Technology
Subject Leader: Mr S Murphy
Other members of teaching staff in the department: Mr J Routledge & Mr Jonathan Bullock
Learning Environment & Resources
The aim of the Design and Technology Department is to inspire students to be creative and engage in a wide range of design and practical based activities. This is to enable them to work together in a workshop environment whilst engaging with a diverse range of materials, tools and machinery. They will work with a wide range of resistant materials including wood, metal and plastic within their projects, and also compliant materials, when modelling in paper and card. Students are encouraged to think independently, and understand the importance of health and safety, when working creatively and producing products to a high standard. We encourage creativity in our students design work and teach transferrable skills such as independence, critical thinking and self-confidence. We also aim to give students an appreciation of past and present design and an understanding of real-world technology with links to CAD/CAM and industrial processes.
Students are taught in a stimulating environment and given the opportunity to develop independent thinking skills through creative design tasks and to build up a range of practical based skills whilst learning the importance of working safely and following the rules and risk assessments in place for the wide range of tools and machinery that they will use within their projects.
Key Stage 3
In Key Stage 3 students will build on prior knowledge from KS2 and begin with developing their knowledge of workshop health and safety by completing a small practical based skills project that will enable them to use a wide range of hand tools, equipment and machinery. They will then complete 2 main practical projects along with 6 weeks of food and nutrition lessons where they will develop the basic skills of food preparation and food hygiene in the kitchen. They will be provided with the knowledge, principles and skills, and subject specific vocabulary so that they can design, create and manufacture a range of high-quality outcomes. We also use past and present designers to inspire and influence design thinking within their own work.
Key Stage 4
In Key Stage 4 students will develop a deeper understanding of real-world technology and consider how CAD/CAM and industrial processes link to the design and practical work that they are creating. Year 9 and 10 aims to focus on the technical knowledge required to achieve success at the end of year 11. This will follow the GCSE assessment objectives to cover the knowledge required in their final written examination by completing individual units of work followed by end of unit assessments. It also aims to further demonstrate practical skills from Key Stage 3, building in more independence,
through a series of smaller practical projects and mini NEA style project that follows the structure of the coursework element. Students will work with a range of compliant and resistant materials when developing their prototypes and make use of tolerances with quality control checking throughout the process. Students will continuously review and evaluate their own work using the irritative approach to design.
Extra Curricular
Extra-Curricular Activity
Teaching staff are available during lunchtimes and after school to enable students to catch up on work missed or to work on advanced projects which require individual tuition. There is also a STEM event in school in conjunction with JLR.
