Design and Technology

Year 7

Resistant Materials: aims to teach the foundation of material manipulation and fabrication, while developing students’ understanding of tools and the design processes. Students will design and produce a 3D printed chair.

Year 8

Graphics: aims to provide students with a good grounding in presentational drawing including sketching, and the application of colour; formal drawing in orthographic, isometric and perspective.

Structures: students apply their understanding of forces and structures when designing and making a bridge.

Resistant Materials: aims to introduce students to CAD-CAM industrial practice through the production of an LED light.

Sustainability: introduces students to the topic of sustainability in relation to energy consumption, materials, technological change and our need to protect the planet for future generations.

Year 9

Year 9 students study DT for approximately nine weeks (27 lessons) on a rotation with Food Preparation and Nutrition.

Resistant Materials: students explore needs, wants and opportunities in the context of designing for clients, through their creation of a 3D printed Lego model.

Graphics: students investigate a range of graphic products, notably to increase their understanding of the purpose of packaging through the design and manufacture of chocolate box packaging.

Innovative Design: students will develop evaluative techniques, and advance their knowledge and understanding of technological products.

National curriculum

Course content

GCSE Design and Technology comprises two separate elements, both worth 50% – the written exam and non-examined assessment (NEA) coursework.

The exam covers 'Materials and Technology', 'Designing Products', 'Make Products' and 'Understanding the Bigger Picture'. For the NEA, students complete a major design-and-make project where they choose a design problem from a set of themes, research and analyse users, develop many ideas and choose the best one, make a working prototype and evaluate how well the final design works.

Year 10

During the year projects are undertaken to prepare the student for the design-and-make project in Year 11. Knowledge for the written exam is taught in lessons and incorporated within the practical projects covered in Year 10, and reiterated through the Year 11 controlled assessment.

The AQA exam board announces three design contexts from 1st June in Year 10, which initiates the start of the GCSE NEA project. A schedule is developed for the individual sections of research, design, development, making and evaluation and the students formally begin their coursework.

Year 11

Students continue their NEA that they began in summer of Year 10, and which is ongoing until the start of Easter school term in Year 11. Further focused studies in the technical principles and design practice provide an enhanced depth of knowledge that covers topics for their final written exams.

Exam board: AQA

Course specification

Course content

This two-year course requires students to produce and submit one portfolio, which will demonstrate their creativity and flair when investigating, designing and making a product. Students will undertake a commercial 'design and make' project, which applies the knowledge and understanding of the subject. It will need to be sustainable and take into account environmental issues.

Students will be expected to develop knowledge of a wide range of resistant materials, graphical media, textiles, smart materials and manufacturing processes, as well as knowledge of past designers. This is to be applied in their project. ICT will be integral to this course, as will the ability to communicate graphically and by the written word. Students will be able to recognise design needs and develop an understanding of how current global issues, including integrating technology, impact on today’s world. Students will have the confidence to innovate and produce creative design solutions as they develop their own design brief with a client/end user.

Course specification