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- Mrs K Andersson (Head of Department)
- Miss Z Cummings
- Mr S McCorry (Technician)
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Key Stage 3
ITechnology & Design Department
Key Stage 3
Technology and Design is a compulsory subject throughout Years 8 to 10. All students have 2 periods of Technology and Design per week. Our aim is to develop in pupils an ability and confidence to design, develop and manufacture their own ideas into a working product.
The units of work undertaken in Junior School are designed to reflect and fulfil the Northern Ireland Curriculum at Key Stage 3. Each unit is presented through a design brief. Students will be given a set of learning intentions. The end result of each unit will be a manufactured product, a portfolio of theory, design work and presentation drawings.
Year 8
Unit 1 – Fuse Bug (Electronics)
Unit 2 – Graphics (Rendering)
Unit 3 – Wooden Moving Toy (Mechanisms)
Year 9
Unit 1 – Graphics (Orthographic Projection)
Unit 2 – Reaction Timer Game (Electronics and Microelectronics)
Unit 3 – Thermometer (CAD/CAM)
Unit 4 – Careers (CEIAG)
Year 10
Unit 1 – Product Design (Research & Design)
Unit 2 –Nightlight (Electronics)
GCSE
- Year 11: Unit 1 - Exam 25% of GCSE Technology and Design Core Content
- Year 12: Unit 2 - Exam 25% of GCSE Optional Area of Study:
- Electronic and Microelectronic Control Systems
- Jan Y11- March Y12 Unit 3 – Coursework 50% of GCSE Design and Manufacturing Project
Examples of GCSE Work
AS/A2
Technology & Design Department
AS/A2
Introduction
Students will build upon topics covered at GCSE, further developing their knowledge and understanding of products, materials, processing techniques, electronics and programming. Students will investigate, analyse and experiment with ideas through the design and manufacture of products which reflect the theory outlined in the specification. They also refine a wide range of transferable skills such as research/problem solving/decision making/evaluating/time management etc.
The qualification is modular and pupils will gain an AS qualification at the end of Y13.
Structure of Assessment
- Year 13 AS: AS1 – written exam(2 short papers) 50% of AS 20% of A Level Paper 1 – Design and Materials/Paper 2 –Systems and Control – Electronic and Microelectronic Systems
- AS2 –Coursework 50% of AS 20% of A Level Product Development
- Year 14 A2: A21 –written exam(2 hour paper) 30% of A Level Systems and Control – Electronic and Microelectronic Systems
- A22 –Coursework 30% of A Level Systems Design and Manufacture
Sample Student Work
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Examples of A2 Work
Technology Club
Mr Campbell launched an after school Technology Club for Junior School pupils. The club runs for an hour after school each week. During this time the pupils have the opportunity to enter Technology based competitions, to manufacture fun items using processes that are new to many of them and to go on Technology based outings.
The club offers a fantastic opportunity for interested pupils to experiment with different materials and techniques. A huge range of work has been planned so that should a pupil attend the club for the whole of junior school, she will not need to make the same item twice.
Examples of Technology Club Work
Link to the CCEA A-Level Technology and Design Specification:
Extra ciricular work
Technology & Design Department
Extra-Curricular
The Technology Department offers many opportunities for pupils to experience Technology and Design in the wider world outside of their classroom. This ranges from the award of prestigious scholarships to events for Junior School students.
Arkwright Scholarship
This prestigious scholarship recognises those Y12 students who have an aptitude and flair for engineering disciplines. There is a rigorous awarding process of; application form, aptitude test and interview and only around 400 are awarded throughout the whole of the UK. We have been extremely lucky to have had many students receive this accolade over the years.
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Sentinus Team R&D
We have participated in Sentinus Team R&D for over 20 years. This scheme, aimed at Y13 students gives a team of 4 students the opportunity to work with a company solving a real-life engineering problem. While we have been paired with a variety of organisations over the years, for the past few years we have worked with NIE.
[insert Sentinus Team R&D Gallery here]
Young Innovators
Each year we give our senior students the opportunity to showcase their coursework at this competition. We have been very fortunate to have success at this each year, with students winning a range of specialist awards and coming runner-up in their section.
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Build a Plane
Our junior students had the opportunity to work on the shared education project to build a full size aircraft.
[insert Build a Plane gallery here]
CEIAG
Technology & Design Department
CEIAG
While we have had past pupils go on to pursue a variety of paths including Law and Nursing, Technology and Design is ideal for design based career paths such as:
Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering
Product Engineering
Manufacturing engineering
Mechatronic Engineering
Electrical and Electronic Engineering
Software Engineering
Architectural Engineering
Engineering Management
Biomechanical Engineering
Biomedical Engineering
Architecture
Animation
Product Designer
Graphic Designer
CAD Designer
Interior Designer
Special Effects Designer
Games Design
Advertising
Technology with Design
Technology and Design Teacher
Past pupils who have gone on to study engineering at university (Mechanical/ Biomedical/ General) have said that out of all the A Level subjects they have undertaken, Technology and Design was by far the best preparation for their course, they are using the digital electronics and the CAD they learnt in AS/A2 and are streets ahead of their peers who did not study Technology and Design for A Level. They have all said that in their opinion, Technology should be listed along with Mathematics as a compulsory subject for all engineering courses.