Design & Technology / Engineering
Curriculum Intent
Students develop technical knowledge and an ability to design, make and evaluate a range of design and engineering projects that cover the full breadth of the National Curriculum. Using a process of baselining, students accelerate their progress by analysing all aspects of design that include real life problems. We aim to develop students who possesses a creative flair alongside a deep and rich subject knowledge that allows them to complete technical, written, drawing and practical tasks with confidence and expertise in an increasingly technological world.
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10
Year 11
Engineering Whole School Curriculum Contribution
All students have an inner-belief and ambition to fulfil their dreams and live a happy and successful life.
The Design & Technology / Engineering curriculum is rooted in technical, written and practical skills, designed to develop confident and analytical students, who are able to communicate their ideas with flair and creativity. The ability to design, analyse, annotate, justify and practically complete high level outcomes is fundamental to the future success of many creative based further educational routes. Therefore our aim is to support learners in developing these skills to go on to have high-functioning careers within the Industry.
All students leave our academy with first-rate qualifications:
Our curriculum is designed so that all doors remain open in the Design and Engineering world for future learning and employment. However, the curriculum is designed to be broad enough to develop “softer” skills of inquiry and perception, creativity and flair, so that students leave the Academy able and willing to challenge existing products and suggest sustainable outcomes and greener solutions. They should be confident enough to give their fully formed opinions in social and academic situations.
All students develop exceptional character:
The Design & Technology / Engineering curriculum, and the nature of the subject, fosters a growth mind-set. Through deep questioning, and the sequencing of a theory and skills-based curriculum across the years, with an emphasis on peer and self-assessment, students are ambitious for themselves as much as staff have ambitions for them to make incremental but sustained progress in their learning. This develops creative and well thought out design decisions and solutions.
All students leave our academy with high levels of cultural and global awareness:
The curriculum in Design & Technology / Engineering benefits from staff that are genuinely enthusiastic about their subject and who specialise in real life industry experience that students study. As such, deeper contextual learning around issues such as renewable energy and green materials use, mixed with creativity and design flair, broadens students’ perception of the wider world. Furthermore, students are connected with designers, engineers and architects from a range of time periods and locations around the world, so that students know that there is a world outside of their immediate locality. As such, the curriculum enriches students’ emotional intelligence, readying them to tackle societal issues in their personal, academic and professional futures.
All students leave with an array of positive memories that last for a lifetime:
The Design & Technology / Engineering curriculum is created to ensure the specification and live projects that students undertake and the skills students develop (such as design-based solutions to real world problems) provide positive life lessons as well as memories that last. This is underpinned with the support and trust from staff that offer wider learning opportunities, such as STEM, Model Club and projects that have been developed to ensure enjoyment and push students to develop their creative flair.