Vision Statement
The Design and Technology department at Queen Katharine Academy are committed to delivering a curriculum accessible to all which provides the broadest possible range of opportunities for students. One which will allow students to become self-motivated and confident learners, who can work independently and as part of a team. We aim to ensure that learners develop technical and practical competencies as well as the wider skills valued by employers. Our main priority is for students to be problem solvers who are not afraid of making mistakes. We hope our students will become responsible citizens who make a positive contribution to society.
Mission Statement
The department firmly believes that students learn best by ‘doing’ and by allowing them to experiment and take risks, in a safe and positive learning environment. This is achieved through imaginative teaching that embraces new technologies and resembles modern industrial processes, whilst retaining the best of traditional practices. At the heart of this, is the desire to deliver a curriculum in which students produce high quality outcomes. Students must learn about the social and ethical responsibilities of designers and engineers and the importance of managing finite resources with care.
Department Aims
- To establish a safe learning environment which is conducive to learning, is stimulating, imaginative and relaxed where students feel supported and secure.
- To link too many different curriculum areas in order to develop a set of transferable skills they can enjoy in school and use in their future working lives.
- To enable students to combine their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding, in order to design, make, analyse and evaluate products of high quality.
- To value the work of all students, using assessment as a means to monitor student progress
Key Stage Three
Key Stage Three students follow schemes of work that develop and explore new skills in three key technology areas –Graphic design, Food technology and Textiles – via a planned cycle that covers the National Curriculum for Design and Technology requirements.
Food Technology
In years 7 and 8 the students learn about food nutrients and why we need these nutrients for our health and wellbeing. We learn to use our senses of taste and smell with various food items.
Practical work is usually once a fortnight, where students learn to prepare and cook different food dishes.
The schemes of work we use are called “Building a food repertoire” and “Principles of nutrition and Health”.
In year 9 the students follow the scheme of work from the AQA web site which leads up to the GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition.
Graphic Design
In the last decade Graphic design has become one of the largest growing industries within the creative arts result of the recent evolution of the modern online world and how we monitories digital content through advertisement. As such we have decided to give our students the opportunity to learn more about this exciting new subject through design and technology.
In Graphic design at Queen Katharine academy, students learn all about both the business element of the design world and the practical elements of creating content for clients. We do this by presenting students with a live brief throughout their project where they generate ideas based on what the client has suggested combined with students’ creative initiative.
Students then combine their ideas with practical elements of traditional graphic design techniques (for example drawing, painting, mono printing, lino cutting, stencil making and photomontage), combined with digital image manipulating programs such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator. From this we teach students how to edit images though filters, layers, and other tools, as well as show students how to turn a pixelated drawing into a digital vector file.
Students then transfer their digital images into physical outcomes based on the project brief resulting in a final product to be assessed against the project brief.
Textiles
Students experience a structured approach to the teaching of Textiles which focuses on continuity, progression, breadth of experience and high expectations. Our schemes of work have been developed along a theme that follows a brief to give the students a realistic experience of working towards a customer’s requirements.
In Years 7 and 8 students focus on the basics of design and making. Projects are based on a theme each time with homework being set each alternate week. Homework is usually literacy based with one major research piece.
Finished work is evaluated and students decide where improvements can be made in future pieces. Work is displayed in the room and in a variety of venues around the academy.
Key Stage Four
Food technology:
In year 10 and 11 the students follow the AQA scheme of work for the GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition.
Engineering:
We study under Edexcel BTEC Level 1/Level2 Tech Award in Engineering and will look at Component 1: Exploring Engineering Sectors and Design applications.
We have comprehensive facilities within the Academy, which consist of: 2 Multimedia Practical workshops with the option to deliver shaping and forming of Wood, Metal and Plastic including Heat Treatment facilities; Computer Aided Design; Electronics; 3D printing and CAM via a range of CNC Routers, Mills, Lathes and Laser cutting
We study under Edexcel BTEC Level 1/Level2 Tech Award in Engineering and will look at Component 1: Exploring Engineering Sectors and Design applications.
Key Stage five
Engineering
Year 12
BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate in Engineering
Unit 1: Engineering principles 2 hour exam
Unit 2: Delivery of Engineering Processes Safely
Year 13
Unit 3: Engineering product design and manufacture 8 hour controlled assessment
Unit 19: Electronic devices and circuits internally assessed
Staffing
Mrs S Erwin (Head of faculty): Sara.Erwin@qka.education
Mr J Clifford (Deputy Head of faculty) Jack.clifford@qka.education
Mrs L Henson Libby.henson@qka.education
Mrs J Hamaali Joanna.Hamaali@qka.education
Ms H Collins Heather.collins@qka.education
Miss B Vaus Brionny.vaus@qka.education
Miss A Serghiou Alexia.Serghiou@qka.education
Mr V Holland Leavens Vince.hollandleavens@qka.education
Mrs E Runacres Elizabeth.runacres@qka.education
Ms H Thorn Helen.Thorn@qka.education
Ms A Howard Amanda.Howard@qka.education