Design Technology
Design Technology is delivered following the National Curriculum and prepares pupils to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing technologies. They learn
key areas such as design skills; developing creative, technical and practical expertise; experiencing state of the art machinery; understanding the principles of healthy living and nutrition; foods of the world and learning how to cook.
They combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social, environmental and health issues, function and industrial practices. As they do so, they reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and effects. Through design and technology, all pupils can become discriminating and informed users of products, become innovators and know how to lead a healthy lifestyle.
The pupils draw on knowledge and understanding from across the curriculum, develop their numeracy, literacy, ICT and communication skills and are required to apply these in practical ways.
Based on their suitability, pupils are entered for a wide range of qualifications. These include WJEC units; WJEC Entry Pathways Creative, Media and
performance Arts and BTEC Level 1 Construction Award.
An overview of the Design Technology Curriculum can be viewed here.
Design Technology Curriculum Overview
Design Technology Curriculum Topics
Design Technology in Primary
Within our Primary department pupils have the opportunity to engage with a range of topics exploring cooking and nutrition, textiles and product design. Pupils’ learning in Key Stage 1 creates the foundation for knowledge to be built upon as pupils progress into Key Stage 2.
In Key Stage 1 pupils are taught to design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria. They will generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing,templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology. Pupils are encouraged to select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics.
In Key Stage 2 pupils build upon these skills further in order to use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups and to generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design. Pupils will select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks and accurately select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.
This academic year (24 – 25) our KS1 topics include: Inventors, Pop Up Animals, Homes using different materials, Mosaics, Can buildings speak? and Pirate Paddy’s Packed Lunch Box.
This academic year (24 – 25) our KS2 topics include: Eat More Fruits and Vegetables, Puppets, Vehicles and Perfect Pizzas. Our Vehicles and Perfect Pizzas topics are termly to allow for lots of extended practical learning opportunities.
Design Technology in Year 7
Pupil’s in Year 7 will start to develop creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world, build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills that they will build on as they move through the school, they will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
In Year 7 pupil’s will experience working in the Design & Technology workshop where they will have practical experiences using a variety of hand tools and machines including saws, hammers, screw drivers, disc sander and pedestal drill. The pupils will always work with safety in mind and use a range of personal protection equipment and safe working techniques.
They will work across four areas of Design & Technology which include Product Design, Resistant materials, Textiles and Food. They will learn drawing techniques including 3-D and one point perspective, make a simple wooden game, make a simple felt puppet and learning about healthy eating.
Design Technology in Year 8
Pupils in Year 8 will continue to develop creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world, build and apply a repertoire of knowledge that they will build on as they move through the school, they will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
In Year 8 pupils build on the knowledge gained in Year 7. They will again experience working in the Design & Technology workshop where they will have practical experiences using a variety of hand tools and machines including saws, hammers, screw drivers, disc sander and pedestal drill. Again the pupils will always work with safety in mind and use a range of personal protection equipment and safe working techniques.
The pupils will again work across the four areas of Design & Technology in more depth; these areas are Product Design, Resistant Materials, Textiles and Food. Pupils will draw in two point perspective and design and make simple packaging, design and make a desk tidy using wooden joints and laser cut designs, design and make a felt bag using different stitches, look at where food comes from, focussing on local and British.
Design Technology in Year 9
Pupils in Year 9 will continue to develop creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world, build and apply a repertoire of knowledge that they will take into Key Stage 4 and apply to their accredited courses, they will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
In Year 9 pupil’s build on the knowledge gained in Year 7 & 8. They will again experience working in the Design & Technology workshop where they will have practical experiences using a variety of hand tools and machines including saws, hammers, screw drivers, disc sander and pedestal drill. Again the pupils will always work with safety in mind and use a range of personal protection equipment and safe working techniques.
The pupils will again work across the four areas of Design & Technology in more depth; these areas are Product Design, Resistant Materials, Textiles and Food. Pupil’s will their drawing and ICT skills to make packaging which will include both model making and the use of the vacuum forming machine, design and make a book ends using complex wooden joints and laser cut designs, design and make a bag using different techniques including using the sewing machine, look at where food comes from focussing local, British and worldwide.
9P will carry out the above work but will use the Entry 3 WJEC Design & Technology Framework to gain accredited units.
Design Technology in Year 10
Pupils in Year 10 will use their creative, technical and practical expertise their repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills learned in Key Stage 3 to begin their accredited courses.
Pupils in Year 10 will either begin WJEC Entry Level 3 Design & Technology units that will feed into a WJEC Entry Pathways Creative, Media and performance Arts qualification, there will be an opportunity to complete a NOCN Horticulture in our outside space in the Summer Term or pupils will begin a BTEC Level 1 Construction certificate, both of these accredited courses will continue into Year 11.
The WJEC/NOCN units are: WJEC – Designing & Modelling using Graphic Products (Unit 6220), WJEC – Health & Safety using Resistant Materials (Unit 6223), NOCN – Horticulture – Clearing & Weeding a Garden (Unit D/505/3601)
The BTEC units in Year 10 are: Developing Carpentry Skills (Unit R/502/3687), Decorating
Household Goods (Unit T/502/3682) & Working Towards Goals (Unit J/502/0463)
Design Technology in Year 11
Pupils in Year 11 will use their creative, technical and practical expertise, their repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills learned in Key Stage 3 and Year 10 to work on accredited courses.
Pupils in Year 11 will either begin WJEC Entry Level 3 Design & Technology units that will feed into a WJEC Entry Pathways Creative, Media and performance Arts qualification, or complete a BTEC Level one Introductory in Construction as appropriate.
The WJEC units are:
Designing & Modelling using Graphic Products (Unit 6220),
Health & Safety using Resistant Materials (Unit 6223).
The BTEC units to be completed in Year 11 are:
A2 Developing a Personal Progression Plan
CON7 making Carpentry Joints