Technology
Curriculum Intent
Our curriculum vision applies to all our young people, regardless of background, gender, sexual orientation or ability.
In Design Technology we strive to offer students the opportunity to be creative. We believe the curriculum which we offer provides students with opportunities to do this.
The projects in Design Technology are designed to cover the Key Stage 3 National Curriculum and give students the opportunity to develop their designing and problem-solving skills. Success for students will take on the form of having a completed project which they are allowed to take home at the end of the module in Key Stage 3. Students will also be rewarded throughout the subject with the use of Class Charts points and success will be celebrated in lessons by students sharing good practice and developing new skills.
SEND students will be given extra support in lessons by the class teacher and by classroom assistants when they are assigned to students. The departmental technician is also available to help with extra support. The department does not charge students to take their projects home, so we do not discriminate against different students. We also offer enrichment trips at certain points in the year which allow Pupil Premium students the opportunity to gain new experiences. We do not charge students for these trips which again means we do not discriminate against different groups of students. We feel that these trips contribute to student’s cultural capital. We also try to incorporate careers into our lessons to give students an understanding of how our subject fits in to the world. We aim to give students as many good experiences as we can to really bolster their cultural capital and challenge their creative thinking.
To help students achieve the highest levels of attainment that they can at Key Stage 3, they will follow the school’s assessment policy. The department will use SOLAR lessons and assess using SUN assessment in exercise books. Key Stage 4 students studying GCSE Design Technology will be given regular feedback on their progress and tracker sheets are used to track progress with Non-Examined Assessment. Students studying OCR Engineering design will follow SUN assessment strategies as well as external examination assessment and internal coursework assessment.
In Design Technology we want students to become independent learners. We believe that the skills we give them at Key Stage 3 will allow them to achieve well if they choose the subject for Key Stage 4. We want students to take pride in their work and be proud of their achievements. We hope that by challenging, rewarding and encouraging students they will be proud of what they achieve.
Knowledge and skills
Through our curriculum, students:
- Will develop designing and making skills.
- Learn about Computer Aided Design and Manufacture.
- Develop hand skills and learn how to work safely in a workshop.
- Learn how to use designing software on the computers.
- Understand why design is important and how it shapes the world around us.
- Learn about different designers and their influence on the world.
- Learn how to critically evaluate their own and other peoples work.
- Understand the working properties of different materials and what we can do with them.
- Understand how to use different tools for different materials.
- Learn about different careers within the field of Design Technology.
- Develop practical mathematical skills through practical projects.
- Develop life skills that will benefit them in the future.
Curriculum Overview
Click on the document at the bottom of this page to view an easy read version of the full curriculum overview
Engineering Design - Cambridge National Award
Overview
Engineering design is a process used to identify market opportunities and solve problems which contribute to the development of new products and systems. This qualification is aimed at learners who wish to study the processes involved in designing new engineered products and the requirements of a design specification. Through research and practical activities, learners will understand how market requirements and opportunities inform client briefs and will use practical skills such as drawing, computer modelling and model making to communicate design ideas.
The Cambridge Nationals in Engineering Design encourage learners to communicate and consult with a client to develop a viable and innovative product. Learners will apply practical skills to produce a prototype in the form of a model and test design ideas to inform further product development. Through reflection, learners evaluate the prototype, making a comparable outcome against specification points, and assess possible, practical solutions and improvements to their prototype design.
A practical approach to teaching and learning will provide learners with knowledge in engineering technology and develop their critical thinking, creativity and dexterous skills through engaging practical experiences.
Topics
- Unit 1 - This first unit provides the opportunity for learners to develop their understanding of the requirements of design briefs and design specifications for the development of new products. Through research and practical activities, learners will understand how consumer requirements and market opportunities inform design briefs. Learners will understand the overall design process through study of the design cycle, existing product and life cycle analysis, study of new and improved materials and manufacturing processes, and how these and other factors influence a design solution.
- Unit 2 - This unit will enable learners to perform effective product analysis. They will research existing solutions and assess the development of engineered products. Learners will develop dextrous skills and gain practical experience of product assembly and disassembly to appreciate manufacturing processes, design features and materials used. This unit develops learner’s creativity and critical analysis through an understanding of the principles behind good design. They will consider what makes a good product sell by analysing existing solutions.
- Unit 3 - This unit develops techniques in generation, concept development and the communication of design ideas using hand rendering and computer-based presentation techniques including computer aided design software. Learners will generate design ideas using a mixture of detailed hand rendering and computer-based presentation techniques including computer aided design in 2 and 3 dimensions. Learners will gain skills in annotation and labelling techniques, such as showing key features, functions, dimensions, materials, construction/manufacture methods.
- Unit 4 - This unit requires learners to apply practical skills to produce a prototype product or model using craft-based modelling materials alongside computer-controlled or rapid-prototyping processes. Learners will produce a prototype product in the form of a model and test design ideas in a practical context, to inform further development utilising more complex production processes. Learners will evaluate the prototype making a comparison of the outcome against the product specification and evaluate potential improvements in design such as features, function, materials, aesthetics and ergonomics and make suggestions on improvements to the final product.
Course Structure
|
Unit |
Assessment Method |
Marks |
|
R105 – Design Briefs, design specifications and user requirements |
Written exam paper – 1 hour – marked externally |
60 |
|
R106 – Product analysis and research |
Centre Assessed Task completed during lessons– marked internally, moderated externally |
60 |
|
R107 – Developing and presenting engineering design |
Centre Assessed Task completed during lessons– marked internally, moderated externally |
60 |
|
R108 - 3D design realisation |
Centre Assessed Task completed during lessons– marked internally, moderated externally |
60 |
Additional Information & Who to contact
Click here to view the Engineering Design Specification
Click Here for BBC Bitesize Revision
If you require any further information or have any questions, then please contact Miss Hill on heworthgrangeenquiries@consilium-at.com
