Design & Technology

The department firmly believes that students learn best by ‘doing’ and by allowing them to experiment and take risks, in a safe and positive learning environment. This is achieved through imaginative teaching that embraces new technologies and resembles modern industrial processes, whilst retaining the best of traditional practices. At the heart of this, is the desire to deliver a curriculum in which students produce high quality outcomes. Students must learn about the social and ethical responsibilities of designers and engineers and the importance of managing finite resources with care.

Design Technology is a crucial subject area in the 2014 National Curriculum in England, engaging students with practical and technical skills as well as creative thinking. The following endpoints aim to map out the essential skills and knowledge that Year 7 and 8 students should acquire by the end of their study in various design techniques and analysis.

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils in KS3 are taught the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making.

This is taught in rotation of Product Design, Graphics, Textiles and Food Technology.

Graphics aims to build practical skills of communication through one-point and two-point perspective, learning to represent 3D objects on a 2D plane showing a single vanishing point and employing two-point perspective for more complex designs.

Pupils will create isometric drawings to represent three-dimensional objects using angles.

Pupils will learn how to apply shading techniques to add depth and reality to three-dimensional drawings and how to render various materials realistically within their designs.

Pupils will be introduced to basic computer aided design, including Photoshop to produce designs whilst building understanding of the advantages of CAD over traditional drawing.

Pupils will assess current packaging and products, considering elements such as types of boards and finishes, colour selection and the psychology of colour, understanding how packaging design influences the consumer behaviour.

Pupils will design logos, explore typography and learn how appropriate selections can have impact on product communication.

Pupils will gain knowledge of the work of past and present designers and use this to inform their own personal outcomes.

Pupils will learn the sources and origins of different types of papers, boards and polymers, their properties and suitability for various applications and processes.

Pupils will be introduced to writing of design briefs and specifications, identifying problems, identifying target markets and working within design constraints.

·          experience in constructing prototypes to test and refine their design ideas

·          producing final products using appropriate materials and techniques generate a range of ideas in response to a design brief and refine them effectively through various stages of development.

·          specialist graphics equipment such as drawing boards, technical pens, and cutting mats safely and effectively.

·          the use of hand tools and basic machinery, with an emphasis on safety and accuracy in their application to design projects

·          identify user needs and apply creative thinking to develop innovative concept designs that address these needs.

In Product Design, students at St Benedict’s Catholic College will learn the skills of measuring, marking out, cutting, shaping, joining, forming and finishing materials including timbers, metals and polymers. They will have the opportunity to produce designs and prototypes using hand tools and skills and using CADCAM.

At key stage 3, Product Design students will learn about material types and properties, research and design skills including product analysis, target market research, and idea generation and evaluation. The work students undertake at key stage 3 will lead to students manufacturing working prototypes and give them a solid foundation of core knowledge which they can build upon at key stage 4.

Home learning at KS3

For each 10-week rotation, key stage 3 students can expect to be set 4 Home learning tasks to complete.

What can parents/carers do to support at home?

Have resources such as pencil crayons, pencils available: practice basic elements of drawing to progress and strengthen fine motor skills.

KEY STAGE 4

At key stage 4, students of Design and Technology at St Benedict’s Catholic College will follow the WJEC GCSE Design and Technology course of study. Broadly speaking, students of Design and Technology will learn how to:

▫   develop an appreciation of the importance of creativity and innovation to good design practice

▫   actively engage in the processes of design and technology to develop as effective and independent learners

▫   understand the key principles of designing and making

▫   use their knowledge, skills and understanding to make design decisions in order to make a quality prototype

▫   analyse existing products and produce practical solutions to meet needs, wants and opportunities, recognising their impact on quality of life

▫   critically analyse links between the principles of good design, existing solutions, and technological knowledge

▫   understand the underlying technical principles within design and technology within their chosen endorsed area, with emphasis on emerging technologies, materials and practices

All students will study the core knowledge associated with the subject, specifically the following:

▫   impact of new and emerging technologies

▫   evaluation of new and emerging technologies

▫   energy

▫   modern and smart materials

▫   ecological and social footprint

▫   investigating and analysing the work of others

Alongside this knowledge, students will work on the mastery of key skills for Design and Technology, including:

▫   understanding design and technology practice takes place within contexts

▫   identifying and understanding user needs

▫   writing a design brief and specifications

▫   investigating challenges

▫   developing ideas

▫   using design strategies

▫   communicating design ideas

▫   developing a prototype

▫   making decisions

Over the course of the qualification, students can expect to engage in a range of written, practical, computer-based and drawing tasks in order to understand all the areas mentioned above.  In year 11, they will embark upon a major 35-hour Non-Examined Assessment project which will be worth 50% of their final grade. This will be based on a design context set by the exam board and interpreted by students to meet the needs of an identified user/target market. Students will also sit a 2-hour written paper where their subject knowledge will be assessed.

The course also allows students to select one of the following areas to study in greater detail:

▫   engineering design

▫   fashion and textiles

▫   product design

Students will tailor their chosen NEA project to their preferred area of study, and the exam also includes a section where they will select one question based on their specialism.

Home learning at KS4

At key stage 4, students of Design and Technology can expect to complete 1 hour a week of home learning tasks. These will include research tasks, practice exam questions, design tasks and revision exercises. Home learning should be recorded in students’ planners and put onto ClassCharts.

What can parents/carers do to support at home?

The main thing parents/carers can do to support their key stage 4 child while they are studying Design and Technology is to engage them in conversation about what they are doing. Design and Technology is a broad and exciting subject and talking through the content at home allows students to solidify their learning and keep it fresh in their minds. They may well want to ask your opinions through a survey they have written or market research, and these are prime opportunities to have a meaningful conversation about what they have been studying.

Encourage your child to take an interest in recent developments in the field of technology and engineering. This can be done within shared interests such as the sue of VAR in football, for instance. You will find a section on Technology on the BBC news website or app, which you may find helpful for this.

Keep an eye on their Class Charts account to see what home learning they have and encourage them to complete it on time. If there is a genuine reason why they cannot do this or if it will be late, please encourage them to contact their teacher and explain the issue, before the lesson when it is due, where possible. Teachers will grant a 24-hour extension.

When generating design ideas, please remind you child that bad ideas are useful! We use an iterative design model, meaning their designs should evolve and improve as they evaluate them, so even ideas they may think are bad are still worthwhile as part of the creative process and should still be submitted.

If you are creative or practically minded, your child may well want to use you as a sounding board as they go through their Design and Technology course. Please encourage them to do this and offer advice and guidance based on your own experience. Please keep in mind, however, that the tools and equipment we use at this level of study will not always be the same as those used at industry level or for mass production.