Design Technology / Product Design

Key Stage 3

In DT students rotate around 3 different subject areas each year: DT, Graphics and Food. Students will explore a wide range of areas each year developing their skills and understanding of the work around them.

Student will create many dishes and projects in KS3 and are encouraged to take them home to share.

Students learn about a healthy diet, cultural inspiration and develop an understanding of the needs of others.

Key Stage 4

Subject	Product Design
Qualification	GCSE
Exam Board	AQA
Course Leader	Miss C Lee
Course summary	In this course students will demonstrate a range of skills and understanding of materials, components, processes, techniques and industrial practice. It gives students opportunities to apply knowledge from other disciplines, including Mathematics, Science, Art and Design, Computing and the Humanities. D&T gives you transferrable skills that you can apply to real world problems; Collaborative working, Iterative Design process, planning and problem solving. This course can be studied beyond GCSE level in a range of specialist areas. D&T opens doors to a wide range of careers in the Creative, Engineering and Manufacturing Industries as well as Medicine, Law and Computer Science. This is a demanding course that requires a consistent, committed effort over the duration. Students are encouraged to learn independently and to continue working outside of lessons.
What will students learn?	Students will need to think of others and how products are used. How can we develop sustainable design? What materials are suitable for our products and why? Students will analyse existing products and learn how to use these to develop their work. They will investigate what people need and want in a product and how to document this to create a Product Specification. Year 10 is made up of a range of projects exploring the different areas of the curriculum. Drawing skills aren’t essential as we explore many different ways to communicate design ideas. At the end of year 10 they will start their Non-examined Assessment (NEA) project, choosing from 3 titles provided by the exam board.. Year 11 is dedicated to the completion of both the NEA and revisiting Exam topics.
How will students be assessed?	50% Non-examined Assessment- Design and Make Project 50% Exam – Written paper (2 hours).

Key Stage 5

Subject	Design Technology
Qualification	GCE
Exam Board	AQA
Course Leader	Miss C Lee
Course summary	This creative and thought-provoking qualification gives students the practical skills, theoretical knowledge and confidence to succeed in a number of careers. Especially those in the creative industries. They will investigate historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic influences on design and technology, whilst enjoying opportunities to put their learning in to practice by producing prototypes of their choice. Students will gain a real understanding of what it means to be a designer, alongside the knowledge and skills sought by higher education and employers.
What will students learn?	Courses based on this specification must encourage students to: be open to taking design risks, showing innovation and enterprise whilst considering their role as responsible designers and citizens develop intellectual curiosity about the design and manufacture of products and systems, and their impact on daily life and the wider world work collaboratively to develop and refine their ideas, responding to feedback from users, peers and expert practitioners gain an insight into the creative, engineering and/or manufacturing industries develop the capacity to think creatively, innovatively and critically through focused research and the exploration of design opportunities arising from the needs, wants and values of users and clients develop knowledge and experience of real world contexts for design and technological activity develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of materials, components and processes associated with the creation of products that can be tested and evaluated in use be able to make informed design decisions through an in-depth understanding of the management and development of taking a design through to a prototype/product be able to create and analyse a design concept and use a range of skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including maths and science, to inform decisions in design and the application or development of technology be able to work safely and skillfully to produce high-quality prototypes/products have a critical understanding of the wider influences on design and technology, including cultural, economic, environmental, historical and social factors develop the ability to draw on and apply a range of skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including the use of maths and science for analysis and informing decisions in design.
How will students be assessed?	Paper 1 What's assessed- Technical principles How it's assessed- Written exam: 2 hours and 30 minutes 120 marks, 30% of A-level Paper 2 What's assessed- Designing and making principles How it's assessed- Written exam: 1 hour and 30 minutes 80 marks, 20% of A-level Questions- Mixture of short answer and extended response questions. Section A: Product Analysis: 30 marks Up to 6 short answer questions based on visual stimulus of product(s). Section B: Commercial manufacture: 50 marks Mixture of short and extended response questions Non-exam assessment (NEA) What's assessed- Practical application of technical principles, designing and making principles. How it's assessed- Substantial design and make project 100 marks, 50% of A-level Written or digital design portfolio and photographic evidence of final prototype.

Curriculum Maps:

Please see below.