Welcome to the Design and Technology Department Minisite!

The Design & Technology (DT) department's objective is to equip all pupils with appropriate knowledge and skills in the context of today's technical environment. The DT workshops are spacious and well-equipped enabling all pupils to complete project work using Wood, metal, plastic and electronics.

 

Hayden May Head of Technology	Mark Dunham Head of Craft & Design

Teaching is centered on focused practical tasks using a design and make approach towards problem solving activities. Pupils are taught to present their ideas using traditional pencil sketching and also up to date Computer Aided design (CAD) systems. In the workshop each project increases in complexity and requires the pupil to learn new skills and techniques. These include handskils and Computer Aided manufacture (CAM).

 

Upper School Technology hobbies are always popular, and pupils may follow their own projects or pursue specific activities designed to widen their knowledge and experience.

 

Those who are gifted and who wish to enter for Design and Technology Scholarships are encouraged to do so receiving advice and encouragement inside and outside of normal lesson times.

 

Pupils in the upper school have an hour of CDT each week spending half a year in Craft and half the year in Technology. A further half an hour a week is dedicated to designing skills for A and B form pupils. In the lower school all pupils have lessons in Technology; they are of the same duration but rotate with other subjects. Modules are typically from 8 to 15 weeks duration.

 

 

Technology

Design & Craft

Technology begins in F Form and is workshop based. The curriculum covers working with hand and machine tools, simple electronics, mechanisms, energy, and the shaping and forming of plastics – to name but a few. Pupils work individually and in groups through a range of projects with much emphasis on safe working practice and accuracy. In the upper school pupils explore and use a range of CAD/CAM manufacturing processes to develop 3D products. In each project the complexity of the work increases, as does the use of different technologies; enabling a confident transfer to the subject in the upper school.

In the Craft workshop pupils in the upper school are introduced to working with wood and metal through a variety of projects; they develop traditional hand and machining skills. In each of the projects the pupils are encouraged to explore a range of ideas, culminating in a traditional or contemporary product. Designing forms a fundamental part of each project; they are introduced to these skills in the lower school and more formally in their upper school Design lessons.