you the skills you need for employment in key growth sectors like advanced manufacturing, design, engineering and creative industries.
• It is the subject where you have to make decisions, plan and predict, evaluate and assess the consequences of your decisions.
• D&T stretches and challenges you and makes you think about many key issues which affect people’s lives.
• It will hopefully inspire you to follow a career in areas which are vital for the future of our country and perhaps to be an entrepreneur who designs and makes products that people want.
• It develops your skills in solving problems, finding solutions and then putting them into practice.
• It brings real world issues and industry issues into your classroom.
• It helps to prepare you for life in an advanced technological society and become a discerning consumer.  This is why we recommend that all students continue with their Design and Technology education.

WHAT DOES DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY COVER? 

All the related courses are exciting and will involve you in activities that develop innovation and flair when designing products.  It encourages you as a designer to:

• Explore, develop, experience and express your design ideas in 2D and 3D drawing and modelling.
• Show flair and imagination.
• Work collaboratively and independently.
• Use new technology such as CAD, control systems such as ‘Crumble’ and new materials. 

KS3 CURRICULUM

Design and Technology at Harris Church of England Academy is taught across all of the disciplines.  Encompassing Design and Technology, Product Design, Food Technology, Textiles. Many different materials such as wood, plastics, graphic design, systems, food and textiles are experienced.

FOOD TECHNOLOGY

In Year 7 students look at Healthy Eating and do practical work under the umbrella of carbohydrate staple foods – they start with a basic lesson to familiarise themselves with the Food room then they go on to cook with potatoes pasta, oats and flour. They gain an understanding and appreciation of where these staple foods come from and how they are used in cuisines around the World.

Students come to Food Technology with a wide variety of skills so we like to appoint “Learning Leaders” who can use their expertise to support others.

In Year 8 students focus on how ingredients function within recipes and again on Healthy Eating. Throughout this topic students are encouraged to understand how ingredients work within a recipe to create a good result and how to adapt existing recipes to make them healthier. They make dishes, for example, bread and healthy fruit-based puddings.

The key to practical work in Year 8 is to develop students' independence and their confidence as well as theoretical knowledge of the processes, as we build on what they did in Year 7.

PRODUCT DESIGN

Product Design at Key Stage 3 pupils combine practical and technological skills with creative thinking to design and make products that meet human needs. The students will learn how to use current technologies and consider the impact of future technological developments. They learn to think creatively solving problems as individuals and members of a team.

They will look at the design process, drawing and presentation skills, tools and materials (wood, metal, plastics, board, paper), sustainability, moral, social and cultural issues, anthropometrics and ergonomics, mechanisms, typography, colour, nets and packaging, CAD, CAM, manufacturing, health and safety, marketing, patents, copyrights and trademarks, and key designers.

In year 7 – the students will design and make products that will introduce them to the material properties of wood, metal, plastics and compliant materials such as paper and card.  This knowledge and understanding of how to cut, shape and combine materials is linked to a project base that identifies specific target market needs and preferences.  The students will have 2 strands to their learning.  The first being designing and making a range of items from plastic, wood and pewter, which will also introduce them to skills using CAD and CAM. The students will also study basic mechanisms and the application of graphic technology.  In year 7 this knowledge and understanding of materials will be based around project design briefs that connect with business and industry in the community.

The second strand is based on a ‘themed café’ and is a structures based module that encourages the students to link their knowledge of science and forces applying this to products.  This is paired with Food Technology.

In year 8 – the students will further enhance their skills in designing and making products in wood, metal, plastics and compliant materials such as card and textiles. The student will develop their understanding of CAD and CAM as well as hand based skills. The students are considering industrial practice and manufacturing methods as well as systems of manufacture.  Graphical drawing techniques are consolidated and the students are encouraged to link their learning across all of their subject areas as Design and Technology is a perfect subject that enables the students to pull on their knowledge from all areas to solve problems and communicate ideas. The students will continue to enjoy the mix of disciplines and skills that Product Design offers form year 7, including a textiles module.  

In year 9 – The students have the opportunity to pursue Product Design or Food Technology

KS4 CURRICULUM

At KS4 students have the option of choosing one of the following choices for a qualification in Design &  Technology.

FOOD REPARATION & NUTRITION

In Year 9, 10 and 11 we have chosen to offer GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition. We have an excellent record of many students achieving above their target grade. 

In Year 10 the students cook every week to build up their practical skills and complete theory work to increase their food knowledge.

As part of the GCSE students carry out two Non-Examination Assessment tasks. One of which is an Investigative task in Year 11 (worth 15% of the overall grade) Students use experimental work to investigate the functional and chemical properties of ingredients and write a written report. The second Non-Examination Assessment is worth 35% of the overall GCSE grade and is also completed in Year 11. Students use their food knowledge to plan and cook three dishes according to a given theme. Throughout Year 9 and 10 the students will complete practice tasks so that they are prepared for the exam in Year 11. The remaining 50% of the GCSE is a written exam which covers all of the theory work done throughout the course including topics such as Healthy Eating, Nutrition, Food commodities, Food Science and Food Provenance.

GCSE PRODUCT DESIGN

This is an exciting course which will involve you in activities that develop innovation and flair when designing and making products.  Design influences such as sustainability in product design and companies such as Dyson and Apple are investigated.

This GCSE is designed to encourage candidates to be able to design and make products with creativity and originality, using a range of materials and techniques.  Students are encouraged to actively engage in the processes of design and technology to develop as effective and independent learners. Students will continue to develop a wide range of practical skills within Year10 in preparation for their Controlled Assessment.  A high percentage of the work is taught through practical experiences and small projects, which develop your level of technical skills and materials knowledge.  Core to the course content is knowledge of a variety of materials; including Paper and Board, other materials areas also taught include; Woods, Plastics, Metals and Electronic Components.

In Year 11 this will consist of a single design and make activity selected from three exam board set tasks that are changed annually by the exam board. Students will be expected to submit a practical outcome as well as a design folio.  Possible products that could fulfil the design brief include; Mood lighting, Furniture, Packaging and Interactive Point of Sale, Jewellery, Cosmetics display, Small storage solutions, Interior design, Docking stations and Interactive games.
The course consists of two units:

Unit 1 (50%) is a written paper where students will gain a working knowledge of the following topics: materials and components, manufacturing, mechanisms, forces, design and market Influences, social, cultural, moral, environmental, sustainability and economic issues associated with design, health and safety issues, processes and manufacture.

Unit 2 (50%) is Design and Making Practice where students will develop designing and making skills. This is a design folio and a prototype relating to one design brief.

SMSC IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

 We believe that a student’s Social Moral Spiritual & Cultural is developed in Design & Technology in a number of ways. We believe in educating our students to think about the impact of their designing and making on the environment and people. Sustainability and the clear understanding of how this is applied to designing new products are paramount if we are to protect the world’s natural resources. Students are also expected to grow and develop a sense of social responsibility, mutual respect and care for each other through our teaching of behaviour self-regulation. We expect students to influence the behaviour of others around them by encouraging a confidence to challenge each other when standards fall below our collective expectations.

SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY  

Spiritual development is of a very high importance in Design and Technology. The process of creative thinking and innovation inspires students to bring out undiscovered talents, which in turn breeds self-confidence and a belief in their abilities. It also challenges and appeals to the creative instincts that have driven humanity to discover, adapt and overcome. Within our schemes of work we seek to develop these.

MORAL DEVELOPMENT IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

 In Design and Technology we seek to develop a sense of ‘moral conscience’ in our students, through focusing upon the moral dilemmas raised in designing and making new products. We teach students to understand the wider impacts on the environment when designing and making new products and expect them to consider carefully the materials & components they will use and include sustainability as a major focus in all areas.

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

Social development is a key feature of all Design and Technology lessons. We teach the concept of self-regulation to ensure that students accept responsibility for their behaviour and the safety of others. We encourage students to give each other reminders when standards fall short of the collective expectation. This establishes and maintains a safe, secure, learning environment. We place an emphasis on developing the ability to work with others and to accept each other’s unique personality. We encourage effective conversations about the work we do through self & peer evaluation, and to give and accept constructive criticism as a vehicle to improve students' learning outcomes. Many of our lessons include teamwork to develop a collaborative outcome.

CULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN DESIGN AND TECHNOLOGY

We seek to expand students’ knowledge of other cultures’ influences on design and manufacture including an increasing awareness of the influence digital manufacturing developments from other countries has on the designing and making of products that we use.