Subject Leader: Miss T Sarton – tsarton@knoleacademy.org
Subject Teachers: Mr N Mumford and Mr L Mayell
Subject Technician: Mrs C Watts
Exam Board: AQA
Intent
GCSE Design and Technology will prepare students to participate confidently and successfully in an increasingly technological world. Students will gain awareness and learn from wider influences on Design and Technology including historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic factors. Students will get the opportunity to work creatively when designing and making and apply technical and practical expertise.
Our GCSE allows students to study core technical and designing and making principles, including a broad range of design processes, materials techniques and equipment. They will also have the opportunity to study specialist technical principles in greater depth.
Implementation
At Knole Academy, from the start of year 7, Design Technology lessons are structured to teach students how to use a wide range of materials and equipment skilfully and confidently, with a focus on technical skills and theoretical knowledge.
Impact
The DT Department is a safe and positive learning environment where our students develop their practical skills and build their confidence. Many students then go on to study DT for GCSE and A Level.
Design & Technology in Each Stage
Our Key Stages 3 Design and Technology curriculum fosters an understanding of materials and processes that are the foundations of our GCSE and A Level courses.
Students are introduced to projects that follow iterative design processes, covering core principles that also allow for differentiation and progression. Students can develop their projects by adding personal preferences and developing their own ideas as they design and make their projects.
Year 7:
Model Houses, carnival floats.
Year 8:
Wooden robots
Year 7 and Year 8 have DT lessons on rotations, so all students complete a project during the year.
Year 9:
Pinball machines In year 9, we run a longer format project in which students are introduced to a wider range of skills and processes to prepare them for the GCSE course. Students have one lesson per week, and this is an optional subject.
Topics and themes have been grouped to help you teach the specification, but these are not intended as a route through the specification – you can teach the content in any order. The subject content has been split into three sections as follows:
- Core technical principles
- Specialist technical principles
- Designing and making principles
Core technical principles covers core technical principles and all content must be taught. Specialist technical principles covers specialist technical principles where students will go into greater depth. Each principle should be taught through at least one material catergory or system. Designing and making principles covers design and making principles and all content in this section must be taught.
Examination Information
Exam Board: AQA
Qualification: GCSE Design Technology 8552
GCSE Design and Technology will prepare students to participate confidently and successfully in an increasingly technological world. Students will gain awareness and learn from wider influences on Design and Technology including historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic factors. Students will get the opportunity to work creatively when designing and making and apply technical and practical expertise.
The course allows students to study core technical and designing and making principles, including a broad range of design processes, materials techniques and equipment. They will also have the opportunity to study specialist technical principles in greater depth.
The GCSE is comprised of two components that are completed over the two years of the course.
Written Exam (50%)
This is a two-hour paper in the Summer Term of year 11 where students answer questions to demonstrate their knowledge of:
- Core technical principles
- Specialist technical principles
- Designing and making principles
Non-exam Assessment (NEA) (50%)
The NEA is a longer form project that focusses on the practical application of:
- Core technical principles
- Specialist technical principles
- Designing and making principles
It involves a substantial design and make task where students produce a prototype and a portfolio of work evidencing:
- Identifying and investigating design possibilities
- Producing a design brief and specification
- Generating design ideas
- Developing design ideas
- Realising design ideas
- Analysing & evaluating
Enrichment and Extra-curricular Activities
Knole Academy Design Technology Department provides a range of enrichment activities, including clubs, trips and workshops.
We run model making club where students can build 3D kit models.
Students can sign up for Innovate club. V&A Innovate is an annual National Schools Challenge, asking students in years 7, 8 and 9 to work in teams of 4 – 6 to identify a design problem and create a real-world solution.
Our workshop and computer room are also used at lunchtimes by students from all year groups to continue developing their work.
Design & Technology Future Paths
Students can progress further to obtain an A Level in Art and Design: Product Design.
This qualification could potentially serve as the starting point for a wide range of design-orientated professions, for example; product design, interior design, and architecture.