Design and Technology prepares students to participate in tomorrows rapidly changing technologies. They learn to think and intervene creatively to improve the quality of life.

The subject calls for students to become autonomous and creative problem solvers, as individuals and as members of a team. They must look for needs, wants, opportunities and respond to them. They will achieve this by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems. They combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social and environmental issues, function and industrial practices. As they do so, they reflect upon and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and effects. Through the subject all students can become discriminating and informed users of products, and hopefully innovators too.

The objective is for pupils to demonstrate fully their Design and Technology capabilities, this requires them to combine skills with knowledge and understanding in order to make quality products in quantity.

All projects follow a similar process and can be broken down into:

• Developing ideas
• Planning
• Producing products
• Evaluating.

Pupils acquire and apply knowledge, skills and understanding through:

• Analysing and evaluating products and processes
• Engaging in focused tasks to develop and demonstrate techniques
• Engaging in strategies for developing ideas, planning and producing products
• Considering how past and present design and technology, affects society
• Recognising the moral, cultural and environmental issues inherent in design and technology

ICT

ICT is an essential component of the courses and will be used wherever possible, word processing, graphics, Internet research, CAD/CAM should all be incorporated into each project.

Homework

Regular homework will be expected, as this is essential for the raising of pupil grades.

Homework will generally be the continuation of project work.

Literacy & Numeracy

Throughout the projects pupils will be encouraged study independently and to progress at a pace appropriate to their abilities.

Using information provided by IEPs, teachers and teaching assistants will individually target pupils in need and address these needs. Examples include using texts pupils can read and understand, using alternative and augmentative communication, including signs and symbols.

Statements

Students who are statemented will be set short-term, subject specific, targets. The targets will be reviewed at regular intervals, where an assessment will be made both on the progress of the student and the relevancy of the target in light of any improvement made.

Work will be differentiated to meet specific need and where applicable extra assistance will be given to the student both from the teacher and the learning support assistant.