The principles of design and technology education are taught in mixed ability groups at Key stage 3 in Food, Textiles and Resistant Materials and ICT lessons. The design process requires students to investigate, communicate ideas, plan, make and evaluate in a wide range of contexts.
This course encourages students to research the work of other designers and to combine innovation with functionality, enabling them to relate their learning experience to the design industry.
Students are taught:
- Creativity and to be innovative when designing products to meet the needs of clients and consumers.
- To understand the design principles of form, function and fitness for purpose.
- To consider the conflicting demands that moral, cultural, economic, and social values and needs can make in the planning and in the designing of products.
- To consider environmental and sustainability issues in designing products.
- To use, where appropriate, a range of graphic techniques and ICT (including digital media), including CAD, to generate, develop, model and communicate design proposals.
At Key Stage 3 students participate in a variety of projects and design briefs, practising skills and utilizing knowledge learnt from subjects across the curriculum to present their work either individually or in groups, in a range of creative ways.
Year 7 are taught through a range of focused practical tasks to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of:
- Diet and health using government guidelines for healthy eating and The Eat Well Plate
- Food safety and hygiene,
- Food preparation and handling skills
- Consumer awareness and sustainability, in particular, seasonality and shopping
choices, which impact on our carbon footprint.
Skills include a range of cutting, shaping and mixing processes whilst following food safety and hygiene rules. Part of the food course is for students to carry out sensory tests to evaluate food products.
Their final assessment is to demonstrate their understanding and the skills they have acquired to design and make a healthy scone based snack which uses fresh fruit or vegetables
Year 8 are taught to develop a greater awareness of sustainability and resourcefulness, creativity and to achieve a higher level of skills, building upon Year 7 work.
The design and make focus is, “designing for others”, using composite foods to make a snack,”fusion pot” and planning and making a two course meal. The latter will form part of an assessment for, “Active Kids Special Challenge”.
The recipes selected give students the opportunity to learn to cook, using minimal energy costs whilst selecting seasonal foods.
Skills include presentation of food, advanced knife skills and food processes; pureeing, creaming, reduction and roux sauces, pasta making and rice dishes. Students will develop their knowledge and understanding of the properties and functions of ingredients.
Year 9 students learn about producing products with consistent high quality finish for batch production.
In this unit students will design and make a take-away lunch product. The specification includes: edible casing, be locally sourced (Field to Plate) and support healthy eating “Eat Well plate”. Students will focus on food safety, pastry making and bread making skills, the properties and functions of ingredients, healthy eating, use of labour saving equipment.
Resistant Materials and Product Design
Year 7 Are introduced to computer aided design and computer aided manufacture, they learn how to gain inspiration from nature and work with a range of materials including vinyl, pewter and acrylic. Students will also learn how to adapt designs to work across different materials and processes.
Year 8 design and make storage solutions for everyday life. They analyse problems and learn how to be specific about design requirements. The design brief is based upon wood as a building material and how it can be used sustainably to make best use of its aesthetic qualities. Workshop tool skills are taught providing students with hands on approach to their making.
Year 9 are set the challenge of making a ‘Rube Goldberg’ machine. Group work is encouraged and students learn how to use a range of mechanisms to produce a final linked piece. Problem solving, creativity and practical skills are combined in what is becoming a very popular project.
Textiles
Year 7 students find out about the development of materials/products, the importance of thorough analysis when developing a new design, they look at transferring design on to fabric using a range of techniques and understand the importance of design technology in the world in which we live. They will be able to construct a simple product using a template which they make and work independently by problem solving.
Year 8 students will research other cultures, look specifically at recycled products in the world in which they live and work using new technologies. Students will work through the design process and develop ideas into a working design. The emphasis is on design innovation, technical skills and producing an effective design that meets a selected design criteria. Students will look at costumer profiling and research suitable fibres/fabrics for their design that are sustainable.
Year 9 students learn to develop and make products through a range of practical activities. They become skilled in effective annotation, design and increase their understanding of how developments affect a design’s outcome and cost for production. Students learn to work independently throughout these projects by problem solving and sharing good practice. Batches of products will be made to see different manufacturing methods/techniques and focus on the products effectiveness and quality.
In Key stage 4 Textile Technology and Manufacture are offered at GCSE. Students work through their coursework by focused activities. 60% of their mark will be on their coursework which is carried out within college hours and 40% will be a written exam at the end of the year. Students will gain the necessary skills and subject knowledge needed to approach a project of their choice.
ICT
Students at Key Stage 3 follow a series of units based on materials covering a wide range of ICT skills and applications. The emphasis on the units is developing student ability to use a vast selection of applications which they can then use in their other subjects and the wider world. Throughout their will be a strong emphasis on the uses of ICT in real life especially covering the safe use of the internet and communication technologies.
They will embark on topics such as creating a brand image and digital assists, using programming skills to create games and using video recording and editing software to produce short movies.
At KS4
Students have the opportunity to take the following courses.
- BTEC Hospitality & Catering
- BTEC Engineering
- OCR Cambridge First Level 2 Award in ICT
- GCSE Art & Design (Textiles)
- GCSE Photography (see Creative Arts)
Teachers:
- Mr A Ashwin, Teacher of ICT and PE TTL
- Mr A Avery, Teacher of ICT and PE
- Mr D Seyler, Teacher of Resistant Materials
- Mrs E Birchall, Teacher of Textiles
- Mrs S Capron, Teacher of Photography