Introduction
Technology: Food, Product Design & Textiles
Students gain the confidence and experience to design and make high quality products. In addition, they gain an increasing awareness and understanding of social, moral, ethical and environmental issues in industrial practices and production.
Technology is developing rapidly and impacts directly on our society, daily lives, culture and experiences. Technology subjects encourage self-expression, creativity and design appreciation, and the skills developed provide students with an excellent knowledge base for further study.
What do students study in technology?
Key Stage 3 Curriculum Overview
Topics Studied
All year seven students spend a term studying each technology subject on a carousel system.
Food: Health and safety. Equipment. Basic cooking. Eat well plate. Healthy food. Vitamins and minerals. Sensory testing. Create a healthy salad.
Product Design: Health and safety. Tools and machinery. Design and make task - MFL jigsaw. Designer research task. Focused practical task - pop up card. CAD/CAM. Drawing task.
Textiles: Culture topic. Research task: Africa and Polynesia tribal art. Design skills. Colour analysis. Mask designs. Fabric weaving. Mark making on fabric. Sewing machine work.
All year eight students spend a term studying each technology subject on a carousel system.
Food: Health and safety. Safe working environment. Risk assessment. Equipment. Temperatures and controls. Cooking techniques. Rainbow of vitamins. Carbs, fats and proteins.
Product Design: Health and safety. Specialist machinery. Design and make task - passive speaker. Research - design companies. Focused practical tasks - headphone wrap, phone stand.
Textiles: Mexican culture and traditions - Day of the Dead, Frida Kahlo. Focused drawing skills. Fabric painting. Block printing. Machine sewing. Hand embroidery. Painted canvas.
Food and Nutrition
Autumn: Bacteria and food. High and low risk foods. Cooking skills. Costings in the hospitality industry.
Spring: Food commodities. Micro and macro nutrients. Minerals. Balanced diets. Allergies and intolerances. Religious beliefs. Cooking skills.
Summer: Assignment planning. Practice assignments and testing. Cooking skills. Exam preparation. Final paper exam. Cooking exam.
Product Design
Autumn: Industry and enterprise. Sustainability. Natural and manufactured timbers. Focused practical task - urban bug hotel. People, culture and society. Production techniques and systems. Freehand sketching. One and two point perspective.
Spring: Informing design decisions. Polymers. Focused practical task - clock. Modern and smart materials. Isometric drawing and rendering.
Summer: Composite materials and technical textiles. Focused practical tasks - bike safety. Systems approach to designing. Electronic systems processing. Orthographic, third angle and scale drawing. End of year written exam.
Textiles
Autumn: Technical book topic. Machine utility and decorative stitches. Machine buttonholes. Overlocking. Seams. Fastenings. Appliquéing. Crazy and hand sewn patchwork.
Spring: Machine patchwork. Quilting. Pleating. Hair pinning/tufting. Free motion machine embroidery. Tie-dye. Fabric dye sticks. Transfer printing. Fabric painting. Block printing/mark making. Lino/foam printing.
Summer: Silk painting. Embellishment techniques. 3D fabric flowers. Suffolk puffs/Yo-Yo's. Collaging fabrics and mixed media materials, Wadding. Trimming and edgings. Entrapment.
Key Stage 4 Curriculum Overview
Food and Nutrition
Autumn: Introduction. Nutrients. Cooking sessions to build skills. Individual needs. Food allergies.
Spring: Packaging and symbols. Environmental issues. Food labelling. Cooking sessions to build skills. Methods of cookery. Effects of heat on food.
Summer: Sensory analysis. Additives in food. Convenience foods. Key ingredients. Cooking sessions to build skills and knowledge. Assignment planning. Exam preparation. End of year exam.
Hospitality and Catering
Autumn: Structure and services of hospitality industry. Commercial. Contract catering. Cooking sessions to build skills. Issues concerning hospitality industry.
Spring: Job roles, duties and responsibilities. Cooking sessions to build skills. Legislation.
Summer: Planning a meal using a variety of cooking methods and ingredients. Cooking sessions to build skills. Planning for written exam level one and two. End of year exam.
Product Design
Autumn: Mechanical devices. Forces and stress on materials. Improving functionality. Focused practical task - board game (CAD/CAM). Exploded drawings. System and schematic diagrams.
Spring: Ecological and social footprint. 6Rs. Scales of production. Focused practical task - pewter casting. Modelling and prototype drawings.
Summer: Revision. Focused practical task - Lamp. Substantial design and make task - students produce a prototype and portfolio of evidence. End of year written exam.
Textiles
Autumn & Spring: GCSE coursework sustained project 1. Students select Design Brief 1. Assessment objectives: select, record, refine, realise an intention, reflect, personal journey.
Summer: GCSE coursework short project 2. Students select Design Brief 2. Assessment objectives: select, record, refine, realise an intention, reflect, personal journey.
Food and Nutrition
Autumn: Recap on Year 10. Assignment FP1.
Spring: Assignment FP2.
Summer: Trialling dishes for exam. 3 hour practical exam. Revision. End of year exam.
Hospitality and Catering
Autumn & Spring: Assignment 1.
Summer: Assignment 1. 3 hour practical exam. Revision. End of year exam.
Product Design
Autumn: Substantial design and make task - identify, investigate and outline design possibilities. Design and make prototypes that are fit for purpose.
Spring: Continue design and make task - design and make prototypes that are fit for purpose. Analyse and evaluate. Revision.
Summer: Revision. Exam.
Textiles
Autumn: GCSE coursework short project 3. Students select Design Brief 2. Assessment objectives: select, record, refine, realise an intention, reflect, personal journey.
Spring: AQA GCSE NCR exam project.
Summer: 10 hour exam. ESA Project and coursework.