Design Technology

Intent and Vision

Design and Technology at Ravens Wood will 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 using a wide range of manufacturing processes and techniques. They will become independent learners, with a curiosity and confidence for solving real world problems which they will take with them on their extended journey through Product Design. Whether pursuing GCSE, A-Level, University, apprenticeships or through an appreciation and critical eye for the designed world around them.

Key Concepts that Underpin the Curriculum

Health and Safety, tools, materials and equipment
Identifying and investigating, problem solving
User Centred Design
New and Emerging technologies
Sketching, modelling and prototyping
Iterative Design
Select and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery
CAD/CAM
Selecting materials and components
Test, evaluate and refine ideas
Research and explore different cultures
Analysing the work of others
Biomimicry
Responsible design considering it's impact of society, individuals and the environment
Mathematical application and engineering approach

Key Features of Learning

The key characteristics of the Design Technology learning environment and the daily diet which our students experience include: A collaborative approach to problem solving, where students learn and share ideas with their peers. An emphasis on design communication, using a wide variety of methods and media. A structured hierarchal approach to teaching the required skills to enable student to realise their creative design ideas.

How Does our Curriculum Shape Learners?

The Design and Technology curriculum at Ravens Wood School has a horizontal discourse across each year, with the principles of ascension imbedded into the learning outcomes for each half termly project.

Students studying the Design and Technology curriculum at Ravens Wood will develop confidence and resilience through a variety of creative approaches to learning which encourage risk taking. Students develop a range of practical skills which allow them to embark their adult lives with a critical appreciation of product design and a wide range of useful practical skills with tools, equipment and processes.

The Learning Journey: End Points for Each Academic Year

Year 13	By the end of Year 13, students will be open to taking design risks, showing innovation and enterprise whilst considering their role as responsible designers and citizens. They will develop intellectual curiosity about the design and manufacture of products and systems, and their impact on daily life and the wider world. They will work collaboratively to develop and refine their ideas, responding to feedback from users, peers and expert practitioners. Their studies will enable them to gain an insight into the creative, engineering and/or manufacturing industries, as well as developing the capacity to think creatively, innovatively and critically through focused research and the exploration of design opportunities arising from the needs, wants and values of users and clients. Students will develop knowledge and experience of real-world contexts for design and technological activity, as well as an in-depth knowledge and understanding of materials, components and processes associated with the creation of products that can be tested and evaluated in use. They will be able to make informed design decisions through an in-depth understanding of the management and development of taking a design through to a prototype/product. Students will also be able to create and analyse a design concept and use a range of skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including maths and science, to inform decisions in design and the application or development of technology, and will be able to work safely and skilfully to produce high-quality prototypes/products. They will have a critical understanding of the wider influences on design and technology, including cultural, economic, environmental, historical and social factors, as well as developing the ability to draw on and apply a range of skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including the use of maths and science for analysis and informing decisions in design. By the end of Year 13 students will be prepared to continue with their journey within Product Design whether that is at University, an apprenticeship route or into the world of work.
Year 12	By the end of Year 12, students will be open to taking design risks, showing innovation and enterprise whilst considering their role as responsible designers and citizens. They will develop intellectual curiosity about the design and manufacture of products and systems, and their impact on daily life and the wider world. They will work collaboratively to develop and refine their ideas, responding to feedback from users, peers and expert practitioners. Their studies will enable them to gain an insight into the creative, engineering and/or manufacturing industries, as well as developing the capacity to think creatively, innovatively and critically through focused research and the exploration of design opportunities arising from the needs, wants and values of users and clients. Students will develop knowledge and experience of real-world contexts for design and technological activity, as well as an in-depth knowledge and understanding of materials, components and processes associated with the creation of products that can be tested and evaluated in use. They will be able to make informed design decisions through an in-depth understanding of the management and development of taking a design through to a prototype/product. Students will also be able to create and analyse a design concept and use a range of skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including maths and science, to inform decisions in design and the application or development of technology, and will be able to work safely and skilfully to produce high-quality prototypes/products. They will have a critical understanding of the wider influences on design and technology, including cultural, economic, environmental, historical and social factors, as well as developing the ability to draw on and apply a range of skills and knowledge from other subject areas, including the use of maths and science for analysis and informing decisions in design.
Year 11	By the end of Year 11, students will be able to demonstrate their understanding that all design and technological activity takes place within contexts that influence the outcomes of design practice. They will develop realistic design proposals as a result of the exploration of design opportunities and users’ needs, wants and values. They will use imagination, experimentation and combine ideas when designing, as well as developing the skills to critique and refine their own ideas whilst designing and making. They will be able to communicate their design ideas and decisions using different media and techniques, as appropriate for different audiences at key points in their designing. develop decision making skills, including the planning and organisation of time and resources when managing their own project work develop a broad knowledge of materials, components and technologies and practical skills to develop high quality, imaginative and functional prototypes be ambitious and open to explore and take design risks in order to stretch the development of design proposals, avoiding clichéd or stereotypical responses consider the costs, commercial viability and marketing of products demonstrate safe working practices in design and technology use key design and technology terminology including those related to: designing, innovation and communication; materials and technologies; making, manufacture and production; critiquing, values and ethics. Our GCSE Design and Technology curriculum sets out the knowledge, understanding and skills required to undertake the iterative design process of exploring, creating and evaluating. The majority of the curriculum is delivered through the practical application of this knowledge and understanding an investigation into a contextual challenge, defining the needs and wants of the user and include relevant research to produce a design brief and specification. Students should generate design ideas with flair and creativity and develop these to create a final design solution (including modelling). A manufacturing specification should be produced to conclude your design findings leading into the realisation of a final prototype that is fit for purpose and a final evaluation. Students should investigate, analyse and evaluate throughout the portfolio and evidence all decisions made.
Year 10	By the end of Year 10, students will have studied the key components of Design and Technology in preparation for the GCSE exam. They will have covered the main learning objectives with regard to the core technical principles, the specialist technical principles and designing and making principles of Design and Technology. They will understand new and emerging technologies and their impact on the environment, culture and society. In order to make effective design choices students will have developed a breadth of core technical knowledge and a thorough understanding of new and emerging technologies, students will learn about energy generation and storage, they will have a good working knowledge of the developments in new materials, learners recognize how designers can utilize a systems approach to designing. Students will be aware of mechanical devices and have a very good appreciation for materials and their working properties. In addition to the core technical principles, all students will have developed an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the how and why materials are selected for their properties and characteristics, scales of production, surface treatments and finishes. Sources and origins of these common materials. Students will have a firm comprehension of forces and stresses, stock forms of materials; types and sizes. Our curriculum in year 10 will provide students with a more advanced understanding of ecological and social footprint in product design. By the end of Year 10 students will be in a very strong position with their theoretical knowledge of the subject, which will allow them to undertake their NEA contextual challenge.
Year 9	By the end of Year 9, students will have developed their skills and experiences when working with electronics and understanding electronic components and circuits. They will develop their skills with design communication, focussing on accuracy and planning for manufacture, including scale drawings, orthographic drawings, exploded drawings and sectional drawings. Students will be introduced to graphic design and client focussed design, they will understand the importance of cultural awareness and sustainability when designing product packaging. They will develop their understanding of digital design and Computer Aided Design. Year 9 students will be able to respond to design contexts which are outside their area of knowledge, they have developed the skills and expertise to select both primary and secondary research sources to establish the design requirements for a user centred product. They will be able to implement the design process and realise a range of iterative prototypes to satisfy their defined user’s needs. By the end of year 9, students will have developed all of the required skills to transition on to the GCSE Design and Technology course. Students who do not continue with Design and Technology will have experienced a broad and engaging curriculum which will allow them to make informed product choices throughout their lives. They will also have developed a wide range of practical skills, using tools, materials and equipment safely and accurately, which will provide them with life skills for the future.
Year 8	By the end of Year 8, students will understand the importance of design communication and have developed their skills with sketching, modelling and prototyping. They will have been introduced to the work of others through the study of key design movements through history. Year 8 students will begin to use Computer Aided Design programmes to communicate design ideas and realise these ideas using Computer Aided Manufacture. Students will learn and implement user centred design methods and strategies to generate design solutions for unfamiliar local design contexts. They will continue to develop and build upon their practical skills with tools, equipment and processes whilst also learning the fundamentals of ensuring quality through the use of templates, jigs, moulds and fixtures. Students will learn how to critically evaluate products, using their analysis and creativity to re-design, develop, modify and improve. They will be introduced to the concept of responsible design and understand how product designers have a duty to design products which do not have a negative impact socially, culturally or environmentally. By the end of year 8 students will have a solid foundation in the core aspects of Design and Technology and practical skills, which they will continue to develop in year 9. They will be in an informed position to make their choice on whether to study Design and Technology at GCSE when they select their options in year 9.
Year 7	By the end of Year 7, students will have been introduced to the key concepts within Design and Technology, namely Health and Safety, Problem Solving, Critical and Core practical skills, exploring different cultures, identifying needs and understanding how programmable electronic components can be integrated into modern product design. Students will understand the health and safety implications of working with tools, equipment and processes in Design and Technology workshops. They will learn the fundamental principles of Design and Technology through establishing a need, problem solving and an ability to generate design proposals. They will be introduced to the design process through a range of familiar and unfamiliar design contexts, which reinforce the value of cultural awareness for product designers. They will have begun to understand the importance computers play in product design and will confidently apply computing and electronics to embed intelligence in products. Our ambition for year 7 students is that they will have developed a curiosity for the designed world around them and that we have started to develop a passion and skillset for the practical aspect of the subject.