DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
‘ Pupils enjoy tremendous freedom to experiment with, and utilise, a range of cutting-edge design tools, materials, manufacturing processes and technologies.’
Design & Technology neatly complements both science and arts subjects and enables pupils to develop transferable skills relevant to careers involving technology, creativity and entrepreneurship. Pupils enjoy tremendous freedom to experiment with, and utilise, a range of cutting-edge design tools, materials, manufacturing processes and technologies, not limited to their project work. The course enables pupils to pursue topics of personal interest and encourages them to tackle important real-world issues involving technical, human and social parameters, working closely with clients and / or relevant stakeholders.
The Design & Technology: Product Design( Edexcel) A-level consists of a written examination covering contemporary industrial and commercial processes, knowledge of materials, an understanding of systems and control( involving applied maths and physics) and the application of technical problem-solving techniques( 50 %). The remainder of the assessment takes the form of an independent Design and Make Project( 50 %). The project requires pupils to identify a design need, before undertaking investigative research, experimentation, problemsolving, prototyping and design communication, in order to bring their concept to fruition, building a portfolio as they do.
The majority of pupils taking Design & Technology at A-level go on to study Engineering, Industrial Design, Architecture, or another design-related subject at university.