• To provide students with a comprehensive and creative Design and Technology curriculum that inspires and engages.
• To establish a culture of high expectations to ensure that all students are able to make good progress and learn key transferable skills that will provide a solid skills base for future study.
• To deliver a varied curriculum, including practical opportunities that support students in becoming independent learners who are confident and resilient in completing new tasks.
• Give students the opportunity to work within ‘real world’ contexts so that students feel confident in taking risks when developing innovative and enterprising solutions.
• Encourage students to critically reflect on existing products to develop an understanding of the impact that design can have on daily life, the environment and the wider world.
• To encourage students to consider the needs of, and develop designs for, a wide range of users to nurture an appreciation and tolerance of other people’s experiences and perspectives.
• Provide continuing opportunities for students to share their ideas with others so that they are confident in giving and receiving constructive feedback and are able to critique, evaluate and test their own ideas and the work of others.
• To provide students with opportunities to experience the work of past and present designers and other STEM professionals to develop curiosity and enjoyment of the world around them.
• To teach students the importance of eating a healthy and varied diet and how this can contribute to better physical and mental health and support their long term well-being.
• To ensure that all students can safely and independently cook a repertoire of predominantly savoury dishes so they are able to make healthy food choices to feed themselves and others affordably.
• To celebrate the diversity of our school by experiencing a range ingredients and dishes from around the world to inspire curiosity of the world around us and develop a culture of tolerance and understanding.
• To consider the needs of others when cooking and preparing food products such as awareness of food allergies, intolerances, religion and other dietary requirements.
• Support student’s literacy and reading development by providing them with factual texts and contexts, such as newspaper articles, to develop their language and vocabulary. Opportunities for debate, opinion and reflection of the written text will support students in developing their comprehension.

Technology SMSC Statement

In Design and Technology, SMSC is delivered as a central part of our teaching and curriculum. The subject content naturally teaches students to reflect on the world around them and we always aim to bring and sense of interest and awareness of the wider world in our teaching. An example of this is in Key Stage 3, students explore the work of existing designers and look at new ideas and technologies such as biomimicry, smart materials and technical textiles which can all be used to promote creative thinking and encourage students to think alternatively from the stereo typical responses that they are more familiar with. It also makes them aware of different cultures and ideas that are often unlike their own.

In KS3 and KS4 students are required to produce new design ideas for users other than themselves which requires them to think creatively and to also consider the needs, values and viewpoints of others. In the Yr8 Inclusive Design project students design a product that will help users with varying impairments to independently access everyday tasks. This involves students conducting research to help them to understand the needs and feelings of different groups, whilst sensitively developing solutions that meet their requirements. Within these design and make tasks pupils are also given the opportunity to reflect on their solutions and consider other ways they could make their work better. As well as considering the needs of the primary user we also teach students to reflect on the cultural or environmental impact that a product or design may have during its lifecycle. Through product analysis students are encouraged to question the how a product is made, where a product comes from and whether a product has a positive impact or not. This is aimed at encouraging students to become reflective and conscientious consumers and to think about their product choices and how it may impact on the world around them. In KS4 students learn about globalisation, manufacturing methods and obsolescence which promotes debate about moral and ethical issues and often challenges cultural stereotypes, such as clothing being manufactured overseas because of cheap labour rather than the high skill set in that country. When possible we aim to link our teaching with ‘real world’ contexts through the use of current newspaper articles or news clips, for example the alternative use of paper because of the environmental effects of plastic or the current concern with textile ‘throw away fashion’. This gives students a better understanding of how designers and manufacturers have a role to play in improving our environmental future as well as encouraging students to reflect on their own consumer choices, developing skills and attitudes that will allow them to make positive contributions to modern Britain.

When working in the workshop students are expected to follow health and safety procedures to ensure they are keeping themselves safe and others around them. After practical lessons they are responsible for cleaning and organising their workspace, developing skills for life to be used outside of the classroom. In class students are given lots of opportunity to work collaboratively to encourage them to develop social skills and teamwork outside of their usual friendship groups.