LAST UPDATED NOV 2025: Values linked Effort and Behaviour ratings and Journey to Senior Phase page added
S1 Design and Technology:
Over the course of the academic year pupils in S1 will rotate between a period of BGE Technical led by a Technical teacher and a period led by a teacher of Art & Design.
Depending on class rotation, some pupils will begin with the Ice Scraper Design & Make project and others will begin with the Chalk Board make project.
Ice Scraper Design & Make Project [Art Led]
Pupils will design and make a functional ice scraper. They will be introduced to key aspects of the design process, developing their own ideas through sketching and idea exploration to arrive at a final solution. Once their design is complete, they will move on to manufacture their product using acrylic.
This project gives pupils the opportunity to learn practical skills such as:
Developing and exploring design ideas to solve a problem
Cutting, shaping and finishing acrylic
Safe use of hand tools and machine tools
Chalkboard Make Project [Technical Led]
Pupils will manufacture a chalkboard using pine. This hands-on, practical task introduces pupils to essential woodworking skills and safe working practices in the workshop.
Throughout the project, pupils will learn to:
Measure and mark out wood accurately
Cut and shape pine using hand tools and selected machines
Understand and apply health and safety procedures in a workshop setting
Assemble wooden components
Apply finishing techniques to enhance and protect their final product
This project not only builds practical skills, but also encourages care, precision, and responsibility when working with tools and materials.
The majority of work covered in S1 Technical Education is based around CfE Level 3 Outcomes and Benchmarks.
The following benchmarks were looked at when grading your child’s work.
Design and Technology:
Uses tools and equipment to manufacture models/products
Applies safe working practices when creating a model/product
Extracts dimensions from a drawing and transfer these onto materials to create a model/product
Identifies the different categories of materials.
Recognises that materials have different properties and uses.
Recognises that material properties have an impact upon manufacturing processing choices.
Recognises that materials come in different forms.
Produces sketches which show an understanding of proportion.
Produces 2D and 3D sketches using a range of techniques.
Produces rendered drawings which may include colour, surface texture, tonal change
In addition to the above, please see image carousel at bottom of page which contains our assessment grids.
Working Level and Working Grade descriptions for S1 Technical:
At this point in S1, pupils will be reported as working at Second or Third Level, depending on their stage of progress- but they will not receive an A–D grade. This is because some pupils have so far only been taught by an Art & Design teacher, while others are still in the early stages of developing basic construction skills and have not yet begun their final practical model. It would not be appropriate to assign full grades until all pupils have experienced the full range of technical learning taught by a specialist Technical Education teacher.
Formal grades will be issued in the second tracking window once all pupils have completed a full and comparable experience.
At this early stage in the Technical curriculum, pupils on a pathway towards achieving SCQF Level 5 in S4 will be working at Third level.
Further information, including an overview for all subject areas can be found here.