Curriculum Intent

To make students aware of a variety of material areas and how they are sustainable so that they can make informed choices as a designer and a consumer, so they understand their impact on the world.

Knowledge

Design and Technology allows students to gain a better understanding of the world we live in, and how products are designed to help make life better. They will explore a wide range of material areas that will allow them to better understand other subjects as they will have a given context e.g. Maths and Science. Designers need to consider social, moral and environmental issues when designing and manufacturing products and these issues will be highlighted throughout the curriculum in Design and Technology. They will also study new and ever developing technologies such as smart materials and programmable components.

Purpose

Design and Technology encourages students to think about things in a wide range of different concepts. They first need to analyse a problem, they will then go on a journey designing and developing a product in an iterative way, which will mean that great resilience is needed as things often don’t go right the first time. Design and Technology needs students to think in a very lateral way to reach an end goal, as there is often not one right answer to a problem, students can show great creativity in this subject.  Design and Technology aims to develop independence in students, as they go on their own personal journey with their product, guided by the teacher. This means that students need to have great resilience and grit.

Proactivity

Curiosity – Pupils discover how and why products are designed and manufactured and how this is being rethought in a range of different ways as we become more aware of the issue of sustainable living.

Commitment – The strengthening of pupils’ confidence, perseverance and self-discipline are vital to our subject. Students need to be able to take risks when problem solving in our subject.

Courage – Students will get the chance to develop and model their ideas in Design and Technology.  If things go wrong the first time they need to ensure that they show great resilience when coming up with a second or even third iteration.

Every child will have the opportunity to solve problems in a practical way. They will have the chance to design and make a product in the workshop using traditional making skills and on the computer using CAD. They will also have the chance to look at existing products in great deal and analyse them so that they can take inspiration from them for their own work. Students will encounter real life problems that will link directly to their course of study in Maths and Science. At GCSE level students have the opportunity to work directly with local companies that offer them an insight into how the industry itself works.

Curriculum Map