Design & Technology
KS3 KS4 Food KS4 D&T KS5 Text. KS5

Key Stage 3

Course Aims

Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject.

We aim to ensure that all students develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform every day tasks confidently; build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality 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.

Food Technology

National Curriculum

The Ecclesbourne School follows the 3 year National Curriculum

The national curriculum for Design and Technology incorporates the principles laid out in a number of national frameworks that have been developed to support food teaching and learning (including: Core competences for children and young people aged 5-16 years; Food teaching in schools, a framework of knowledge and skills; and Characteristics of good practice in food and nutrition education (secondary).

As part of your work in food, you will be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. You will develop a love of cooking, opening the door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is also a crucial life skill that enables you to feed yourself and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

You will be taught to:

  • understand and apply the principles of nutrition and health
  • cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so that you are able to feed yourself and others, a healthy and varied diet
  • become competent in a range of cooking techniques [for example, selecting and preparing ingredients; using utensils and electrical equipment; applying heat in different ways; using awareness of taste, texture and smell to decide how to season dishes and combine ingredients; adapting and using your own recipes]
  • understand the source, seasonality and characteristics of a broad range of ingredients

Our aim is to provide you with a rich and varied learning experience so that you develop the ability to work skillfully and knowledgeably with food. Through a wide range of fun practical activities, we want you to experiment and be innovative with food, developing the confidence to learn independently. You will carry out practical tasks on your own and working together in mixed ability teams, giving you the opportunity to learn and practice skills and build your range of techniques. Developing skills in product analysis and sensory evaluation will show that you can critically assess your own creation and those produced by others, suggesting ideas for improvement. If a recipe is unsuccessful then we want you to stick at it, be resilient, carefully consider why it didn’t work and then try cooking it again.

Curriculum Intent

We have mapped our curriculum content against the National Curriculum and incorporating the principles laid out in a number of national frameworks that have been developed to support food teaching and learning, which ensures full coverage in line with national requirements.

We also strongly believe that we should develop your skills to solve real life human needs and problems in a variety of contexts.

We have looked at GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition syllabus, ensuring that incorporated relevant preparatory materials in order to prepare our students for studying this subject.

Practical activities require the students to plan their time and select appropriate resources to produce a range of savoury and sweet products, increasing in complexity as they progress through KS3.

 

See also: Curriculum Map

Design and Technology/Resistant Materials

National Curriculum

The Ecclesbourne School follows the Design & Technology national curriculum.

Curriculum Intent

It is our intent in Design & Technology to offer our students the chance to use creative thinking, problem solving and design and making skills, within a defined purpose to produce a tangible outcome. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in a process of designing and making and to understand and appreciate the creative and manufactured world around them. They work on a variety of contexts through our wide range of subject topics to design, make and evaluate a wide range of practical based projects.

Through the study of Design & Technology students acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on and enhance their application of disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing, ethics and art. Students learn how to and are encouraged to take risks, become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. Our students will learn about the wider impact of global issues such as Sustainability and modern manufacturing techniques, the development of modern materials and processes to ensure that our students are equipped and empowered with the skills and knowledge that they need to make a positive difference to our society and become well rounded knowledgeable citizens.

High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation. Our Key Stage 3 curriculum has been designed to adhere to the National Curriculum as well as underpin and feed into the Key Stage 4 curriculum.

Textiles

National Curriculum

The Ecclesbourne School follows the Key Stage 3  National Curriculum three year program.

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

The national curriculum for design and technology aims 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.

Curriculum Intent

By the end of each key stage, pupils are expected to know, apply and understand the matters, skills and processes specified in the relevant programme of study.

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of domestic and local contexts [for example, the home, health, leisure and culture], and industrial contexts [for example, engineering, manufacturing, construction, food, energy, agriculture (including horticulture) and fashion].

Design

  • use research and exploration, such as the study of different cultures, to identify and understand user needs.
  • identify and solve their own design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them.
  •  develop specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations.
  • use a variety of approaches [for example, biomimicry and user-centred design], to generate creative ideas and avoid stereotypical responses.
  • develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modelling, oral and digital presentations and computer-based tools.

Make

  • select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery precisely, including computer-aided manufacture.
  • select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials, components and ingredients, taking into account their properties.

Evaluate

  • analyse the work of past and present professionals and others to develop and broaden their understanding.
  • investigate new and emerging technologies.
  • test, evaluate and refine their ideas and products against a specification, taking into account the views of intended users and other interested groups.
  • understand developments in design and technology, its impact on individuals, society and the environment, and the responsibilities of designers, engineers and technologists.

Technical knowledge

  • understand and use the properties of materials and the performance of structural elements to achieve functioning solutions.

We have mapped our curriculum content against the National Curriculum and have chosen a variety of units to ensure full coverage in line with the national requirements. We also strongly believe that we should develop student’s creativity, life skills, adaptability, ICT and project management skills, problem-solving capability, data handling skills, written and oral communication, decision-making skills, commercial awareness, and the ability to set goals and manage their own workload. These are the transferrable skills that employers value.

 

If you have any questions or queries relating to the Technology curriculum please email headoftech@ecclesbourne.derbyshire.sch.uk for more information.