GCSE Design and Technology

Design and Technology prepares students to participate in tomorrow’s rapidly changing technologies. They learn to think and intervene creatively to improve quality of life.

Students combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetics, social and environmental issues, functions and industrial practices. As they do so, they reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and effects.

Through design and technology, all students can progress to be discriminating and informed users of products, and become innovators of the future.

At The Radclyffe School, students study Design and Technology in Years 7 to 9 through a rotation model of Product Design and Textile Design. They then choose their GCSE option to follow in Year 10.

The Faculty currently offers a single GCSE option at KS4 although students are able to decide between timbers and textiles for their material specialism.

The GCSE Design and Technology option provides students with core knowledge relating to all materials areas whilst, as stated above, giving them the opportunity to specialise on one particular area. The course is underpinned by the iterative process which is introduced at KS3.

It is design based and each student will have to complete a Non-Examination Assessment which is 50% of the final grade. This includes producing a design folder as well as manufacturing a product to a given design problem. The design folder will include evidence of investigating the design task, developing design proposals, planning the manufacture of a chosen design and also the final product evaluation.

There will be one final examination which is 50% of the final grade. It is where students will be tested on their design skills and their individual knowledge of materials, tools, processes and industrial production methods including CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing).