Design and Technology

Year 7

Students in Year 7 have the opportunity to study three different Design and Technology subjects; Food, Graphics and Product Design. Students spend 12 weeks in each subject focusing on a different project and area of study. 

In their food lessons, students will learn basic cookery skills and how to use a variety of kitchen equipment. Practical lessons are a balanced mixture of sweet and savoury products allowing students to create healthy snacks and meals that they can recreate at home. Students are given a comprehensive grounding in healthy eating and what a balanced diet is. This year we are introducing elements of food science and students will be investigating cross contamination and enzymic browning.

In graphics, students get to research, design, create and make their own pop-up book based on the theme of Thrigby Wildlife Gardens. Students are set a commercial design brief which they will analyse and research. They will study different pop-up mechanisms, children’s books and design styles before creating their own 3D products.

During their Product Design lessons, Year 7 students will make a pewter keyring. This involves research, designing - using a theme of their choice, use of hand tools and some workshop machinery including a brazing hearth to melt the pewter, with particular emphasis on Health and Safety. Finally, students use a range of abrasives to produce a shiny, unique key ring.

Year 8

Students in Year 8 build on the skills and techniques that were established in Year 7 to produce a wider and more complex range of products. Students study the same subjects from Year 7 which are Food, Graphics and Product Design. Students spend 12 weeks in each subject focusing on a different project and area of study. 

In their food lessons, students will be developing their cookery skills to create a range of savoury dishes. They will be looking at local and seasonal foods and their nutritional focus for the term is on carbohydrates and energy. Practical lessons are savoury orientated and allow students to develop a range of practical skills. All of these dishes being well balanced, nutritional meals that students can plan, budget and cook independently. Students’ knowledge and understanding of food science is extended with a focus on fats and oils in pastries and emulsions.

In graphics, students develop their own ideas for a music festival. This project uses hand drawing, computer graphics skills and perspective drawing. Students research and plan their own commercial products, create initial and developed design ideas before completing their final merchandise ideas independently. Students are responsible for the project management of their work, to ensure that they have a commercially viable product that fits the design brief. 

During their Product Design lessons, Year 8 students design, make and create a Hotel for Bugs. This project involves research into cultures of the world and useful bugs in the garden. Students will then design and make their own Bug Hotel which will encourage wildlife. A variety of materials can be used and students are encouraged to think about recycling and reusing materials. Students’ knowledge and skills in the workshop are increased as they use different tools and equipment, again with particular emphasis on Health and Safety

In years 9-11 the Design and Technology department offers a range of subjects in different practical subjects.

GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition (Exam Board: EDUQAS)

This is a fantastic GCSE course that encompasses a wide range of practical skills (from jointing a chicken, to making choux pastry, fresh pasta and filleting a fish), whilst building on knowledge about how and why we cook food. By the end of the course students have a thorough knowledge of both the scientific and nutritional backgrounds of a wide range of food commodities, along with some lifelong cookery skills. The course is split into modules based on different food commodities. We start with Fruits and Vegetables with a focus on nutrition, this leads on to Dairy products, then Meat, Eggs and Fish, then Cereals, followed by Beans, Tofu, Seeds and Nuts and finally  Butter, Oil, Margarine and Sugar. Students are also taught about food provenance and food waste, food spoilage, cultures and cuisines as well as technical developments.

Assessment is based on 50% written exam (summer of Year 11), 15% Food Science Investigation (completed in September of Year 11 in class) and the remaining 35% is a Food Investigation task that requires students to plan, prepare and then cook a three course meal or three dishes (December-February of Year 11).

GCSE Design and Technology (8552)   (Exam Board: AQA)

This new GCSE in Design and Technology has replaced the previous GCSE in Product Design. It offers students a wide range of skills from practical experience across a variety of mediums (wood, metal, acrylic) to a knowledge base across all Design and Technology materials including standard mediums as well as paper & board and textiles. In years 9 and 10 students will undertake a variety of small projects to develop core skills in the wood and metal workshops. These practical lessons are underpinned by theory knowledge covering materials, CADCAM, future technologies and the design and making process.

In Year 11, students undertake an NEA (Non-Examination Assessment) which is a task set by the exam board at the start of the academic year and which is completed by the end of the Spring term. This is a design and make task based on a specific theme. This task will demonstrate both the practical skills that students have developed in the previous two years as well as their core subject knowledge. The NEA forms 50% of the GCSE and the written exam taken in the summer of Year 11 makes up the other 50%.