Design Technology

Curriculum Intent

Curriculum Leader: Mr M Fowler

At The Eastbourne Academy, Design and Technology is a subject that is highly valued for its ability to inspire creativity, foster practical skills, and equip students with the knowledge needed to solve real-world problems. Our curriculum intent is to provide students with skills in designing, making, evaluation and technical knowledge. Design and Technology impacts every aspect of modern life so it is integral that our students learn how to solve the problems of today and tomorrow.

Therefore our goal is to ensure students learn how to develop and realise their ideas through communication, prototyping and innovation through real world projects. We want our students to gain confidence and independence in the D&T workshop and give them the skills to become enterprising citizens, access further education and technical careers.

Curriculum Implementaion

We recognise that our curriculum goes beyond what happens in the classroom, and is a broad term that encompasses our wider offer.

Our Knowledge Curriculum: Ambition in the Classrooms

• Modelling of the safe use of hand tools, equipment and CADCAM machinery
• Key concepts like communication, design and making are returned to and developed across the curriculum
• Visualiser and whiteboards used extensively for live modelling, this can be completed using ‘I Do, We Do, You Do’
• We consistently update our exemplar work to ensure improving outcomes
• As outcomes progress the work is photographed and recorded in student books
• Starters and plenaries are used as retrieval activities to challenge and record student learning
• Students receive peer assessment and self assessment once per project
• Keywords are printed in all books and referred to in lessons and during reflective activities

Our Character Curriculum: Ambitious Individuals

• Strong behaviour management, organisation and routines to ensure students are safe
• We want students to enjoy their learning, this improves engagement encourage better attendance and behaviour
• Our lessons have a strong practical element that gives students independence to take risks in a safe environment
• D&T encourages students to make mistakes and learn from them
• We look at a broad selection of designers and themes that cover Zaha Hadid, Post Modern Architecture to sustainability of products and many more
• Teamwork, sharing and problem solving and key pillars of D&T

Our Cultural Curriculum: Ambition Beyond our Classrooms

• Weekly D&T club for KS3 students where students can develop their own projects, work on curriculum models or use CADCAM equipment
• Annual trips ( STEM RAF)
• We complete an Eco Lamp Design that highlights the impact on the environment from the products we use
• We introduce a wide array of D&T disciplines that students can learn and many go on to complete courses in; Resistant materials, Graphics, CADCAM, Robotics, Programming, Electronics.

KS3

In years 7 , 8, and 9 students have a double lesson once a week on 7 week rotation. Students are taught communication principles, how to get inspiration and how to bring their ideas to life using a wide variety of hand tools and machines and materials. Students study an array of inclusive designers, movements and solve problems that challenge them to think hard.
Students develop their communication skills using sketching and computer-aided design. This enables our students to manufacture their ideas by hand or using CADCAM equipment such as plotters, laser cutters, and 3D printers. Our pupils embark on open projects that require an iterative approach to utilise design, testing and evaluation to improve their idea. Projects themes cover a broad curriculum with examples like airflow, robotics and eco lighting.

KS4

We offer two GCSE courses in Design and Technology. As of January 2025 we are offering 3D Design only for current year 9s.

AQA 3D Design

3D is a skills based course for those who enjoy practical lessons where they design, make and experiment with 3D forms. 60% Portfolio covering lighting design, architectural model and furniture design. 40% Externally set assignment is released in term 3 of year 11 and completed in a 10 hour practical assessment in May. Students develop GCSE portfolios in A3 paper sketchbooks.

Enrichment

Extra-curricular opportunities for KS3/KS4 students who can attend the Design and Technology Club on Tuesdays from 3:05 - 4:00pm.

In the last year we have run a RAF engineering workshop for KS3 students and will be taking year 9 students on an Architecture trip to Brighton this academic year.