Design Technology, The Victory Academy

Curriculum Intent

“Design is a funny word. Some people think design means how it looks. But of course, if you look deeper, it’s really how it works.” Steve Jobs

Why does our curriculum look like this?

Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Design and Technology encourages students to learn to think creatively to solve problem. At The Victory Academy, we encourage all students to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. The students are also given opportunities to develop their long-term knowledge and skills, which can be effectively deployed in new circumstances. Ultimately we aim for students to be aspirational and ready for the next step in their life journey.

curriculum sequence map

Curriculum Structure (Overview)

Key Stage 3

KS3 Design and Technology	Product Design	Food Technology	Textiles
Year 7	Students are encouraged to discover tools, process and material which they are unlikely to have come in contact with. We cover a range of subject knowledge and practical skills in wood joints, vacuum forming and graphic design.	In year 7, students are guided through a variety of practices, skills and knowledge to better prepare them for the world of Food Technology. Students will cover knife and cooker skills, whilst utilising knowledge on healthy eating and balanced diets.	Our year 7 textiles students are introduced to hand sewing skills and techniques, whilst gaining an understanding of where materials come from and how to manipulate them.
Year 8	In year 8, students are given the freedoms to design using Computer Aided Design and output their creations using Computer Aided Manufacture. We take a look at Polymers, Sustainability and fixtures and fittings as part of our subject knowledge and practical skills development.	In year 8, Food Technology opens students up to the wider world of Food and the cultural diversity we are lucky to be able to indulge in today. From Spain to Greece, Northern Europe to India students experience ingredients and their usage across a range of dishes, whilst gaining essential knowledge about balanced meal planning, person and environmental hygiene and how to follow and manipulate recipes.	In year 8, the focus in Textiles is broadening student’s material knowledge and understanding of their properties. We take students through a range of skills which involve different surface decorations, use of a sewing machine and building on hand skills.
Year 9	For year 9 students are moved towards being independently creative and designing from a more personal viewpoint. This comes together as students complete their own design, make and evaluation project. Whilst covering some basic electronics and further CAD/CAM skills.	For Year 9, students are taught how to cook for life and how to feed their families – whilst trying to meet everyone’s needs! Whilst broadening knowledge on safe food handling practices and how to accommodate healthy eating with dietary requirements, students will also have independent thinking on how to plan, cook and evaluate their own meal choices from adapting existing recipes.	For year 9 Textiles talks about fast fashion, the impact we have on the environment and how to conduct a Product Life Cycle. This dovetails into designing, planning, making and evaluating their very own sustainable fashion piece.

Key Stage 4

KS4 Design and Technology	Product Design	Food Technology	Manufacturing & Construction
Year 10	Year 10 covers a broad range of disciplines, knowledge and skills. Student will be expose to the material areas of Textiles, Ferrous and Non-Ferrous metals, Papers and Boards, Electronics, Mechanisms, Timbers and Man Mande Boards and Polymers. This will be deepening students learning from KS3 whilst teaching students critical knowledge for the GCSE.	Year 10 culminates student’s experiences from KS3 as we push them further into the field of Food and Nutrition. Here, students gain a deeper understanding of Nutrition, Ingredients and their seasonal availability and safe Food practices. The course also entails some Scientific experimentations with food to understand how and why we cook food – including digestion, taste, texture and appearance and avoiding food contamination.	This course is designed to better fulfil the practical skills for students whilst still challenging their academic theory knowledge. Students will build an understanding of material knowledge in a specific was and apply Health and Safety principles in these areas. Student will also get to experience technical drawing skills and specialist machining operations to complement their theory.
Year 11	For term 6 of year 10 and the rest of year 11, students focus on their Non Examination Assessment. This consists of following the design process and developing an iterative sketchbook to develop ideas and design, plan, make and evaluate a product to solve a problem of their own development. Alongside this, students will also prepare for the exam which covers all the material areas and wider principles covered in KS3 and KS4, whilst also having the opportunity to answer exam question in Section B on their specific material area.	In year 11 students prepare themselves to complete their Non Examination Assessment unit. This involves a variety of design, testing, planning, making and evaluating dishes to meet a specific target market’s requirements. This, in turn, covers much of the theory elements taught at KS3 and KS4 and apply this in a practical and realistic way. Students will also have to complete an examination where they will apply their knowledge and understanding to theoretical scenarios.	In year 11 students complete coursework across two units of Non Examination Assessments and a then a final third task which is a formal examination. Unit 1 takes students through the design process, where they have to satisfy an industrial standard design brief and produce a technical drawing of their final outcome – which is dimensionally accurate. Unit 2 is where students are solving a practical problem and are required to interpret a technical drawing and produce the final object, including all its parts, from stock materials. The examination itself is a bringing together of all the theory work covered in year 10 and across units 1 and 2.

Careers

Studying Design and Technology is one of the most rewarding and widest skills building subject area you could ask for. We’re creative, practice drawing skills, come up with problem solving ideas, utilising maths and science principles, creative and critical writing techniques whilst then having the hand skills and material knowledge to build and create what has been developed on paper or computer. No wonder the Design and Technology sector for jobs is so vast! Some Examples are: