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Design & Technology Curriculum Intent
The Design & Technology curriculum aims to inspire all students to become creative, confident, and critical thinkers who can respond to real‑world problems with innovation, resilience, and technical competence. Through a rich blend of practical experiences, theoretical understanding, and iterative design processes, students develop the knowledge and transferable skills needed for an ever‑evolving technological world.
Our curriculum enables students to:
Think Creatively and Solve Problems
We cultivate a culture of curiosity, exploration, and innovation. Students are encouraged to research, investigate, experiment, and take creative risks. They learn how to generate original solutions, evaluate their effectiveness, and adapt designs using evidence‑based decision‑making.
Develop Technical Proficiency
Students progressively acquire a secure understanding of materials, mechanisms, electronics, and manufacturing techniques. They develop competency in using hand tools, machinery, digital technologies (including CAD/CAM), and modern making processes such as 3D printing and laser cutting. This equips them with practical skills relevant to industry and further study.
Understand Real-World Applications
Through contextualised tasks, students learn how products are engineered, manufactured, marketed, and used. They explore sustainability, consumer needs, inclusive design, global production, and responsible material choices. This builds awareness of ethical, environmental, and commercial considerations.
Work Safely, Independently and Collaboratively
A high emphasis is placed on health and safety, enabling students to operate confidently in workshop environments. Students learn to plan, manage time, collaborate effectively, and evaluate both their own and others’ work with maturity and professionalism.
Build a Foundation for Future Opportunities
The curriculum introduces pathways into engineering, product design, architecture, manufacturing, and creative industries. By developing resilience, problem‑solving, iterative thinking, and technical literacy, students are well-prepared for GCSE, A‑level, apprenticeships, and careers in STEM and design sectors.
Celebrate Diversity, Culture and Innovation
Students learn about influential designers, engineers, and design movements across different cultures and time periods. This helps them appreciate design as a powerful force that shapes society and improves users’ lives.
Our Commitment
Design & Technology at our school provides an engaging, ambitious and inclusive curriculum where every student is encouraged to think like a designer, behave like an engineer, and create like a maker. We aim to nurture young people who can confidently shape a sustainable, technologically advanced future
Assessment Details
Assessment in Design & Technology is designed to measure students’ practical capability, theoretical knowledge, and ability to apply the iterative design process. Assessment supports progression from KS3 into KS4 and prepares students for the demands of technical qualifications and industry‑relevant skills.
KS3 Assessment Overview
At KS3, assessment in Design & Technology combines ongoing formative strategies with structured summative tasks to ensure students develop strong knowledge, practical skills and design capability. Formative assessment is embedded throughout lessons and includes teacher questioning, practical skill checks, design reviews with annotation assessment, verbal and written feedback, exit tickets, hinge questions and regular knowledge‑retrieval activities.
Summative assessment measures students’ progress across three key areas:
KS4 Assessment Overview – NCFE Level 1/2 Engineering
At KS4, students follow the NCFE Level 1/2 Technical Award in Engineering, which consists of:
Students are prepared for these components through structured practice tasks, theory lessons, CAD/CAM training, and an extended design‑and‑make project.
KS4 Summative Assessment
40% External Written Exam
Assesses:
Assessment format:
60% Exam Board Set Synoptic Project (Coursework)
Assesses students’ ability to: