Design Technology
Subject Leader
Mr Private: Newton
Through the provision of a well-resourced and well-maintained facility with a friendly, happy and safe working environment, the department aims to provide a worthwhile technology experience where every pupil can reach their full potential.
Aims of the course
- Core technical and designing and making principles, in the context of product design
- Developing additional specialist knowledge in relation to product design, preparing them for progression into either higher education or careers in this sector.
Course content
A level Design and Technology: Product Design requires pupils to engage in both practical and theoretical study.
Design and technology skills and knowledge are separated into:
- technical principles
- designing and making principles.
Design education is about thinking through the recognition and solution of problems. The emphasis of this course is on the solving of problems through practical construction and modeling.
Pupils will have 8 periods of contact time per week with Mr Newton and will be set further tasks to complete at home. In addition to this homework, pupils have an opportunity to attend extra workshop support sessions. The support sessions run once a week. Practical skills are used to develop an understanding of the theoretical concepts that they have covered in class.
It is expected that the pupils will study in their own time, reviewing the learning that has taken place during their lessons, working on examination questions and reading around the content in their textbooks.
Assessment
The A level course assessment involves a mixture of written examinations and coursework.
There are three units of assessment for the A level:
- Paper 1: A two hour and thirty minutes written examination paper based on core technical principles and core designing and making principles. The examination is out of 120 marks and worth 30% of the A-level.
- Paper 2: A one hour and thirty minutes written examination paper based on specialist knowledge, technical and designing and making principles. The examination is out of 80 marks and worth 20% of the A level.
- Non exam assessment (NEA) – a substantial design and make project worth 100 marks and 50% of the A-level
A grade 6 or above at GCSE in Design and Technology is desirable.
Career Opportunities
Design Technology is a subject that has the capacity to provide a wide range of skills that is invaluable in our increasingly technological society. Through the depth and breadth of its work it has an unrivalled capacity to bridge other curriculum subjects in addition to providing a real life context in which most skills can be taught. It is hoped that the communication, manufacturing, lateral thinking and planning skills that are developed will have a significant and positive impact on all subsequent work. Demonstrating the value of a designer’s approach to solving real problems is a fundamental aim.
The Design Technology course complements subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Art. Students who choose Design Technology together with Mathematics and Physics may progress onto Higher Education courses involving some form of engineering or product design. It can also be a useful contributor to further study or work in other related disciplines such as materials science, industrial design, interior design and architecture. Students have reported that they have found the skills and disciplines covered by the A Level course of great benefit; especially when they have gone on to read engineering in its various forms.