Design and Technology

Design and Technology at Heart of England covers the four specialist areas of Resistant Materials, graphics, Food and Textiles.

Students are encouraged to develop ideas realistically, taking into account how their products will be used, who will use them, how much they will cost, as well as their appearance.

They develop their understanding of designing and making by investigating products and finding out about the work of professional designers and the manufacturing industry. The use of computers is an integral part of their designing and making through CAD/CAM, (computer aided design and manufacture) as well as control software. They are also encouraged to draw on their knowledge from other subject areas.

In Key Stage 3, all students have 2 lessons a week ~ one in Food/Textiles and the other in Resistant Materials/Graphics. Emphasis is on generic skills, for example, “designing for clients” or “batch production”.

At Key Stage 4, all students take GCSE Design and Technology and choose from Resistant Materials, Graphics, Textiles or Food. All the specialist areas place emphasis on how products are made in quantity, quality manufacture and the use of CAD/CAM ~ both in industry and the students’ own coursework. From a design brief, students are expected to produce a folder of work containing design ideas and show they develop them to make quality products. Overall the coursework is worth 60% of the final mark with 40% coming from two examination papers at the end of Year 11.

There is the option to continue with Design and Technology post 16 through the Oxford Cambridge AS/A2 Product Design course. This can lead to careers in technical illustration, product design, manufacturing or a variety of engineering courses.

Overall, the career prospects for Design and Technology can include all aspects of manufacturing, product design, textile/fashion design, catering/hotel management, retailing, graphic design/packaging... the possibilities are endless!

For More information email, Mr G Bryan - Head of Design and Technology.