Design & Technology

The department consists of four main teaching areas, the main workshop, a prototyping room, a specialist CAD Lab and a breakout area. We also have a dedicated welding bay in which we do arc and mig and tig welding as well as other forms of heat treatment and dip coating. Each area of the department offers different resources and are utilised depending on the topics being taught.

We offer a range of traditional and modern design manufacturing/prototyping and designing resources. Pupils are encouraged to engage with a range of designing and manufacturing methods to help develop the best solutions to the problems posed. Traditional designing methods include sketching and technical drawing; modern designing techniques include the use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) packages such as Inventor, Fusion, Google SketchUp and 2DTechSoft. Pupils are introduced to CAD in I Form and develop their CAD skills as they progress through to the senior school. Traditional manufacturing methods include laminating, steam bending, wood turning, casting, sheet metal work, milling, metal turning, vacuum forming, line bending, and general cutting, shaping and forming of wood, metal and plastic. More modern methods of manufacturing include use of our laser cutter and our 3D printer. The use of Computer Added Manufacturing (CAM) methods in the department compliments the skills the pupils acquire in both Inventor and 2DTEchSoft as these files can be used to produce working prototypes.

The courses meet the Curriculum requirements as specified by 4-18 National Guidelines and the English National Curriculum.

I to III FormsThe aim of the courses is to enable each pupil to gain and develop an understanding and experience of the many aspects of Design and Technology in a creative manner. The first form project is based on a sustainable timber Coathook project, as well as an an introduction to 2D and 3D CAD and rapid prototyping. The second form project involves building a self propelled boat made from timber; where the pupils will be taught how to read and work from dimensione drawings. Additionally, the a pupils will use CAD to design and manufacture a magnet that will be 3D printed. In third form the pupils will continue working with timber; increasing the complexity of the project with a desk tidy. Towards the end of the year, third form pupils embark on a project called 'Big Problem, Big Idea' where they are tasked with coming up with and prototyping a creative solution to a problem that affects them. All of the Junior Schools Projects form strong links with the Pringle Centre to help support the development of literacy and numeracy skills. Junior School projects offer pupils the opportunity to develop a range of designing and manufacturing skills that help prepare them for the GCSE course.

IV Form: The Design and Technology course offered in the Fourth Form comprises two main projects. The first is an timber and polymer sweet dispenser. This project aims to develop a range of practical skills, including prototyping as part of the iterative design process, that help prepare pupils for GCSE course choices. The second is a planter project that exposes the pupils to the ‘wider issues’ in design and include the manufacture of a 3D CAD model.

Shell & GCSE: Design and Technology is offered as a GCSE subject. The GCSE course has comprises of a Non Examined Assessment (NEA) and an Exam at the end of the course both comprising of 50% of the marks. The pupils have the option to select one area of expertise in their CGSE course. The content is delivered through a combination of theory lessons to cover the ‘Knowledge and Understanding’ aspect of the subject and ‘Practical Work’ to help develop designing and manufacturing skills. Each pupil also undertakes a personal project in Fifth Form that will both motivate and stretch them.

VI Form: Product Design and Design Engineering are offered at Advanced level and build directly on the work covered at GCSE Design Technology and Electronics. Product Design encourages creative thinking leading to design innovation, by using authentic and contemporary design strategies and techniques that are centred around iterative design processes of ‘explore / create / evaluate’, thus preparing our students to become critical and creative designers, engineers and consumers of the future. Design Engineering is also centred around explore, creative and evaluate but the engineering course has a much higher Maths and Science content and focuses more on topics such as mechanisms, forces and motion, electronics, structural and mechanical efficiency and electronic systems. 

Find out more about MerchiSTEAM.