At Key Stage Three, students will rotate through 6 different areas of Technology; Resistant Materials, Food, Textiles, Engineering, Graphics and Robotics. In each area they will be taught by a specialist teacher in a specialist classroom. 

In Year 7 students will focus on skills-based learning. In each material area students will learn the basic skills needed to work within each area. They will also focus on learning generic skills which can be transferred across the subject.  

In Year 8 students will learn about a linear design process through 5 design and make activities which each have a specific material focus. Students will learn about the building blocks of investigating, designing, making and evaluating and apply them to each material area they study this year.  

In Year 9 students will learn through problem-based scenarios where they will be able to use their learning from Year 7 and 8 to solve 4 problems which each have a specific material focus. Students will be working with greater independence in Year 9 and their outcomes will focus on demonstrating creativity and innovation.

GCSE Food Preparation & Nutrition

This course focuses on both practical cooking skills and the science of nutrition. Your lessons will be made up of a mixture of 50% practical and 50% theory work. You will need to bring ingredients into school to cook approximately once a fortnight. You will learn a wide range of practical food and presentation skills. The five theory units you will study are: 

• Food, Nutrition and Health 

• Food Science 

• Food Safety 

• Food Choice 

• Food Provenance 

To be successful on this course you need to love cooking and be willing to practice and experiment with dishes at home. You need to be well organised and have creative ideas.

Method of Assessment

50% Final exam end of year 11 

50% NEA. Two tasks are completed in Year 11; 

NEA 1, a Food Science assessment in the autumn term.  

NEA 2 Food Preparation assessment where you will cook 3 dishes in 3 hours in the spring term.

GCSE Design & Technology: Resistant Materials

The course enables students to understand and apply iterative design processes through which they explore, create and evaluate a range of outcomes. The qualification enables students to use creativity and imagination to design and make prototypes (together with evidence of modelling to develop and prove product concept and function) that solve real and relevant problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. It gives students opportunities to apply knowledge from other disciplines, including mathematics, science, art and design, computing and the humanities while also helping to develop a functional understanding of the world. 

Throughout the course students will experience the range of material areas within Technology and have the autonomy to specialise in a particular area, whether that be wood, metal or plastic.  

In Year 10, students will complete a series of short projects where they will develop practical skills and knowledge in designing and fabrication techniques. 

In Year 11 students will independently complete a design and make project which is assessed in four key areas;  

• Investigate - This includes investigation of needs and research, and a product specification 

• Design - This includes producing different design ideas, review of initial ideas, development of design ideas into a chosen design, communication of design ideas and review of the chosen design 

• Make - This includes manufacture, and quality and accuracy 

• Evaluate - This includes testing and evaluation.

Method of Assessment

Exam Board: Edexcel 

Component 1: Written exam worth 50% of the GCSE. The exam test students on their core and specialist knowledge. 

Component 2: Portfolio and final product worth 50% of the GCSE. Students will be assessed on four areas; investigation, design, make and evaluate.

NCFE Graphic Design

The Level 1/2 Technical Award in Graphic Design is designed for learners who want an introduction to graphic design that includes a vocational and project-based element. The qualification will appeal to learners who wish to pursue a career in the graphic design sector or progress onto further study. 

This qualification has been designed to sit alongside the requirements of core GCSE subjects and is appropriate for learners who are motivated and challenged by learning through hands-on experiences and through content which is concrete and directly related to those experiences. 

This qualification aims to: 

• Focus on the study of the graphic design sector. 

• Offer breadth and depth of study, incorporating a key core of knowledge. 

• Provide opportunities to acquire a number of practical and technical skills.

The course encourages the learner to apply their knowledge and use practical tools across a range of areas within graphic design; 

• Components of graphic design 

• The work of graphic designers 

• Requirements of a graphic design brief 

• Planning, development and experimentation 

• Graphic design production

• Displaying, presenting and promoting graphic design work

Method of Assessment

Exam Board: NCFE 

Non-exam assessment (NEA) worth 60% of the final grade is externally-set, internally marked and externally moderated. 

Examined assessment (EA) worth 40% of the final grade is a written exam 

A Level Product Design

If you are the type of person who likes to rethink how everyday products can be improved, then Product Design could be for you. The course has been designed to encourage you to take a broad view of design and technology. It also helps you to participate in and think about tomorrow’s rapidly changing world of design and manufacture, and to design sustainable, functional and aesthetically pleasing products.

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BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Engineering

Albert Einstein said “Scientists investigate that which already is, Engineers create that which has never been”.

Engineering covers a wide range of disciplines – anything from rockets to mobile phones and even hip replacements! Engineering is not just about ‘fixing things’ it is about understanding how, and why things work. Engineers are involved in all aspects of designing, building and testing new technologies and products. Creativity and problem solving are at the heart of every engineering industry.

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