In Year 8 students build on and extend their knowledge and understanding of the subject and embed the importance of working safely within each of the specialist areas. The emphasis continues to be the iterative design process, skill acquisition/mastery, and independence through an active and flexible learning methodology. 

By the end of the year we would expect our students to be able to:                                                                                                                           

• Participate in projects that encourage students to be creative and imaginative when designing and making, giving the students the ability to differentiate the making of their product according to their own personal skill level. 

• Understand design and technology's impact on society and the environment and the responsibilities of artists, designers and craftspeople when choosing materials and components. 

• Identify and solve design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them. 

• Analyse the work of past and present professionals to develop and broaden their understanding of design. 

• Use research and exploration to identify and understand user needs through product analysis and customer profiling. 

• Understand and use the properties of materials to achieve functioning solutions especially taking into account the construction of materials and their characteristics. 

• Develop an understanding of the importance of healthy eating and current nutritional guidelines.  

By the end of Year 9 students should have a general understanding of the key areas within Design Technology - Product Design, Food and Textiles. This is achieved largely through a variety of creative and practical activities, producing outcomes that are made primarily from each of these material groups.  

Our programmes of study aim to ensure that all pupils:   

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world   

• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users   

• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others   

• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.  

The teaching methodology utilises an active and flexible learning approach where students access the materials, tools and equipment at point of need and students organise their time appropriately and independently. 

Engineering – Through Engineering Design we encourage students to investigate, communicate and evaluate design requirements in order to develop and realise viable and innovative products. Students should apply practical skills to produce a prototype in the form of a model and test design ideas to inform further product development. Through reflection, students evaluate the prototype, making a comparable outcome against specification points, and assess possible, practical solutions and improvements to their prototype design. A practical approach to teaching and learning will provide learners with knowledge in engineering technology and develop their critical thinking, creativity and dextrous skills through engaging practical experiences. Engineering design builds on the skills learnt at KS3 and allows students to develop their skills and knowledge relevant to the engineering sector. Students should be able to explain the design process using the appropriate technical terminology. Understand the need for a design brief and to design products that are fit for purpose. Students should have a good understanding of materials and their properties and be able to make informed choices when identifying the materials and manufacturing processes appropriate to any given design solution. They should be able to explain the benefits behind sustainable design and conduct a life cycle analysis of existing products. Students should be able to use a product design specification to analyse and evaluate their design proposals, and be able to produce a series of design ideas utilising a variety of drawing and rendering techniques. This includes hand rendered drawings in Oblique, Isometric, Perspective, and Orthographic Projections. Students should understand the benefits of designing using CAD and be able to produce both 2D and 3D drawings utilising CAD software. Students should be able to critically analyse their design ideas against appropriate design criteria, and objectively decide which designs answer the specification requirements the best. 

Food – Students will develop knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. The majority of the specification will be delivered through preparation and making activities. Students will make connections between theory and practice to apply their understanding of food and nutrition to practical preparation. The range of food and ingredients studied will reflect the recommended guidelines for a healthy diet based on the major food commodity groups. Students will calculate and interpret the costs associated with products and compare their value. They will also undertake sensory analysis of a variety of products to gain external feedback for improvements to products. Students will be able to nutritionally analyse dishes using IT software. They will gain lifelong skills to increase independence. Students will perform scientific investigations to study the different properties of a variety of ingredients. There will be a focus on preparing students using practice exam questions to enable them to gain confidence for their GCSE. They will also undertake a three hour practical PPE working in exam conditions with a restricted time frame. This will give students an opportunity to develop their assurance to create three high-standard and successful products. 

Textiles – Creative and imaginative, the Fashion and Textile design course offers the opportunity to develop highly experimental making skills over a broad range of textile and fashion techniques and applications, such as printing, weaving, mixed media, surface design, embroidery and dressmaking. 

Practical work is produced by researching and developing ideas using drawing, digital exploration, sketchbooks and worksheets, supported by critical evaluation and an awareness of contemporary and historical influences. In Y10, students improve their ability to develop more sustained projects by exploring their ideas more thoroughly. Students are expected to develop more personal and meaningful ideas using much more refined and accomplished skills. 

Engineering – Students should be able to produce a series of design ideas utilising a variety of drawing and rendering techniques. This includes hand rendered drawings in Oblique, Isometric, Perspective, and Orthographic Projections. Students should understand the benefits of designing using CAD and be able to produce both 2D and 3D drawings utilising CAD software. Students should be able to critically analyse their design ideas against appropriate design criteria, and objectively decide which designs answer the specification requirements the best. Students should be able to independently manufacture with reference to appropriate working drawings the chosen product outcome. A range of materials and manufacturing processes should be utilised in accordance with appropriate health and safety guidance. Students should be able to document the production process, highlighting methodologies used in the manufacture of the product. Students should be able to evaluate and test final outcomes and suggest further improvements. 

Food – Students will consolidate and build upon already established skills that are required to produce high standard products whilst analysing the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. There will be a focus on offering students the ability to translate these skills in practical sessions. Students will make connections between theory and practice to apply their understanding of food and nutrition to practical preparation. Students will complete a ‘NEA 1 Food Investigation Task’. This task will provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate their understanding of the characteristics, functions and chemical properties of ingredients. This task is centered around a written report of 1500-2000 words, including photographic evidence. Additionally, students complete a ‘NEA 2 Food Preparation Assessment’. This will demonstrate student’s knowledge, skills and understanding in relation to the planning, preparation, cooking and presentation of food whilst having an understanding of the nutritional aspects of products. Students will prepare, cook and present a final menu of three dishes within a single period of no more than three hours, giving them the opportunity to understand the importance of planning in advance. These two tasks combined will form 50% of their final grade, alongside a 1 hour 45 minute examination which will create the other 50%. 

Textiles – Creative and imaginative, the Fashion and Textile design course offers the opportunity to develop highly experimental making skills over a broad range of textile and fashion techniques and applications, such as printing, weaving, knitting, mixed media, surface design, embroidery and installation. 

Practical work is produced by researching and developing ideas using drawing, digital exploration, sketchbooks and worksheets, supported by critical evaluation and an awareness of contemporary and historical influences. In Y11, students improve their ability to develop more sustained projects by exploring their ideas more thoroughly. Students are expected to develop more personal and meaningful ideas using much more refined and accomplished skills.