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Design and Technology

Our Design Technology curriculum has been created to teach students a wide range of practical skills that will enable the students to manufacture a wide range of products with a high degree of accuracy. Additionally, students are taught about a variety of materials and process to allow students to be selective when designing and making products at GCSE.  

Design and Technology drives and inspires creativity amongst students empowering them to become confident users of techniques, tools and materials and critical users of technology. A high proportion of teaching is through practical work in excellent facilities.  

Department Aims 

  • To establish a safe practical space where students can be creative, use their imagination and feel relaxed and supported.  
  • To learn a variety skills and processes that link across the curriculum areas and develop a range of transferable skills for using school and their future working lives.  
  • To enable students to use theory knowledge to design, develop, make and evaluate a range of products.  
  • To celebrate the work of all students and use assessment to monitor students progress providing information to help them improve their knowledge and skills.  

Engineering 

Our Engineering curriculum has been created to teach students a range of theoretical and practical skills that will enable students to manufacture a range of products to test their understanding of different processes and manufacture a range of sample pieces so that they can experience the more complex processes.  

Resistant materials 

Our Resistant materials' curriculum has been created to provide our students with a range of technical knowledge relating to all aspects of technology and timbers. Furthermore, to provide our students with a range of skills using a variety of hand tools and machine equipment so that they are able to design and create high quality accurate products.  

Textiles 

Our textiles' curriculum has been created to provide our students with a range of technical knowledge relating to all aspects of technology and textiles. Furthermore, to provide our students with a range of skills using a variety of hand and machine work, a variety of treatments and finishes so that they are able to design and create high quality accurate products.  

Food and nutrition 

Our food and nutrition curriculum has been created to empower students with skills and confidence in a kitchen by encouraging them to cook / prepare a wide range of numerous dishes. In food and nutrition practical work is at the heart of the curriculum with practical’s occurring every two weeks, this enables the students to practice their cooking skills and perfect these skills ready for GCSE. Furthermore, the theory work runs alongside the practical teaching the students vital knowledge on nutrition and food hygiene.  

GCSE update 

Resistant materials and textiles 

The exam board has informed the school that the NEA making of the final piece has been dropped and instead the students are expected to make a working model and include evidence of equipment being used. As a result the marking criteria no longer includes the final making marks.  

Food and nutrition 

The exam board has informed the school that NEA 1 has been dropped and the amount of dishes that students need to make has been reduced to two.  

Engineering 

The exam board has informed the school that the practical element on the coursework has been dropped and instead the students need to research / write about the processes they would use. This has also effected the marking criteria from 15marks for the making to 10marks.

A Level

This course is split between Beaminster school and The Sir John Colfox Academy.

At the Sir John Colfox Academy we focus primarily on the theory content of the course helping to prepare the students for the exam and building on their knowledge from key stage 4. Alongside the theory small practical activities are completed to help reinforce the theory taught to enable students to use these when they complete their coursework work in year 13.

In year 12 students focus on a variety of drawing types, properties and materials:, leading onto processes and health and safety. Additionally, the maths content is covered where students calculate areas and trigonometry. 

In year 13 students focus on design movements, manufacturing techniques, sustainability and legal aspects of design. Additionally to the theory half the time is spent helping the students complete their coursework where the students get the opportunity to design an make their own product

Food and Nutrition Homework

 

Textiles Knowledge Organisers