The Course

This course is a new GSCE certificate in Design and Technology. It continues the learning journey from Keystage 3 into and beyond Keystage 4.

It is about providing opportunities for students to develop their capability, combining their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to create quality products. Iterative design and context have been identified as critical to the new requirements of Design and Technology.

At its core is creativity and imagination. Students learn to design and make products that solve genuine, relevant problems within different contexts whilst considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. To do this effectively, they will continue to acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on additional disciplines such as Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art, as well as the practical and technical knowledge and understanding they will learn from Design and Technology.

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What sort of student does well at this subject?

You should have an interest in the creative aspect of solving problems within the constraints of materials and their properties, tools and equipment available to you.

You will bring all of the knowledge learnt in years 7 and 8 and want to continue to develop your understanding of this exciting subject. You should have an inquisitive mind and be interested in developing technologies and their impact on the world around us. You will want to develop your critical thinking towards invention and design innovation.

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The work you would do

Over the course students will continue to develop practical manufacturing skills, whilst exploring the properties of a wide range of materials and how they can be shaped, formed, joined and wasted to make prototypes that solve problems. You will continue to learn about hand tools, mechanical tools, CAD and CAM so that you can select and use appropriately depending on the material choice.

In Y11 students will sit a 2-hour terminal written Design and Technology examination, which is worth 50% of the final grade. The NEA (Non-examined assessment) work undertaken is an iterative design and make challenge over 40 hours and worth 50% of the final grade, this takes place in lessons.

For the NEA students will work in the materials based on those selected in this option choice. This will give the freedom to focus in more depth on areas of Design and Technology that most interest them. Students are encouraged to think about the materials and processes they have enjoyed during Keystage 3 when making this choice.  Papers and boards, natural and manufactured timber, ferrous and non-ferrous metals, thermoforming and thermosetting polymers, natural, synthetic, blended and mixed fibres, and woven, non-woven and knitted textiles. Design Engineering and Systems.