In Design & Technology, as a department we intend to add value to the life of our students with transferable and subject specific skills.
We endeavour to build students’ confidence in their ability creatively and practically through their workshop experience.
We believe in challenging our students to solve problems and develop a mindset that encourages continuous development.
At Victory our curriculum is structured to build a pathway for a future in the Design & Technology and Engineering sectors. We hope to enable all students to discover enjoyment through designing and making physical products. They will use tools and equipment safely in the workshop environment and pursue success of tasks working towards a design brief. The design brief contextualises both specialisms of Design & Technology (KS3) and Engineering (KS4/5) and helps students to visualise the cultural significance of their progress in our subject.
A focus on knowledge of materials and their working properties forms the basis of design development across DT and Engineering specifications. In order to develop designs of products, engineered and otherwise, a basic understanding of different materials and their uses is required. Their knowledge of materials, properties and processes will continue to develop during their time in the subject and become an integral part of their learning.
In Design & Technology we meet the National Curriculum by incorporating ‘Research (different cultures),specifications, appealing products, creative ideas, iterative design and development’ in our teaching and learning. We will analyse the work of others, past and present, as part of our research in order to ‘broaden our understanding’ while teaching new and emerging technologies such as 3D printing. Mechanical and electrical systems is an addition we endeavour to make as well as including computer control in KS3&4.
The iterative design process is at the forefront of design development and encourages students to be critical thinkers of their own work and others. Feedback is encouraged and used to suggest improvements and continue the development of their designs. The communication of ideas through image creation is a skill which students will build on continuously to explain themselves effectively. We use both 2D and 3D CAD packages in combination with traditional drawing methods to elevate students’ creativity in our subjects.
We have ample opportunity to broaden the range of skills offered through our engineering-based enrichment activities such as the Greenpower Kit Car Challenge and Engine Club. We are also pioneering an apprenticeship pathway for students in our subject with a local Mercedes-Benz Commercial dealership offering opportunities for students at Post-16 and Post-18.
In Key Stage 3 we follow the National Curriculum for Design and Technology and students will have opportunities to design, plan and manufacture a range of prototype products throughout Years 7-9 in 6-weekly rotations as part of the creative studies faculty.
In Year 7 DT Electronics, students will develop skills in designing for a client, soldering, CAD/CAM, finishing woods. They will also gain knowledge of the Iterative Design process, Computer Aided Design, Electrical components, Workshop and machine health & safety. In Year 7 DT Product Design students will develop skills in Quality control measures, cutting and shaping wood using hand tools, introduction to pillar drill and belt sander. They will also gain knowledge of the Iterative design process, difference between hardwoods and softwoods, cams, mechanisms and types of motion.
In Year 8 DT Product Design, students will add to their knowledge from year 7 with 2D CAD programs, laser cutting and polymers. Students will build on their skills in product design by using 2D CAD programs, meeting a design brief, evaluating designs, modelling and a range of technical drawing skills. Year 8 DT Engineering Design develops skills in many engineering processes. These include: cutting internal and external screw threads, mechanism assembly, 2D Design, laser cutting, metal working techniques and knowledge of the Iterative Design Process, CAD/CAM, hand tool and machine recognition and machine health and safety (centre lathe and pillar drill).
In Year 9 DT Engineering manufacture, students will gain knowledge of Metalworking tools and equipment selection. They will learn Production planning, interpreting engineering drawings, metalworking health and safety, permanent and non-permanent fasteners. Their skills will be technical, specifically: Using tools and equipment safely in the workshop, operating a centre lathe to create basic turned components, creating internal and external threads in metals, folding metals accurately, deburring metals and using templates and jigs to streamline manufacture.
The Year 9 DT Product Design pushes students to meet a design brief while improving their knowledge of Design History and inspiration. They will carry out the iterative design process in detail while developing skills in 3D CAD and CAM processes to create a prototype of their product.
In Year 10, students will build on the fundamental engineering skills and knowledge learned during Key Stage 3. This includes knowledge of engineering materials, tools and equipment as well as commercial manufacturing and design processes. Students will improve their skills in planning, reading and interpreting working drawings, working independently to produce engineering components accurately. They will also understand how to justify material, tool and process selections as a result of their knowledge. Each of these skills will be assessed in a 20-hour controlled assessment.
In Year 11, students will improve their visual communication skills using technical drawing. They will be able to identify problems with designs in existing products in order to redesign engineering products based on a design brief and given feedback where they will be assessed in a 10-hour controlled assessment.
Their cumulative knowledge will be assessed in the form of an external exam on solving engineering problems.
In Year 12, students will become specialists in 2D CAD software to demonstrate their understanding of engineering products. They will create a range of accurate and detailed drawings which are suitable for third party manufacture. Using their experience, they will learn to manufacture safely as a team while further developing their knowledge of engineering materials and their properties. Students will be assessed on their ability to manufacture safely and accurately using suitable tool and equipment selection.
Students will build on their CAD experience to become specialists in 3D CAD also, where they will redesign certain aspects of engineering products to improve their functionality, design, sustainability and economy.
Students will gain knowledge of engineering principles which are mathematical and physical theories behind how things work. This will be assessed in an external exam at different opportunities throughout the course.
Learners will bring their engineering knowledge and skills together in an 8-hour controlled external assessment where students will be given an engineering product to fundamentally redesign and present high level design proposals.
We are currently in our second season of running a car in the Greenpower kit car challenge where students from secondary schools worldwide compete in a battery powered, 90-minute endurance race. This builds on the engineering knowledge from the classroom and takes it to a new level with students able to see their hard work come to fruition at the end of the year and bring a competitive edge to green energy and engineering.
Engineering Progression Pathway