Design & Technology
Intent and Aims
Our intent is that students should have a substantial experience of Design & Technology regardless of their starting point. We have a responsibility to give them the skills and the confidence to be the generation that will create or consume products that have the potential to change the world that we live in. We are moving into a new way of living, with an emphasis of repair and update rather than the disposable society of the here and now, alongside the need for an intuitive understanding of nutrition, healthy eating and developing the confidence to use fresh produce when feeding themselves or others, affordably and nutritiously throughout their life.
Skills developed through our curriculum will help them to have the confidence to do this in the future. Design and Technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. We also ensure we equip our students with the skills and understanding of Design & Technology/Food Preparation and Nutrition that will support academic success at GCSE and A’ Level qualifications.
- Inspire students and fill them with the pride and drive to be creative and instill a sense of achievement which comes with resilience, problem solving and challenge and to instil a love of cooking.
- Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design, make and cook high-quality prototypes, products and dishes for a wide range of users
- Develop a wide range of practical skills across a range of materials or ingredients through focused practical tasks.
- Develop skills in the design process, to include research, analytical and sensory skills, collaboration and communication skills, meeting a need, working with a client and self-evaluation.
- Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products/dishes and the work of others
- Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
Identifying & Investigating design possibilities
- Identify and solve design problems.
- Develop a range of research and explorations strategies.
- Investigate new and emerging technologies
- To apply computing and use electronics to embed intelligence in products that respond to inputs [for example, sensors], and control outputs [for example, actuators], using programmable components [for example, microcontrollers].
- To investigate and understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients including from different countries and factors affecting food choices for a nutritious and healthy diet.
Producing a design brief & specification
- Develop a design brief and specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations.
Generating design ideas
- Engage with the iterative process for designing and making.
- Use a variety of approaches [for example, biomimicry and user-centered design], to generate creative ideas and avoid stereotypical responses.
- Developing an appreciation of the work of others and using aspects of others' work to inspire their own designs.
Developing design ideas
- Develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modeling, oral and digital presentations and computer-based tools.
- Select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials and components, considering their properties.
Realising design ideas
- Select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery precisely and safely, including computer-aided manufacture.
- Selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; presenting dishes to a high standard and adapting and using their own recipes.
Analysing & Evaluating
- Analyse the work of past and present professionals and others to develop and broaden their understanding.
- Evaluate and refine their ideas and products against a specification, considering the views of intended users and other interested groups.
- Using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes.
- Evaluate and refine their dishes against a set task, considering the views of others, the overall cost and the Nutrition Value of the dish
In Year 7 all students are taught a range of skills across all material/ingredient areas to develop a foundation that will enhance their knowledge, understanding and skills; to inspire confidence when tackling the tasks they will be challenged with as they progress throughout the two year course. Specialist skills are taught on a rotation to enable all students, regardless of their previous experiences, to have a consistent experience across all material areas. Teachers introduce topics that increasingly develop their repertoire of the skills needed to progress onto the examined courses and careers available to them.
In Year 8 students are again taught on rotation to utilise the specialist facilities. We deepen students' understanding of the design process and of iterative design, taking into account their users' needs and wants as they progress through the design and make tasks. The skills developed this year will underpin the work that is needed for success at GCSE and beyond.
Literacy is taught through the introduction of subject specific terminology that is used throughout each section of work, constantly being built and expanded upon.
All areas are assessed with both a classwork QMA (Quality marked assessment) and a formal end of unit test - QMA. This reflects the requirements of formal qualifications.
In year 9 we continue to deliver the ‘Core’ element of the course within D&T. We aim to deliver much of the learning through a series of projects and practical tasks, continuously building their repertoire of knowledge and skills, developing a wide range of practical skills. To allow access to specialist equipment, projects are taught on rotation. We use a range of techniques ranging from practical tasks, watching video clips and using text books to help to embed this knowledge, with the aim of learning key knowledge through practical tasks. Assessments continue to use exam style phrasing and structure to enable students to become familiar with the structure and terminology of the GCSE exam. The focus during NEA (coursework) tasks is to solve real life issues/problems/needs for a real client. Working with their client collaboratively throughout the whole process to further develop skills in the design process, to include research, analytical skills, collaboration and communication skills, meeting a need, working with a client and self-evaluation.
In Year 9 Food, students continue to build upon the knowledge of Nutrition and Factors Affecting Food Choice learnt in Year 7 and 8, learning how to apply it to everyday health and scenarios. It then leads on to study units with a specific practical skill focus, such as Breads, Cakes and Pastry. These will also cover some of the key food science concepts needed throughout the GCSE as well as incorporating a wide range of practical skills that can be used to complete NEA work in Year 11.
In year 10, students work in their chosen area of material specialism, deepening their understanding of knowledge and skills. Work is completed mainly through a series of mini NEA tasks, with students completing self assessment tasks as part of their review/do activities; these enable us as teachers to inspire students and fill them with the pride and drive to be creative and instill a sense of achievement which comes with resilience, problem solving and challenge. We continue to assess learning through exam style language for NEA, homework and assessment tasks, increasing the familiarity of this prior to sitting their external examinations and assessed NEA work. Students are expected to work with increasing independence, with individual responsibility to meet internally set deadlines. This in turn deepens students' pride and determination to meet the high levels of expectation that we as teachers strive to inspire. During the summer term, students begin their final NEA task.
Year 11 is where students dedicate a large proportion of their time to their NEA task, alongside revisiting prior learning through specific revision topics. Lots of activities have been embedded into this to help with the retrieval of knowledge. Teacher expectations should be high, looking to drive individual responsibility, pride and determination to produce work to the highest standard.
All areas are assessed with both a classwork QMA (Quality marked assessment) and a formal end of unit test - QMA. This reflects the requirements of formal qualifications.
In Year 10, students broaden their knowledge of Food Safety and Spoilage, before learning about how/why food is cooked and the methods of preservation that may be undertaken. Students will revisit and apply previously learnt knowledge about Nutrition and Health when studying this, alongside Food Provenance and Processing, helping to embed their knowledge further. Mock NEA tasks are undertaken, giving them the skills required to be able to achieve and aim for excellence when completing their final NEA tasks in Year 11.
In Year 11, students will utilise all the skills they have developed to undertake their NEA 1 (Food Investigation) and NEA 2 (Food Preparation) tasks as part of their assessment for their GCSE. The focus for the remainder of the year is revision and exam techniques in preparation for their final written exam in June.
To ensure a broad and balanced curriculum, the course is split into clear topics that are delivered through a range of techniques, including practical tasks, videos and textbooks. Practical tasks are carried out both independently and collaboratively. These could be either following a specific recipe, researching and making their own recipe or undertaking investigative work with the aim to build confidence and increase the skills set of students in preparation for NEA work in Year 11, whilst also embedding some of the theory they have learnt.
Assessments are completed every half term throughout and range from evaluations of practical work, essay style exam questions to formative end of unit tests. These focus on using previous exam questions to familiarise students with the phrasing and use of command words in exam questions to equip them with the know how to answer these confidently using subject specific terminology.
Students are given the skills to work independently with an individual responsibility to meet given time frames and broaden their knowledge of the subject specification content, whilst always being encouraged to work with pride and determination.
We begin year 12 with a mini NEA task. This is delivered alongside upskilling their sketching and presentation skills and deepening their knowledge and understanding of papers & boards and polymers. Students are given the skills to work independently with an individual responsibility to meet given time frames. The expectations are high throughout the year, students are given a range of classwork, homework and study time activities to complete the rigorous demands of a robust A’ level course. Success at the early stages of the course helps to drive student pride and determination forward throughout the remaining projects. Subsequent projects in both metal and timber, seek to develop fabrication processes, material experiences and knowledge and understanding before researching different design movements and key design/product innovation through history tasks. During the summer term, students begin to work on their final NEA task where they choose a ‘real life’ scenario to solve. Working with a client of their own through the rigour of the NEA task, before finally embarking on the revision lessons prior to the final examinations. Assessments continue to use exam style phrasing and structure to enable students to become familiar with the structure and terminology of the A’ level exam.
During the summer term, students begin to work on their final NEA task where they choose a ‘real life’ scenario to solve. Working with a client of their own through the rigour of the NEA task, before finally embarking on the revision lessons prior to the final examinations.
Year 13 is where students dedicate a large proportion of their time to their NEA task, alongside revisiting prior learning through specific revision topics. Lots of activities have been embedded into this to help with the retrieval of knowledge. Teacher expectations should be high, looking to drive individual responsibility, pride and determination to produce work to the highest standard.
All areas are assessed with both a classwork QMA (Quality marked assessment) and a formal end of unit test - QMA. This reflects the requirements of formal qualifications.
