Our vision
Design & Technology and Food Technology
Technology encapsulates academic and creative education; you design and create products that start as a cerebral pipe-dream and end up as a manufactured prototype made with your own hands and supported by a graphically inspired storyboard (portfolio). The world needs good designers – if it has not grown out of the ground or ‘popped’ out of a human, someone has sat down and sketched the idea, concept or solution using a pencil and paper at base level. It’s an established subject evolving over 40 years of creation, innovation and invention and was originally called Design.
It’s challenging. For most initial scenarios there is not just one answer, and in some cases, there is no answer…yet. It’s arguably one of the most challenging subjects due to its breadth and depth of content (syllabus and portfolio/manufacture) from material science through the technologies of Tesla, Dyson, and Apple through to the work of Starck, Hadid, Ilori, and Westwood. Design is about Anthropology (not technology….) and as such the origins, and development, of cultural and human development stem from basic design awareness and the need for improving human well-being.
You learn about new, current, and future technologies and how they contribute to product and human development. You have to study history to see what has worked and failed before; evaluate and go again. You use the past to define the future. History and culture/language is vital, and Design & Technology cultivates that enquiry. It’s arguably the most real-world subject as it uses/applies all the other ‘stuff’ you do in school and makes it understandable and applicable (languages, history, science, business, Art, maths…).
Design drives GDP and wealth creation globally; food, drink, textiles, engineering, architecture, theatre, film, music… but also the design of business and management structures (HR), Marketing, presentation skills, personal confidence, nurtures the idea of seeing and listening (rather than looking and hearing…). It’s fun; real world client briefs, solving real world problems and proposing analysis and synthesis opportunity across a myriad of issues.
As part of their work in Food Preparation and Nutrition, pupils are taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in our pupils, will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.
Technology Curriculum
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of domestic and local contexts (for example, the home, health, leisure, and culture) and industrial contexts (for example, engineering, manufacturing, construction, food, energy, agriculture (including horticulture) and fashion).
When designing and making, pupils are taught to:
Design:
- use research and exploration, such as the study of different cultures, to identify and understand user needs
- identify and solve their own design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them
- develop specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations
- use a variety of approaches (for example, biomimicry and user-centred design) to generate creative ideas and avoid stereotypical responses
- develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modelling, oral and digital presentations
Make:
- select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment, and machinery precisely, including computer-aided manufacture
- select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials, components, and ingredients, taking into account their properties
Evaluate:
- analyse the work of past and present professionals and others to develop and broaden their understanding
- investigate new and emerging technologies
- test, evaluate and refine their ideas and products against a specification, considering the views of intended users and other interested groups
- understand developments in design and technology, its impact on individuals, society and the environment, and the responsibilities of designers, engineers, and technologists
Technical Knowledge:
- understand and use the properties of materials and the performance of structural elements to achieve functioning solutions
- understand how more advanced mechanical systems used in their products enable changes in movement and force
- understand how more advanced electrical and electronic systems can be powered and used in their products (for example, circuits with heat, light, sound and movement as inputs and outputs)
- apply computing and use electronics to embed intelligence in products that respond to inputs (for example, sensor) and control outputs (for example, actuators) using programmable components (for example, microcontrollers)
When preparing food, pupils are taught to:
- understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health
- cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that they are able to feed themselves and others a healthy and varied diet
- become competent in a range of cooking techniques (for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture, and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipes)
- understand the source, seasonality, and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients
Pupils make progress in Design & Technology by using a combination of substantive and disciplinary knowledge which gives pupils the skill to construct practical outcomes or recipes.
Substantive knowledge in Design and Technology that pupils will learn includes, research and exploration into relevant information based on a user’s needs. They will know how to use social, moral, and cultural information to understand a user more clearly. They can identify and solve their own design problems and understand how to develop problems given to them. They will develop specifications that allows them to be innovative, functional and create appealing products that responds to a user’s needs. They will use a variety of approaches for example, biomimicry and user centred design which generates creative ideas and avoids stereotypical responses to a brief.
Substantive knowledge in Food Preparation and Nutrition shows pupils will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health, to cook a repertoire of savoury dishes to be able to feed themselves and others, a healthy and varied diet. They will be confident in a range of cooking techniques, for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture, and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using their own recipe. Pupils will understand the source, seasonality, and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients. Pupils understand the relationship between diet, nutrition, and health, including the physiological and psychological effects of poor diet and health. They understand the economic, environmental, ethical, and socio-cultural influences on food availability, production processes, and diet and health choices and demonstrate knowledge and understanding of functional and nutritional properties, sensory qualities and microbiological food safety considerations when preparing, processing, storing, cooking, and serving food. Pupils understand and explore a range of ingredients and processes from different culinary traditions (traditional British and international), to inspire new ideas or modify existing recipes.
Disciplinary knowledge in Design and Technology provides the practical evidence that our pupils can use the correct tools and equipment, (including CAM where appropriate) and consistently use or operate them safely, with an exceptionally high level of skill. Our pupils show a high level of quality control to ensure a prototype is accurate by consistently applying close tolerances. Prototypes show an exceptionally high level of making and finishing skills that are fully consistent and appropriate to the desired outcome. They will produce high-quality prototypes that have the potential to be commercially viable and meet the needs of the client / user.
Disciplinary knowledge in Food Preparation and Nutrition demonstrates effective and safe cooking skills by planning, preparing, and cooking using a variety of food commodities, cooking techniques and equipment. It develops knowledge and understanding of the functional properties and chemical processes as well as the nutritional content of food and drinks.
Pupils will investigate the working characteristics and the functional and chemical properties of a particular ingredient through practical investigation. They will produce a report which will include research into ‘how ingredients work and why’.
Consider the design of every day items, what knowledge of materials, systems and structure can you identify. Research or visit museums to see how models of household items have changed over the years.
Practice cooking techniques and creating nutritious meals together to understand the balance for health and the how flavours work together.
In Design and Technology, we aim to offer a unique learning experience, to stimulate curiosity about everyday products and develop skills and knowledge essential for an increasingly technologically advancing world. Pupils learn and apply a variety of practical skills over a wide range of design and make projects in food, plastics, wood, electronics, and fabrics. Pupils will cover projects in five material areas in both Years 7 & 8. If opted for in Year 9 they will then revisit every material area. The projects increase in complexity as pupils grow in skill, experience, and confidence. Many include the application of computer aided design & manufacture to ensure relevance to modern manufacturing systems. Alongside practical skills, pupils develop the ability to research, analyse, design, develop and evaluate products. They will be challenged to work collaboratively and to reflect critically on their own work as well as that of other designers. In Food projects, pupils will also learn and apply a wide range of practical skills which will allow them to be confident in the production of a variety of savoury and sweet products.
GCSE Design & Technology pupils will acquire the knowledge, understanding and practical skills needed to be successful in the design processes of exploring, creating, and evaluating. Pupils will be equipped to make effective design choices through a breadth of core technical knowledge and understanding that consists of: new and emerging technologies, energy generation and storage, developments in new materials, systems approach to designing, mechanical devices, materials, and their working properties. In addition to the core technical principles, all pupils will develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of a range of specialist technical principles to include selection of materials or components, forces and stresses, ecological and social footprint, sources and origins, selection of materials or components, using and working with materials, specialist techniques and processes.
In GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition, pupils will focus on weekly practical cooking skills to ensure a thorough understanding of nutrition, food provenance and the working characteristics of food materials. Food preparation skills are integrated into five core topics:
- Food, nutrition, and health – Macro Nutrients, Micronutrients, Nutritional Needs and Health.
- Food science – Cooking of food, Heat Transfer and the Functional and Chemical Properties of Food.
- Food safety – Food Spoilage, Contamination, and the Principles of Food Safety.
- Food choice – Factors affecting Food Choice, British and International Cuisines, Sensory Evaluation, Food Labelling and Marketing
- Food provenance – Environmental Impact and Sustainability of Food, Food Processing and Production.
Assessment
For KS3, in the Technology department, summative assessment will take place at the end of each rotation. Rotations for 2023 – 2024 will be approximately 15 hours long.
Formative assessment will take regularly through verbal feedback, booklet checks, ongoing live feedback during practical tasks and a test 70% of the way through the rotation.
In KS4, summative assessment will take place through end of unit tests. This will depend on how many sections are in each unit, as to the time it is completed, but generally every 5 – 7 lessons in year 10.
Formative assessment takes place regularly throughout KS4 with regular books checks and feedback through focussed practical tasks.
In Y11, regular discussions and feedback with regards to NEA takes place and spreadsheets are logged on progress, however we are not allowed under the AQA specification to formally mark any work until the final deadline date and all work is handed in. This is usually the end of April.
Summative assessment also takes place in Y10 and Y11 through mock examinations.