The Design and Technology department aims to 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.

We have a newly furnished workshop that includes traditional woodworking equipment a range of hand tools as well as more modern machines such as a 3D Printer and laser cutter. Pupils have access to computers and are encouraged to produce work digitally and using traditional communication techniques such as sketching and rendering.

Pupils will have the opportunity to see how their theory is put into practice with trips to factories that have included Jaguar Land Rover and Morgan Motors to witness the use of robots and automation in manufacture.

This qualification is linear. Linear means that students will sit all their exams and submit all their non-exam assessment at the end of the course.

PAPER 1

What's assessed?

• Core technical principles

• Specialist technical principles

• Designing and making principles

How it's assessed

• Written exam: 2 hours

• 100 marks

• 50% of GCSE

COURSEWORK

What's assessed

Practical application of:

• Core technical principles

• Specialist technical principles

• Designing and making principles

How it's assessed

• Non-exam assessment (NEA): 30–35 hours approx

• 100 marks

• 50% of GCSE

Task(s)

• Substantial design and make task

• Assessment criteria:

• Investigating

• Designing

• Making

• Analysing and Evaluating