Design Technology

Key Stage 3 Overview

At Key Stage 3 the main focus of project work is on developing designing skills and creative practical skills with a range of material areas.

Students follow a very structured Assessment for Learning framework that clearly sets out the aims and objectives for each project, allows them to easily chart their progress as project work unfolds, and requires them to set long and short term targets against the National DT levels.

Year 7 and 8 projects aim to build on previous skills or introduce new ones that will be needed for future projects. In Year 9 students undertake a long term design and make project that brings together many of the skills they have developed and is used to formally assess them to generate their final SAT’s grade in DT.

All student practical work is photographed, added to design work and compiled over the entire Key Stage – providing a complete record for students, parents and teachers of the progress made over the three years.

The addition of several new pieces of Computer Aided Designing, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) equipment to the department has allowed for the creation of some fantastic new project opportunities at key stage 3.