Design Technology/Engineering
The Engineering Department delivers DT in year 7 and 8, and in year 9 students do a bridging year giving them an opportunity to transfer skills from the DT National Curriculum to V-Cert Engineering.
The philosophy of the Engineering department is that students learn by doing and conceptualising their thoughts and ideas, as well as developing their knowledge and understanding of industry and the workplace. The Engineering department is particularly well equipped with a comprehensive range of tools equipment and resources including lathes, milling machines, planer, computer controlled laser cutter and 3D printers. A particular strength is the range of equipment and staff expertise in Engineering and Computer Aided Design. The ready access to a dedicated computer suite allows students to use the very latest CAD and simulation software in the development of their products. These resources allow the students to acquire traditional craft skills as well as enabling them to design and make products using high tech manufacturing and production methods.
With practical work and projects at all levels to challenge our students and high academic results, we are very successful at recruiting students at V-Cert Tech Award 1/2 and BTEC Level 3 who later go on to some of the most prestigious universities in the UK.
Key Stage 3
All students study Design and Technology in both year 7 and 8 in 6 half term modules. DT projects are used to introduce and develop practical skills in working with resistant materials (wood, metal, plastics, etc.). Projects include a wooden pencil box, wind chime, night light and clock. Design skills, based on the design process, include sketching, annotating and developing ideas, computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacture (CAM) using a laser cutter, making and testing/evaluation. In this way students learn traditional woodworking and engineering skills as well as modern CAD/CAM technologies.
Key Stage 4
Year 9: Students are introduced to Engineering within this transition year. They are given an opportunity to develop their research skills, and working to a client brief. They are introduces to developing their hand drawn preliminary and development drawings, plan drawings using 2D Designer, 3D modelling using Sketchup and progress to Solidworks. They have an opportunity to develop modelling skills and learn how to produce and evaluate a final product. There is also an opportunity to develop their subject knowledge of processes and materials in manufacturing.
Year 10 and 11: Students undertake the NCFE V-Cert Technical Award. The NCFE Tech Award suite has been designed to meet the Department for Education (DfE) requirements for qualifications to be offered as technical awards for 14–16-year-olds. The DfE has set out characteristics for technical awards through which vocational qualifications can be recognised as part of performance measures in the open category of Progress 8. The total qualification time (TQT) is 157 and Guided learning hours (GL) 120 plus 1 hour 30 minutes for the external assessment
V Cert Technical Awards are a suite of high quality technical qualifications which are appropriate for Key Stage 4 learners. They are a technical alternative to GCSEs with equivalent levels of rigour and challenge. The Level 1/2 Technical Award in Engineering is designed to provide learners with the skills, knowledge and understanding of the applied study of good engineering practices and an understanding of working in the sector.
The course covers:
- engineering disciplines
- the science and mathematics that is applied in engineering
- how to read engineering drawings
- properties and characteristics of engineering materials and know why specific materials are selected for engineering applications
- engineering tools, equipment and machines
- production planning techniques
- processing skills and techniques applied to materials for a manufacturing task equipment
To be awarded Level 1/2 Technical Award in Engineering, learners are required to successfully complete two mandatory units. Learners must also achieve a minimum of a Level 1 pass in the internal and external assessments.
Mandatory units include:
Unit 01 Understanding the Engineering World (H/616/8968) external assessment – practical test
Unit 02 Skills and Techniques in Engineering (K/616/8969) internally assessed synoptic project that is externally quality assured by NCFE
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