Design & Technology

KS3 Description of the key skills, knowledge and understanding that are a prime focus of KS3 teaching in the subject area

In design and technology, pupils combine practical and technological skills with creative thinking to design and make products and systems that meet human needs. They learn to use current technologies and consider the impact of future technological developments. They learn to think creatively and intervene to improve the quality of life, solving problems as individuals and members of a team.

Key Concepts – The Starting Point for Planning

Designing and Making
Cultural Understanding
Creativity
Critical Evaluation

Key Processes
Generate, develop, model, communicate…
Respond creatively…
Apply knowledge and understanding…
Use their understanding of others’ designing to inform their own…
Plan and organise…
Evaluate tools and equipment…
Solve technical problems…
Reflect critically…

The curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to:
Analyse products
Undertake Focused Tasks
Engage in Design & Make Assignment
Work Individually or in Teams
Work with Designers and Makers
Use ICT as appropriate
Make Links with Other Subjects and Areas of the Curriculum

Organisation of the KS3 curriculum and how students are assessed (brief summary of long term plan of units and very approximate timings.

Students in Year 7, 8 and 9 complete a range of designing and making practical tasks and projects during the course of each year (1 hour per week). The timescale for each project is variable across the year.

Each unit of work is assessed at the end of the project or on average, once per half term. Students can be assessed in the following areas:

Research
Idea Generation
Development of Ideas
Manufacturing
Evaluation

KS3 Description of the key skills, knowledge and understanding that are a prime focus of KS3 teaching in the subject area.

The KS3 curriculum at Nunnery Wood is designed to inspire students to be independent problem solvers and creative thinkers whilst developing practical skills for life. It is designed to allow all students to access exciting and challenging activities that prepare them for the rigours of GCSE assessment and the life of a design engineer as well as life skills for the modern world.

To this end, students will study a range of creative, problem solving, design and manufacturing skills across a range of traditional and modern media, as well as developing skills in Cultural Understanding, Creativity and Critical Evaluation. They learn to use current technologies and consider the impact of future technological developments. They learn to think creatively and intervene to improve the quality of life, solving problems as individuals and members of a team.

A key focus will be placed on autonomous problem-solving skills, allowing students to become independent thinkers who can find solutions to a variety of problems.  In addition to this, students will engage in teamwork exercises where they learn to debate and negotiate to develop practical and creative outcomes.  The curriculum aims to deliver this through experiences in design, drawing and presentation skills, research and development, computer aided design and manufacture, traditional hand and power tools as well as a variety of media from wood and plastics to electronics and systems.  Year 7 students will begin by becoming confident across a range of tools, processes and concepts: exploring a new world of technology through a range of 2D and 3D tasks.  All are introduced and a large emphasis is placed on health and safety along with risk assessment and management.  These skills are further developed through Year 8 and students are encouraged to become more independent with the new skills they have acquired.  In Year 9, students are encouraged to blend all their skills and apply their knowledge to direct their own designing.  The curriculum moves to a greater alignment with KS4, thus preparing students for either progression to GCSE or competence in skills essential to living in the real world.

Organisation of the KS3 curriculum and how students are assessed.

Students are assessed throughout KS3 in a variety of ways.  Each unit has a progress tracker that allows students to understand key skills.  These are assessed at the end of each unit and help to drive students targets for subsequent work.  Alongside this, students receive regular individual feedback both verbally and written that they respond to, to improve their work.  The KS3 curriculum provides a range of projects that help develop students’ key skills as below;

Units of work each last approximately one term in Year 7 and 8, and one and a half terms in Year 9

Sources of information that may be useful

www.technologystudent.com

KS4 Description of the key skills, knowledge and understanding that are a prime focus of KS4 teaching in the subject area

GCSE Design and Technology prepares students to participate confidently and successfully in an increasingly technological world. Students gain awareness and learn from wider influences on Design and Technology including historical, social, cultural, environmental and economic factors. Students get the opportunity to work creatively when designing and making and apply technical and practical expertise.
GCSE Design and Technology 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.

Core Technical Principles: In order to make effective design choices students will need 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

Specialist Technical Principles: All students should develop an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the following specialist technical principles:
• Selection of materials and components
• Forces and stresses
• Ecological and social footprint
• Sources and origins
• Using and working with materials
• Stock forms, types and sizes
• Scales of production
• Specialist techniques and processes
• Surface treatments and finishes
Designing and Making Principles: Students should know and understand that all design and technology activities take place within a wide range of contexts. They should also understand how the prototypes they develop must satisfy wants or needs and be fit for their intended use. For example, the home, school, work or leisure. They will need to demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of designing and making principles in relation to the following areas:

• Investigation, primary and secondary data

• Environmental, social and economic challenge

• The work of others

• Design strategies

• Communication of design ideas

• Prototype development

• Selection of materials and components

• Tolerances

• Material management

• Specialist tools and equipment

• Specialist techniques and processes

Organisation of the KS4 curriculum (brief summary of long term plan of units and very approximate timings)

Year 10: Non exam assessment (NEA) mini project (October – May)
Exam preparation (ongoing)
End of unit exam preparation tests (half termly)
June: start final NEA project
Year 10 exam: 2 hours

Year 11 (from 2018): continue NEA project (deadline March)
Exam preparation (ongoing)
End of unit exam preparation tests (half termly)
X2 mock exams (2 hours each)

Assessment
Written exam: 2 hours
100 marks
50% of GCSE

Questions
Section A – Core technical principles (20 marks)
A mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions assessing a breadth of technical knowledge and understanding.

Section B – Specialist technical principles (30 marks)
Several short answer questions (2–5 marks) and one extended response to assess a more in depth knowledge of technical principles.

Section C – Designing and making principles (50 marks)
A mixture of short answer and extended response questions.

Non-exam assessment (NEA) 30-35 hours approx..
100 marks
50% of GCSE

Task(s)

• Substantial design and make task
• Assessment criteria:
• Identifying and investigating design possibilities
• Producing a design brief and specification
• Generating design ideas
• Developing design ideas
• Realising design ideas
• Analysing & evaluating
• In the spirit of the iterative design process, the above should be awarded holistically where they take place and not in a linear manner
• Contextual challenges to be released annually by AQA on 1 June in the year prior to the submission of the NEA
• Students will produce a prototype and a portfolio of evidence

Sources of information that may be useful
www.aqa.org.uk
www.technologystudent.com