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Design Technology
Curriculum Intent
Design and Technology is all about using imagination, initiative, and resourcefulness to create products that improve our everyday lives. It’s a subject that empowers you to identify real-world needs and explore creative solutions using a wide range of materials and tools. You’ll gain hands-on experience with Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and cutting-edge CNC equipment, including laser cutters and 3D printers.
Throughout the course, you’ll develop a critical awareness of the work of influential designers and use this insight to refine your own ideas. You’ll learn how to turn concepts into innovative, high-quality products that are ready to be manufactured.
But Design and Technology is more than just a practical subject. Look around you—almost everything has been designed or engineered. By studying this subject, pupils gain a deeper understanding of how the world around them is shaped and constructed. Through hands-on experiences, they see how products are developed to meet human needs and improve lives. In doing so, they begin to recognise their own ability to respond to challenges and solve real-life problems through thoughtful design and skilled making.
The Design and Technology curriculum at Key Stage 3 offers students powerful knowledge that extends far beyond the workshop. Through engaging, real-life design briefs, students explore meaningful challenges that develop not only technical skills but also empathy, respect, and a strong sense of community. Creativity and student voice are central to every project, empowering learners to take ownership of their ideas while building curiosity, independence, and ambition.
The course introduces rich technical vocabulary and promotes literacy through precise communication, analysis, and reflection. Students work within a framework of high expectations, using tools such as ACCESS FM, specification writing, and iterative design to plan, critique, and refine their outcomes. Projects are scaffolded to be accessible to all, ensuring every learner is supported and stretched, while embedded feedback and collaborative tasks develop confidence and resilience.
Cross-curricular links with STEM, art, and geography help students see the broader relevance of design, while a focus on sustainability, ethics, and design history builds cultural capital and real-world awareness. Students gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and processes, including CAD, CAM, and 3D printing, providing insight into the technologies shaping modern design and engineering.
Throughout Key Stage 3, students experience a balance of design, engineering, and graphics, gaining exposure to diverse project types and career pathways. This comprehensive and forward-thinking curriculum equips learners with the critical thinking, creativity, and technical fluency needed to thrive in further study and the world beyond school.
Key Stage 3
Across Key Stage 3, the Design and Technology curriculum introduces students to the principles of design, practical making, and critical evaluation through a structured sequence of hands-on projects. Beginning in Year 7, students explore the basics of workshop tools, materials, and safe working practices. They work with wood, plastic, and metal to produce functional items such as a desk tidy, torch, and notepad. These projects teach foundational skills like measuring, cutting, shaping, drilling, and simple electronics, while also introducing design thinking through frameworks such as ACCESS FM. Students start to express and evaluate their ideas using technical vocabulary and begin developing confidence in presenting designs through sketches and basic CAD drawings.
As they move into Year 8, students deepen their understanding of mechanical systems, visual communication, and structural engineering. Projects such as a moving toy and a crash-resistant model car challenge them to consider motion, stability, and material strength. They learn perspective drawing techniques to visually communicate design intent and explore how structures respond to different forces. Through group tasks and independent work, students refine their ability to test, analyse, and improve their prototypes. Literacy and numeracy are further embedded through activities like writing design justifications, interpreting technical drawings, and calculating structural performance using angles, forces, and scale.
In Year 9, students take on more complex design problems, incorporating sustainability, electronics, and advanced manufacturing methods. They design products such as adjustable lamps and eco-conscious bug houses, considering environmental impact, user needs, and material sourcing. They also explore spatial planning and scale through a ‘tiny house’ project, applying isometric drawing and CAD to develop interior layouts. By this stage, students confidently use a range of tools and processes, including casting and circuit integration, and are expected to explain their design decisions with increasing clarity and precision. Reading technical documentation, evaluating peer feedback, and planning efficient material use all become integral to their process, preparing them for further study in design, technology, or engineering-related subjects.
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Key Stage 4
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