Welcome to the Design & Technology
DT lessons at Harrow Way are a dynamic, creative and exciting space for learning while promoting innovation and excellence. We set high standards and expectations for our students so they feel proud of what they have learnt and created. Success further up the school really begins with a good foundation of knowledge and skills delivered with a challenging and engaging approach. Assessment happens in all lessons through verbal and written feedback, with an emphasis on celebrating positive achievement, engagement and effort.
All projects through Key Stage 3 and Key Stage 4 are designed to build confidence and skills across a wide range of materials, techniques and processes using a variety of applications including graphic products, woods, metals, plastics, textiles, composite, smart and modern materials, electronics, systems and control, computer aided design, computer aided manufacture (3D printing, craft robo) and culinary arts. Each project involves practical work and considers a user, purpose, form and function, whilst encouraging risk taking in design decisions. All students are encouraged to think, explore, inquire, challenge and question with lessons taught in mixed ability groups.
Curriculum Content
In DT, students research and explore a variety of real life contexts, working as design investigators and creating solutions to the design problems they have found. This includes reshaping a design brief to develop a design specification and informs the development and manufacture of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to the needs of a customer in a variety of situations.
During KS3, students explore different design approaches including biomimicry, iterative and user-centred design to generate creative ideas and use annotated sketches, detailed plans and 3D modelling to present their findings. Students manufacture their designs using specialist tools, techniques and processes whilst considering the material properties they are dealing with. Evaluation is initially based upon analysis of past and present professionals to develop and broaden their understanding while continuously considering new and emerging technologies, before evaluating their own final products.
In Catering pupils gain a wealth of practical experience and cook every other week in our catering room. Pupils study areas focused around nutritional understanding and investigate food choices for different groups such as vegetarians, coeliac sufferers, food choice based on religion or culture. This underpins any continued study into culinary arts for pupils who choose to take the subject at KS4.
The KS3 curriculum is delivered in four rotations which focus on different specialisms for a 9 or 10 week period per rotation with pupils studying the following broad and varied range of mini-projects:
Key Stage 3 – Design and Technology
Year 7
Pencil Case: Students discover different types of fabrics that can be used in textile design, their sources, uses and sustainability issues around certain decisions designers make when selecting the appropriate materials. They then create a piece of textile based work, improving manual dexterity and confidence in textile ability when using the sewing machine.
Fire Alarm: Students consider electronic products in our everyday lives, how to understand a design context that leads to a genuine need. We learn about types of basic circuits and how to select components to solder complete functional circuits. We also look at polymers, where they come from,the various types and how they are formed.
Picture Frame: The main focus of this project is to develop students’ understanding of timber based products. They will use woodworking techniques and hand tools while considering the social impact of material selection and the working properties of different materials.
Packaging: Students will learn about the impact of packaging on the environment and the importance of reducing waste. The 6r’s, whilst designing and manufacturing their own packages to fulfil a design specification.
Food and Nutrition: Students will learn the core health and safety and food hygiene rules for safe food preparation as well as develop their understanding of nutritional requirements and build up culinary skills creating a range of different food products.
Year 8
Mechanisms Systems Approach to Design: Students build on their workshop skills from Year 7 and progress to using a range of machinery in the workshop. They extend their understanding of different material areas by investigating and using mechanisms, they learn the 4 motions and 6 basic machines used in basic engineering.
Technical Drawing and Communication Skills: Students learn to understand and produce a range of technical drawings required for communication. Oblique, Isometric, Orthographic and Perspective drawing techniques. We use this unit of work to introduce the concept of iterative design.
CAD CAM: Students consider the advantages of Computer Aided Design and Manufacture. They learn about industrial processes and experience various CAD software and CAM manufacturing in school.From designing electronic circuits to computer based 2D and 3D modelling. Leading to laser cutting, soldering and 3D printers.
Microcontrollers: Understanding programming when using CAD systems, programmed and automated systems in our everyday lives. Understand the difference between analogue and digital electronic signals.
Food and Nutrition: In catering, pupils will learn about special dietary needs from a variety of perspectives from health and ethical decisions to religion and culture. Entomophagy and food provenance are also investigated as pupils continue to expand their knowledge of the culinary arts.
Year 9
The curriculum studied in Year 9 is focused on one single subject, either ‘Design Technology’ or ‘Hospitality and Catering’ and aims to develop pupils’ understanding and skills in these areas in preparation for the GCSE courses that will be taken in Years 10 and 11.
To get the most out of any of the D&T courses, you need to be passionate about design and manufacturing or cooking, be an independent learner, be proactive and creative with good communication skills, and enjoy investigating design problems and coming up with credible solutions. Organisational skills are absolutely imperative in order to meet deadlines and succeed in these fantastic subjects.
Design Technology
Design Language: Students learn the key concepts around designing and why designers design. Students will be able to critically analyse the work of others considering form, function aesthetics and ergonomics. Students will be able to approach designing and communicating their ideas with confidence so that they can design for a range of contexts with confidence that their ideas will lead to solutions that solve identified problems and are fit for purpose.
Advanced CAD CAM: Students get to revisit computer 3D modelling and 3D printing with an emphasis on collaborative design, bringing together individual components into a one off collaborative design. Students consider new and emerging technologies and how products are developed.
Design influences, culture and social consideration: Pupils will be introduced to the importance of cultural influences when designing. Taking into account design movements and genres. Students will design and use a wide range of materials to design and model with. This project will draw on their workshop and design experience to create a fully functional product that meets a design brief. The end product will culminate in the use of a variety of different materials, skills and design methods in order to produce a high quality end product.
Automata: During the automata project, pupils will investigate a range of mechanical systems and devices in order to design and make a piece of automata. Pupils will be given a context to investigate for their project and will explore this in order to create a strong design brief to work from for a specific identified target audience. As part of the project, pupils will also create a well planned manufacturing specification, all the while, developing skills and knowledge in preparation for the Design Technology GCSE.
Catering
The catering course in Year 9 introduces some of the core knowledge and skills pupils will be building on if they continue the course into Years 10 and 11. They will investigate elements such as the kitchen brigade, the hospitality and catering industry and the practices of the industry as well as being part of a large amount of practicals to build skills in areas such as pastries, pasta, cakes, bread and fish and meat preparation and cooking.
Key Stage 4 – DT & Catering
Design and Technology and Catering are practical subject areas which require the application of knowledge and understanding when developing ideas, planning, producing products and evaluating them. In the design technology department at Harrow Way Community School, we currently offer the following subjects at KS4:
Design and Technology
50% NEA, 50% exam
During Year 10, students will work through a range of focused practical tasks that will allow the development and learning of new skills and embedding core and technical knowledge. Students will also carry out a 20 hrs trial NEA to give practical experience towards producing the relevant coursework before commencing their controlled assessment in the Summer term of Year 10. This study will underpin their investigations into their NEA as well as the knowledge needed for the exam at the end of year 11.
In Year 11, the focus at first is on completing the NEA (non-exam assessment). This consists of a single project selected from one of three potential contexts set by the exam board. The end result relies on an array of innovative prototypes that genuinely solve a design problem for an intended user or group determined by the student. The prototypes are supported by a clear and concise portfolio to show the entire design journey and in total, the submitted NEA folder is worth 50% of the overall GCSE grade.
The design and technology exam is worth the remaining 50% of the overall grade and will test pupils knowledge on the three following areas:
- Core technical principles
- Specialist technical principles
- Designing and making principles
Hospitality & Catering
Catering gives pupils not only the skills, knowledge and understanding for students to work in the catering and hospitality environment but enables all students to develop a variety of techniques for exceptional products made with style.
In Catering, students experiment with a variety of processes and techniques, develop an array of skills, in preparation to commence their controlled assessment, also in the summer term of Year 10.
40% exam and 60% NEA
The exam is 90 mins carried out electronically in Year 11.
Students are assessed on different aspects of the hospitality and catering industry.
The coursework section is titled Catering in Action and is the focus in Year 10; students are required to cook 2 dishes with appropriate side accompaniments in a practical exam and produce a portfolio of evidence to support their practical work.
Why Choose Design & Technology?
As a nation, we are in a time of change and uncertainty yet there are areas of our economy where we currently have severe shortfalls. There are simply not enough people leaving university in the engineering sectors for the amount of jobs. The UK has always lead in these sectors of industry and the government’s Industrial Strategy sets out to fill the employment gap by promoting STEM subjects. This subject is a good foundation step to access design and engineering careers. You will have the opportunity to design both functional and aesthetically pleasing products, with creativity and originality, using a range of materials and techniques and seek to solve real life design problems.
Future pathways include; A level Product Design at college or sixth form, creative apprenticeships in design and engineering, careers as a product designer, interior designer, model maker, textile/fashion designer, careers in construction and engineering, architecture, stage and set designer, graphic designer, computer games concept designer plus many more.
Design Ventura: A collaborative, real time, ‘Dragon’s Den’ style design challenge and competition run by The Design Museum in London which focuses on developing pupils creativity, innovation and business skills in order to potentially get a product into mass production and on the shelves of the design museum shop.
Architecture: This project allow pupils to investigate the work of designers such as Renzo Piano (The Shard) and draw on a range of influences in order to design a technologically advanced, sustainable building of choice. Pupils will develop their own briefs and specifications in order to create a product that answers a sociological need and has a positive impact on selected groups of people.
Amplifier: Pupils will be introduced to electronic systems in this project and will draw on their workshop and design experience to create a fully functional amplifier to be used with a mobile device. The end product will culminate in the use of a variety of different materials, skills and design methods in order to produce a high quality end product.
Automata: During the automata project, pupils will investigate a range of mechanical systems and devices in order to design and make a piece of automata. Pupils will be given a context to investigate for their project and will explore this in order to create a strong design brief to work from for a specific identified target audience. As part of the project, pupils will also create a well planned manufacturing specification, all the while, developing skills and knowledge in preparation for the Design Technology GCSE.
Why Choose Catering?
25% of all the jobs in this country are in the food industry. We all need to eat, whether this is home cooked food or food bought in a supermarket or restaurant. You will learn how to produce healthy food that is safe to eat and how to choose ingredients wisely from what is on the market. You will also gain fundamental life skills and explore a vibrant industry in depth covering all aspects around how the industry functions. The course combines practical activities with knowledge of food materials. You may even design new food products and even have opportunities to work with some leading chefs and establishments.
Future Pathways include; food technologist, dietician, teacher, cookery writer, food stylist, chef, sports nutritionist, food manufacturer, product developer, environmental health or retail management.
