Design and Technology
Design and Technology comprises three subjects areas: Building Innovative Design Skills, Food and Nutrition and Textiles. Your daughter will try all three on a carousel in Years 7 and 8, and can opt to continue with Building Innovative Design Skills and/or Food and Nutrition into Year 9 and beyond.
BUILDING INNOVATIVE DESIGN SKILLS
The fantastically equipped Design Technology workshop is a haven for those who love to create, from the traditional wood-working tools to the new technology of laser cutters and 3D printers. The computer suite allows girls to learn 2D design right from Year 7, progressing to 3D design software as they move into GCSE and A level.
Year 7 and 8 projects are designed to introduce the multitude of tools and equipment in the workshop, giving girls experience of working with different materials to produce useful, and beautiful, products.
In Year 9, as an option subject, they have more time for DT and so the projects become more complex, with pupils thinking not only about their product and the function of it, but also packaging and labelling.
At GCSE, pupils following the AQA course, which comprises 50% Non-Examined Assessment and 50% Examination. They respond to a contextual challenge such as supporting developing countries or encouraging a healthy lifestyle and multifunctional living and create a functional, beautiful product supported by a portfolio of design work and decision.
AQA is followed through to A level, for the Product Design course. This new course places an emphasis on understanding and applying iterative design processes. Students will make prototypes to solve real and relevant problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.
FOOD AND NUTRITION
The kitchen classroom, at the very top of the School, is an exciting place to be. Girls explore various cuisines as they learn about a multi-sensory approach to cooking, backed with the nutritional knowledge to allow them to produce genuinely delicious and healthy meals and snacks. They gain confidence in a variety of cookery aspects, from knife skills to balancing flavours, and are inspired by teachers who love to experiment with new combinations of taste and texture.
In Year 7 and 8, pupils are taught Food on a carousel (alongside DT: Resistant Materials and DT: Textiles). As such, they spend approximately 10 lessons in each year in the kitchen classroom. They start with basic food preparation skills, creating a dish every other lesson, and learning about the importance of nutrition.
Year 9 is a foundation year to the GCSE course; cooking skills are further developed via the creation of more complex dishes. The course places an emphasis on the choice and management of resources and will give them the confidence to make justified decisions to meet individual dietary needs.
At GCSE, pupils follow the AQA course which comprises seven modules: Food preparation skills, Food nutrition and health, Food science, Food safety, Food choice, Food provenance and Food preparation and cooking techniques. Like the Building Innovative Design Skills course, the content is assessed 50% Non-Examined Assessment and 50% Examination.
In the Sixth Form, a Level 3 Diploma in Food Science and Nutrition is offered as an A level alternative.
TEXTILES
Textiles is studied in Years 7 and 8 as part of the carousel. Pupils are introduced to working with material and the different techniques available to them, including both machine and hand sewing. The foundation skills learned are valuable for both Building Innovative Design Skills and Art.
