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At Wallingford we feel it is important that young people get the opportunity to create products and explore new materials in a safe and empowering environment. Across the four subject areas within Design Technology, we aim to encourage our pupils to be creative thinkers and challenge them to design innovative products for real life problems. This is done by exposing them to relevant design briefs that are then analysed and developed individually and in group activities.
We teach a wide range of theory content through KS3 into KS4 and A level. This provides pupils with knowledge about what materials products are made from and how they are manufactured in industry. We teach them about the impact products have to the quality of users lives, the further impact on the global market and the environment. They are asked to explore new technologies and consider greener solutions and to test how these can be applied to the product they design in lessons.
Alongside this they are provided with practical skills that they can not only use to solve design issues in lessons but are skills they can use for life in the wider world. They acquire knowledge of materials, ingredients, consider users’ needs and sustainability so they have the confidence to work independently and responsibly. In this, the Design and Technology department fulfil the school’s ethos of enabling pupils to become both able and qualified and in turn thrive in our modern world.
- Key Stage 3 Design Technology (Years 7, 8 and 9)
- Design Technology: Resistant Materials GCSE (Years 10 and 11)
Design Technology: Resistant Materials GCSE - Years 10, 11
| Year 10, Terms 1-6 | |
|---|---|
| 10.1 | Theory: Textiles; new developments in materials; standard components; fnishing materials; motion and levers; mechanical devices; electronic systems. Unit 3 Assessment. NEA Skills: Innovation through iterative design project. |
| 10.2 | Theory: Properties of materials; factors influencing materials selection; paper and board; timber; metals; polymers; Emerging Technologies; Energy. Unit 1 assessment. NEA Skills Stools project. |
| 10.3 | Theory: Energy continued, materials, systems and devices (System approach to design); Timber based materials (Sources, origins & properties); Timber based materials (Working with Timber based materials); Unit 2 and 5B assessments. NEA Skills: Stools Project (brazing, jigs and manufacturing) |
| 10.4 | Theory: Mock Preparation & Revision. Written mock paper. NEA Skills: Completion of Stool Project. |
| 10.5 |
Theory: Common specialist technical principles Forces & stresses); The 6 Rs; Scales of production. Unit 4 assessment. NEA Skills: Joining methods practical booklet (biscuits/mitre / dowels / laser cutter / butt/screws) |
| 10.6 | Theory: Design Principles, (investigation, primary & secondary data);The work of others A & B); Launch NEA project and contexts: NEA Focus – Section A , Investigation of the Context , Mind map and further context research. |
| Year 11, Terms 1-6 | |
| 11.1 |
NEA Focus – Section A Investigation the User Wants and Needs and end client (survey/questionnaire plan) NEA Focus – Section B NEA Focus: Section C Initial ideas |
| 11.2 | Theory: Revision of Unit 4, 2 & 3. Past Papers & mock preparation. NEA Focus: Section C Initial ideas, Section C&D inc. CAD & scale model, D&E preparing to make CAD/ Final laser model and plan of making. |
| 11.3 | NEA Focus: Section E - Making |
| 11.4 | Section F – Evaluation & Action points |
| 11.5 | Theory: Revision of all Units, past papers and exam preparation |