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Design & Technology

Dt website bannerGBHS Students Study Design & Technology to… 

  • Design, manufacture, test, and evaluate. 

  • Believe in what they manufacture. 

  • Take ownership of their technological learning and understanding. 

  • Develop problem solving skills. 

  • Contribute to manufacturing and design through skill sets for apprenticeships and undergraduate courses. 

Transferable Skills

  • Technical Skills 

  • Communication 

  • Critical Thinking 

  • Problem Solving 

  • Analysing Information 

  • Creativity 

  • Extracting Important Information 

  • Expressing Ideas 

  • Identifying Problems 

  • Verbal Communication 

  • Organisation  

  • Written Communication 

  • Time Management 

  • Personal Motivation 

  • Meet Deadlines 

Key Stage 3

Students study both Design & Technology and Food & Nutrition. They will do one subject in Year7 and the other in Year 8.

Our KS3 D&T programme is outlined below but this may be subject to change: 

D&T KS3 Overview 25 26

Key Stage 4

We offer OCR GCSE OCR Design & Technology. This is delivered over 6 lessons per fortnight. The GCSE comprises of 2 components. They are weighted as; 50% exam and 50% Non-Examined Assessment.  

The content of the qualification has been divided up to identify the difference requirements. There are eight areas; 

  1. Identifying requirements  

  1. Learning from existing products and practice  

  1. Implications of wider issues  

  1. Design thinking and communication  

  1. Material considerations  

  1. Technical understanding  

  1. Manufacturing processes and techniques  

  1. Viability of design solutions. 

Learning about Design and Technology will encourage learners to develop design and thinking skills that open up a world of possibility, giving them the tools to create the future. This specification will excite and engage learners with contemporary topics covering the breadth of this dynamic and evolving subject. It will generate empathetic learners who have the ability to confidently critique products, situations and society in every walk of their lives now and in the future. 

Design and Technology is a subject that brings learning to life, requiring learners to apply their learning to real-life situations. This qualification aims to relate authentic real-world awareness of iterative design practices and strategies used by the creative, engineering and manufacturing industries. Learners will be required to use critical thinking, leading towards invention and design innovation, to design and make prototypes that solve real and relevant problems, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. You need to have a creative mind with a flexible approach to solving problems. 

We will provide basic materials for your skills tasks and for the NEA, but your teacher will tell you if we haven’t got something in school and either encourage you to find an alternative that school can provide, or ask you to buy it yourself; after all what you make, you take home! Useful things to have are; a space to draw and design, a PC to carry out CAD work and some space to finish off practical work.  

What can I do with the Qualification? 

The examination leads to ‘A’ Level product design in the Sixth Form at Great Baddow High School with consequential courses in Advertising, Architecture, Design, Product Design, Engineering (electrical, mechanical, production, structural, automotive, computer, aeronautical) and construction. These courses could also be taken at further education colleges. The qualification is also useful to employers running modern apprenticeships and craft-based industries.  

Key Stage 5

We offer OCR A Level Design & Technology. We take a Product Design focus. This is delivered over 5 lessons per fortnight. The A Level comprises of 3 components which are weighted: 50% exam and 50% Non-Examined Assessment. There are 2 exam paper weighted 26.7% and 23.3%.  

The knowledge, understanding and skills that all learners develop are underpinned by technical principles predominantly assessed in the written exam, and designing and making principles predominantly assessed in the non-exam assessment (NEA)  It is an extension of GCSE but requires far greater depth of thinking. There is distinct content for the exam and non-exam assessment, but this is held together through nine topic areas that shape all components; 

  1. Identifying requirements 

  1. Learning from existing products and practice  

  1. Implications of wider issues 

  1. Design thinking and communication 

  1. Material considerations  

  1. Technical understanding  

  1. Manufacturing processes and techniques  

  1. Viability of design solutions  

  1. Health and safety. 

What can I do with the Qualification? 

This is a course for those who see a future at University or want to take an apprenticeship. The subject goes well with maths, physics, art or chemistry. The design work can be used to develop a portfolio of work for art and design-based courses, such as architecture, product design and engineering. The A level with take you to a range of course at university; Advertising, Architecture, Design, Product Design, Engineering (electrical, mechanical, production, structural, automotive, computer, aeronautical) and construction. These courses could also be taken at further education colleges. The qualification is also useful to employers running modern apprenticeships and craft-based industries.  

Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural Development

Design and Technology lessons contribute to children’s Social, Moral, Spiritual and Cultural development through:  

  • Reflecting on products and inventions, the diversity of materials and ways in which design can improve the quality of our lives. 

  • Awareness of the moral dilemmas created by technological advances. 

  • How different cultures have contributed to technology. 

  • Opportunities to work as a team, recognising others’ strengths, sharing equipment.