Design and Technology

Introduction

“Design and Technology prepares pupils to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing technologies. They learn to think and intervene creatively to improve the quality of life. The subject calls for pupils to become autonomous and creative problem solvers, as individuals and as members of a team. They must look for needs, wants and opportunities and respond to them by developing a range of ides and making products and systems. They combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social and environmental issues, function and industrial practices. As they do so, they reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and effects. Through design and technology, all pupils can become discriminating and informed users of products and become innovators.”

The Importance of Design and Technology (Design and Technology – The National Curriculum for England; DFEE 1999)

In today’s society design and technology plays an ever increasing role in our lives with greater and greater choices being available to individuals. This subject aims to provide students with an insight into how products are designed and the advances in design through history. Through this students can gain an understanding of what constitutes good design along with the implications in cost and environmental impact.

Facilities

To enable students to work in these areas they will need access to excellent resources and equipment in a number of different material areas and these can be found at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School. Through the use of modern workshop and Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing facilities students have the opportunity to design and make prototypes of products from a range of materials within the following areas:

Food Technology
Textiles Technology
Resistant Materials
Electronics and control

The department has a suite of computers dedicated for the use of students within lessons that are equipped with the latest software for design and technology including ProDesktop, which is an industry standard Computer Aided Design Package.

Curriculum

At the moment students in year 7 receive 2 hours of Design and technology a week split between Food and Textiles and Resistant Materials. In years 8 and 9 students receive 1 hour of Design and Technology and are rotated between the two main material areas.

The emphasis of the course at KS3 is to develop students skills in the core areas of Design Technology which include, Exploring Ideas and the Task, Generating Ideas, Developing and Modelling Ideas, Planning, Making and Evaluating. This will generally involve students working through a design process, looking at designing products for themselves, clients or markets, carrying out research into existing products, materials, manufacturing methods etc… This will lead students to generate and develop a range of design proposals, making the final design and evaluating it against a specification. At KS3 the students will mostly work to given situations or topics.

At KS4 Students who opt to study Design and Technology will use the skills gained in years 7 – 9 to develop projects for design situations that they have identified. This is a major element of the GCSE course as it equates to 60% of the final grade. Students will initially work through a minor design and make project for the first half of year 10 to give them an idea of how a coursework folder should be developed. This will be followed by the start of the major project; they will have a year to complete this alongside class based work to provide students with the knowledge and understanding needed to succeed in the final exam.

In years 12 and 13 students have the opportunity to study for an AS and A Level in Design and Technology – Product Design. This course involves students working through 2 projects, one at AS and one at A Level. The projects follow similar lines to those completed at GCSE level but in greater depth and with more emphasis on industrial methods and practices, for example batch production in the manufacture of flat pack furniture. Students will also be involved in research into a number of design movements such as Bauhaus and Art Deco.

General

The Design and Technology department offers a range of extra curricular activities in both material areas, and extra support is available to students during lunchtime and after school to aid them with their studies.

The subject has close ties with Business Studies to enable students to investigate the commercial and marketing side of products and services.

Staff