Staff list
Mr E Chinyangarara - Teacher of Technology
Mr A Bali - Teacher ofd Technology
Mr B Desmond - Technician – Technology
Vision
In Key Stage 3 (KS3) Design and Technology program, we embark on an exciting journey to ignite creativity, foster problem-solving skills, and cultivate a deep understanding of the world of design and technology. Our curriculum is designed to align with the National Curriculum, providing a structured framework that ensures students receive a comprehensive education in this dynamic and ever-evolving field.
At Cox Green School, we believe in empowering our students with both practical and theoretical knowledge. Our approach to Design and Technology encourages students to explore, design, create, and evaluate their projects, thereby building a strong foundation for future endeavours. We understand that hands-on experiences are essential in this subject, and that's why our curriculum is carefully crafted to strike a balance between theory and practice.
Our dedicated and experienced teachers work closely with students to help them discover their potential and develop their skills. Through a series of engaging projects and activities, students learn to apply their creativity and problem-solving abilities to real-world challenges. We encourage them to think critically, work collaboratively, and take ownership of their learning.
As we guide students through the KS3 Design and Technology curriculum, they will have the opportunity to work with a variety of materials and tools, explore different design processes, and gain a deeper appreciation for the impact of design and technology on our daily lives. We aim to inspire our students to become innovative thinkers, capable of making informed decisions in a rapidly changing world.
We look forward to guiding your child through this exciting educational journey, fostering their passion for design and technology, and equipping them with the skills they need to excel in the future. Together, we will unlock their potential and prepare them for a world filled with endless opportunities in the field of design and technology.
In Key Stage 4 Design and Technology (DT) GCSE program, we embark on an exciting journey to explore the intricacies of design, innovation, and craftsmanship. Our curriculum is meticulously designed to align with the national standards, ensuring that students receive a comprehensive education that equips them with both practical and theoretical knowledge in the field of design and technology.
The National Curriculum for Design and Technology at Key Stage 4 provides a robust framework that fosters creativity, problem-solving skills, and a deep understanding of the design process. At Cox Green School, we take this framework as the foundation upon which we build a dynamic and engaging program that allows students to flourish and develop their passion for designing and making.
In our DT GCSE program, students will have the opportunity to explore various materials, technologies, and design disciplines, from product design and graphics to textiles and electronics. They will be encouraged to think critically, communicate their ideas effectively, and develop a keen eye for detail. Throughout the course, students will be challenged to tackle real-world design problems, fostering innovation and resilience as they work towards creative solutions.
Intent
We aim to provide our students with an interdisciplinary, maker centred curriculum that fosters practices of innovation, invention, collaboration and critical thinking. We aim to inspire our students to shift from a consumer to producer mentality and become young inventors and entrepreneurs. We provide our students with the opportunity to use specialist equipment and machinery to invent and develop project outcomes in a variety of material and subject areas.
Implementation
The Technology key stage 3 Interdisciplinary program is split into three phases.
1. Year 7- Phase One: Skills Rotation.
2. Year 8- Phase Two: Blended Learning.
3. Year 9- Phase Three: Target Teaching and independent enquiry.
Phase One- Year 7- Skills Rotation
Phase one aims to develop key skills across all Technology subjects. To equip the students with the knowledge, skills and understanding to be able to plan, design and create a project independently using the materials of their choice in phase two and beyond. The skills rotation aims to engage the students through a variety of hands on maker centred lessons that introduce a wide variety of progressive skills that can be applied into the context of their choice during Phase Two and beyond.
The skills are progressive to ensure appropriate levels of challenge. Learning objectives and differentiated tasks are provided to support the pitch of lessons and expectations in each of the subject areas. These Include:
- Product Design
- Enterprise
- Food and Nutrition
- Mathematics
- Science
Phase Two- Year 8- Blended Learning
Phase two aims to help the students develop an understanding of how to reformulate problems given to them. The students will be given a design brief for a real world issue that needs to be solved. They must create a design brief and specification for an outcome that promotes a sustainable world. The outcome must aim to fill the gap they have identified and the design problem.
The students will research existing products on the market and identify their target customer. They will have the opportunity to design, develop, prototype and make their product applying the skills they developed in phase one. The students must use digital learning and computer programming to design and create programs that accomplish their goals. Using a variety of software, they must collect and present their data, analysing and evaluating their data throughout.
They will develop approaches to raising funds for their projects themselves, research, design, prototype, develop and manufacture their product. They will advertise and pitch their final outcome to a board of industry specialists. The students will document their learning in their autonomous learner profiles to monitor their own progress and document their learning.
Phase Three- Year 9- Target teaching and independent enquiry.
Phase three aims to allow the students to apply the knowledge, understanding and skills developed to engage in an iterative design process of exploring, creating and evaluating. Where the students will identify and solve their own design problem in the material discipline of their choice. The students will have the opportunity to select the material discipline they wish to work in on a fortnightly basis. Providing each individual with bespoke learning opportunities and allowing the students to tailor lessons to their individual needs.
The emphasis on student led learning for the majority will allow for staff to offer support in the form of target teaching for individual students as necessary. The students will research, design, prototype, develop and manufacture their product. They will advertise and pitch their final outcome to a board in the style of Dragons Den. The students will document their learning in their autonomous learner profiles to monitor their own progress and document their learning. Learning will be documented in the GCSE NEA format.
Impact
The curriculum provides the students with the opportunity to learn and develop a broad range of knowledge, skills, and understanding, and prompts engagement in a wide variety of activities. Through evaluation of past and present Design and Technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.
Design - They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering. The curriculum enables the students to use research and exploration, to identify and understand user needs. They develop specifications to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that respond to needs in a variety of situations. Use a variety of approaches to generate creative ideas. They develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modelling.
Make - The students are provided with the opportunity to select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery precisely. They can select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials, components and ingredients, taking into account their properties.
Evaluate - The students analyse the work of past and present professionals and others to develop and broaden their understanding. Test, evaluate and refine their ideas and products against a specification, taking into account the views of intended users.
Technical Knowledge - The students explore properties of materials and the performance of structural elements to achieve functioning solutions. The develop and understanding of how more advanced mechanical systems used in their products enable changes in movement and force.