“To create global citizens who can interact with and shape the human world around them by creating problem solvers who blend a range of disciplines to find solutions to the problems our species and the planet faces. Students will become discerning consumers and practical influencers, while protecting and enhancing the natural world.”

The curriculum for DT covers an extensive range of topics including Food and Textiles, we nurture pupils’ creativity and teach them the skills to not only come up with brilliant ideas, but to turn them into a reality. By doing so, this subject complements their wider learning and brings it to life in practical terms – from maths and science to computing and art. We encourage pupils to be resourceful, innovative and enterprising as they solve real and relevant problems. This means developing the essential skills young people need for everyday life, and unlocking their ability to be the designers and innovators of tomorrow.
Year 7
Textiles – Puppets project |
Pupils research Puppets and create their own design, allowing them to understand the basic principles of product analysis, arts and crafts and textiles. The project enables pupils to develop their practical skills, develop knowledge and understanding of tools, materials and equipment. |
Food & Nutrition – Food Preparation Essentials |
Pupils are encouraged to select a varied range of ingredients and experiment with flavours. They will be taught how to successfully plan the preparation of a dish and how to evaluate the success of the dishes.
Food, ingredients and recipes are linked to the major food groups and reflect the recommended guidelines for a healthy diet. Practical Skills – Knife work, weighing and measuring, use of the hob, grill, oven and microwave, presentation of food. Links to projects and Home learning tasks will be on Google classroom. |
Year 8
Textiles – Bag 4 Life |
This Textiles project aims to raise global awareness about environmental issues and highlight the need for change. Current trends, government advice, super market impact and public demand, will influence pupils design ideas. The bag should raise awareness and appeal to teenagers, the Logo should be screen printed and use a limited colour pallet. |
Practical Skills – Create a printed bag inspired by Pop Art, making stencils, use of heat press, transfer methods, print design use of stencils and screens when layering colour. Machine skills. |
Year 9
Food & Nutrition – Healthy Eating |
Pupils apply skills and understanding to plan, prepare and cook dishes/menus safely and hygienically for a healthy, varied diet, they choose ingredients, taking into account their nutritional, functional and sensory properties, in addition to other factors, such as cost, seasonality and sustainability. |
Practical Skills – following a recipe, learning basic baking methods, use of equipment, working as part of a team, organisation, quality control, portion control. |
Links to projects and Home learning tasks will be on Google classroom. |
Food & Nutrition – Cultural Savoury Dishes |
Pupils apply skills and understanding to plan, prepare and cook dishes/menus safely and hygienically for a healthy, varied diet, they review and make improvements to recipes to meet specific needs/requirements, such as ingredient, food skill, cooking method and portion size changes. Broaden food experiences, such as trying new ingredients and dishes.
Knowledge – nutritional needs, staple foods, healthy eating, eat well plate, health and safety, food hygiene, food storage, alternative protein, balanced meal. Design Skills – adapting recipes, weekly menu ideas. Practical Skills – preparation, cooking methods, portion control. |
Exploit appropriate research strategies for Textiles, including those from industrial practice, for example the study of different cultures, lifestyle and product analysis to understand consumer needs. Use a range of appropriate creative and innovative strategies to develop original designs, select from and use a wider, more complex range of materials and techniques, taking into account their functional properties. Analyse the work of past and present professionals to develop and broaden their understanding and experience of the textiles industry.Knowledge – cultural influences, traditional techniques, methods for textile products, fabric properties, recycling, existing products, soft furnishings.
Design Skills – mixed media inspirational page, design features and cultural influences, scale, enlargements, reflecting on feedback, designs for cushion covers. Practical Skills – wide range of techniques explored, combining techniques, machine skills, aesthetics, joining methods, construction techniques, dyed fabrics, appliqué, quilting, embellishment. |
Homework: Weekly home learning tasks are set that aim to extend the learning of the classroom or allow pupils to demonstrate further understanding of the subject. All pupils are encouraged to look for examples of good design related to their projects and evaluate those designs and share them with the class. |
Year 10
Food & NutritionTerm 1 |
Knowledge and understanding:
Designing Skills: Development of a basic recipe to improve nutritional values, to match individual’s needs, and suit a range of lifestyles, dishes suitable for a buffet or snack. Layered dessert design challenge. Making Skills: Food Preparation Equipment, Hygiene and Safety Storage and Preparation of Food. Bread – yeast mix, kneading, shaping and flavoring both sweet and savoury, pastry – rubbing in method, blind baking, filling, cakes- creaming, whisking and all in one methods, decorating skills, alternative ingredients. Basic methods and adapting recipes. |
Homework: Evaluations of all practical work, recipe searches, cultural influences on food choices, special dietary needs. |
How to help: Useful websites: www.nutrition.org.uk www.food.gov.uk www.foodforlife.org.uk |
Food & NutritionTerm 2 |
Complete mock task in preparation for Task 1. To give students the skills and confidence to select and make their own dishes later in the course. Develop and demonstrate their food preparation and handling skills through practical activities, whilst applying relevant knowledge and understanding of the topic. |
Knowledge and understanding:
Making Skills: Problem Solving, Information and Communication Technology, Working with Others, Improving Own Learning and Performance in the kitchen, using a range of tools and equipment, make a variety of dishes to demonstrate a range of skills. |
Homework: Newspaper articles, diet and health related illnesses, seasonal foods. |
How to help:Useful websites:www.bbcgoodfood.com
www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life www.helpguide.org/articles/healthy-eating/healthy-eating.htm |
Food & NutritionTerm 3 |
Controlled Assessment (120 marks)
Task 1: (20%) One task to be selected from a bank of three tasks set by WJEC Internally assessed using WJEC set criteria and externally moderated For example, make four dishes showing skilled and creative use of fruit or vegetables Knowledge and understanding:
Making Skills: Show evidence of logical thinking and dove-tailing of tasks. Working to a time plan. Independently demonstrate a range of skills, display excellent finish with high quality outcome. Carry out experimental work. Follow plan accurately with logical sequencing of tasks. |
Homework: Newspaper articles, diet and health related illnesses, seasonal foods. |
How to help: Useful websites: www.bbcgoodfood.com www.helpwithcooking.com/healthy-eating www.nutritional-resource.org.uk |
TextilesTerm 1 |
Explore and experiment with a wide range of media and processes which may include: Constructed Textiles (weaving/knitting/felting etc.), Dyed Textiles, Printed Textiles, Fine Art Textiles and Fashion Textiles.Investigate a theme thoroughly using sketchbook practice and analyse the work of relevant artists to inform creative decisions. Develop a range of ideas based upon a set theme, experiment with appropriate techniques and evaluate the creative process throughout.
Over the year student’s work towards meeting the four distinct assessment objectives:
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Assessment: Coursework 60% |
Homework: To prepare sketchbook pages for class work. Researching into appropriate artists’ compositions to inform work, with selected visual and written analysis in sketch books. Annotating different artists work in sketchbook to explore different compositions and ways of presenting work. |
How to help: www.studentartguide.com mrsartytextiles.wordpress.com |
TextilesTerm 2 Refine their ideas through experimenting and selecting appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes. Present a set of samples, experimenting with ideas, explain what has been learnt from the process, and list any limitations of the materials. Experimenting with mixed media: collage, montage, paint, oil/chalk pastels etc. inspired by the research sources. Further contextual research working from observational studies to make the project more personal. |
Assessment: Coursework 60% |
Homework: Look at a range of visual objects/images etc. of an area that relates to your own developing work. Record both visual and written information in your sketchbook to inspire your ideas. |
How to help: www.nationalmediamuseum.org.uk www.tate.org.uk www.vam.ac.uk |
TextilesTerm 3 |
Critical review and personal reflection of samples produced. Planning and creation of 2D or 3D outcomes based on the research. Personal reflection of work and thoughts for development. |
Homework: gather information, materials etc. |
How to help: www.studentartguide.com/featured |
Year 11
Food & NutritionTerm 1 |
Preparing for unit 2
Knowledge and understanding:
Designing Skills: Develop a range of basic recipes, creative use of ingredients, influences from other cultures, sensory testing and reflecting on results to develop product further. Making Skills: present high quality and skillfully made dishes, produce a range of dishes which are planned to meet the needs of a specific context such as nutrition or budget. |
Homework: Evaluations of all practical work, recipe searches, cultural influences on food choices, special dietary needs. Past paper example questions. |
How to help: Useful websites: www.nutrition.org.uk www.food.gov.uk www.foodforlife.org.uk www.wjec.co.uk/qualifications/home-economics/home-economics-food-and-nutrition.html |
Food & NutritionTerm 2 |
Task 2 Controlled assessment(40%) One task to be selected from a choice of two tasks set by WJEC
Teenagers are encouraged to follow a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle. Investigate the importance of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle for teenagers Develop a range of interesting dishes that could form part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle for teenagers Plan a course of action for making a selection of dishes for teenagers following a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle Make and present the selection of dishes Evaluate your work OR Cereals make an important contribution to the diet. Investigate the role of cereals in the diet Develop a range of ideas for dishes using cereals Plan a course of action for making a selection of dishes using cereals Make and present the selection of dishes Evaluate your work |
Homework: Students set own homework tasks linked to chosen task, exam style questions and great British Bake off review of dishes and contestants development within the chosen product theme. |
How to help: Useful websites:www.nutrition.org.uk
http://www.nhs.uk/change4life/Pages/change-for-life Healthy Eating |
Food & NutritionTerm 3 |
Revision – Nutrition, diet and health throughout life, Nutritional needs of individuals, Food commodities
Factors affecting consumer choice, marketing and advertising, shopping for food, food packaging, food labelling, new food developments, cooking food, basic ingredients and mixtures, equipment, additive in food, convenience foods, preservation, food spoilage, food poisoning, food health, safety and hygiene, food legislation and regulations. Designing and Making Skills: linked to revision topics, a range of dishes that will help make revision topics come to life, putting theory into practice.
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Homework: Past papers selected questions, school text book set pages, video clips and study guides |
How to help: Useful websites: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/http://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/food-technology |
TextilesTerm 1 |
Use the skills learnt in year 10, which included drawing and painting from first-hand resources to record visual information. Through the Textiles course students should embrace the fact that textiles has much more to offer than making clothes; it is about working with materials and surfaces to discover endless possibilities to explore.Observations of first-hand resources will underpin the practical work students will describe, through marks, a certain texture or form. Working from the inspiration gathered, the qualities within the form should influenced the mediums and marks used. |
Homework: Written commentary to review critically and evaluate both your own work and that of other artists. |
How to help: www.textileartist.org www.phoenixcontemporarytextiles.com www.textileartist.org |
TextilesTerm 2 |
Sketchbook is filled with material tests and drawings in different media, such as paint, ink, pastel, stitching, string and fine liner. Experimenting with processes and combining different materials. Work includes ideas from sculptors, painters or installations, as well as textile and fashion work. Other designer’s works will affect or inspire the work greatly. Lots of experimentation, processes and ideas will be included, then reflect on the work and isolate the most successful elements to be pushed forward. Development work will be personal and irreplaceable, and derives from individual experiences. All coming together to create a finished piece. |
Homework: Preparatory sketchbook work for externally set assignment. |
How to help:
suebleiweiss.com/blog/free-projects/ |
TextilesTerm 3 |
Externally Set Assignment/s is a response to an assignment set by the exam board. Internally marked, externally moderated by edexcel.
The board sets challenging themes and projects that will enable you to explore many ideas and materials in an open ended yet structured way. Explore both 2 dimensional and 3 dimensional materials. Work undertaken will be investigative, analytical, experimental, practical, and expressive. |
Homework: Preparatory sketchbook work for externally set assignment |
How to help: www.juliastubbs.co.uk |