Technology

To ensure that Technology is a driving force and lead subject within the school, we strive to develop creative, innovative and confident citizens through involvement in three areas of technology: Product Design, Food and Textiles.  We work around the individual students and ensure projects are designed so that students can enjoy all aspects of their technology education; to deliver long term transferable skills to benefit all students in their future career paths.

The department boasts a suite of six specialist rooms, including an industrial kitchen and CAD/CAM suite - some of the best facilities that can be found in a school, due to our Technology College Status.

The Design Technology curriculum has been designed across all key stages to ensure that all students can design a range of innovative products. All projects undertaken rely on students’ creative design skills as well as their ability to model their ideas in 2D and 3D.

Key Stage 3

Students starting in Year 7 follow a structured two year Key Stage 3 programme in mixed ability groups. The projects are designed to enable students to experience all subjects on offer within the department (Food, Textiles and Product Design).  Students will study a range of skill-based projects throughout Years 7 and 8, some of which are detailed briefly below.

In Year 7, students study the following projects:

  • Technology Learning Passport Transition: This is an introductory project to allow students starting at John O’Gaunt to learn the basic skills required in Technology, such as presentation and the design process.
  • Organising our lives: This is a resistant materials module where students are required  to design and make a CD or DVD rack, using woods and plastics.
  • Ready, Steady, Let’s Get Cooking: This is a food based module, where students learn to make healthy snack foods.
  • Letter Chart: This is a textile based module, where students learn different techniques which are used to create a letter chart.
  • Design in the community: This is a graphics based module where students work in groups to design products of worth for the local community.

In Year 8, students study the following projects:

  • Pewter Casting: This is a resistant materials module, where students use nature as inspiration to design a body adornment which can be cast out of pewter.
  • Time to Take Away?: This is a food based module where students learn how to prepare and create easy to go foods suitable for all occasions.
  • Textile Structures: This is a textile module, where students mimic industrial techniques to design and produce their own fabric, which is then used to create a 3D textiles structure.

At the end of Year 8 students make their GCSE Options. Students can choose to study one or more Technology subject through the immersion course (one year GCSE) or over three years.  All courses require both controlled assessment and examination skills.

Key Stage 4

Food

This is an exciting and innovative course that will cover a variety of food related topics through a mixture of theory and practical lessons. During the course students will study the design process and work with a variety of ingredients and equipment to develop and finalise design solutions. Through the development of their knowledge and skills, students will have the opportunity to be creative and experimental with both designing and making.  Students will use the skills and knowledge learned, to complete three units that make up the complete examination. These units are:

  • Unit 1 - A521: Introduction to designing and making (30%)
  • Unit 3 - A523: Making quality products (30%)
  • Unit 5 - A525: Sustainability and technical aspects of designing and making (40%)

The controlled assessment is concerned with designing and making food products to a specification, which will involve the pupils carrying out surveys, interviews, visiting local supermarkets etc in their own time, as well as planning their own practical lessons during school time.  Students will be required to provide their own ingredients when undertaking practical sessions.

Product Design

This is an exciting course that will focus on any material area within Technology, thus giving students more flexibility when deciding on their controlled assessment and exam topics.

During the course students will study the design process and work with a variety of materials to develop and model design solutions. Students will have the opportunity to be as creative as they wish when it comes to both their designing and making. Students will use the skills and knowledge learned to complete four units that make up the complete examination. These consist of:

  • A551 - Developing and Applying Design Skills Controlled Assessment (30%)
  • A552 - Innovation Challenge Exam (20%)
  • A553 - Making, Testing and Evaluating Controlled Assessment (30%)
  • A554 - Design Influences Exam (20%)

Students can complete the various units from any technology background, thus working from their own strength; this provides students greater scope when it comes to designing.  The controlled assessment units can be completed as an e-portfolio PowerPoint Submission.

During the course students will be introduced to a wide range of sketching, drawing and colouring media. They will also be shown how to use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to develop ideas for products and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) to realise their designs.  Students will also be introduced to a variety of hand and machine tools.

Textiles

This is a stimulating and creative course. Students will be introduced to a variety of drawing and rendering techniques, plus decorative and manipulative techniques to enable them to design, decorate and construct textile products.  They will also be shown how to use Computer Aided Design (CAD) to develop ideas for products and Computer Aided Manufacture (CAM) to realise their designs.  Students will use a range of equipment, machinery and processes to produce a final product.

Students undertake a variety of design and make tasks concentrating on developing skills and knowledge.

Students taking this course will be expected to carry out independent research for projects that will involve visiting shops, museums and libraries in their own time.

The course consists of 3 units, as detailed below:

  • Unit 1 - Introduction to Designing and Making Controlled Assessment (30%)
  • Unit 3 - Making of Quality Products Controlled Assessment (30%)
  • Unit 5 - Sustainable Design and Technical aspects of Designing and Making Exam (40%)