Technology Courses
The Lower School course is highly diverse providing pupils opportunities to work in Resistant Materials and Electronics, Food, and Textiles Technology. Pupils are helped to understand: control systems, energy, ergonomics, construction, aesthetics, manufacture, advertising, marketing and designing, their impact on the user, society and the environment.
Dorothy Stringer operates a two-week timetable.
- Time allocation in Year 7 is four lessons each of one-hour duration.
- Year 8 and 9 pupils have three one-hour sessions.
- Year 7 have four ten/nine week blocks of focused work within the different subject areas of the Technology curriculum.
- Year 8 and 9 pupils' time allocation is on a term basis. They would normally have opted for three different areas in that time within the Technology curriculum.
In the Upper School pupils opt for one of the specialist areas within Design and Technology at GCSE level. In September 2000 the Technology Department ceased GCSE Short Course delivery and now focuses only on the GCSE Long Course Option.
The Technology Department employs four full-time teachers. Art teachers deliver some KS3 and KS4 Textiles. The Department is supported by two technicians, one working in Resistant Materials / Graphics and Electronics, the other in Food /Textiles.
The Department operates in the following rooms: one Resistant Materials workshops, two Food, one Textile and one Control / Electronics.
Aspects of progression across units of work |
YEAR 7 |
YEAR 8 |
YEAR 9 |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
STRAND A |
Understanding Materials | Using materials | Selecting materials in a framework of options (greater depth) | Critically select materials |
STRAND B |
Designing | Designing for themselves | Designing for clients | Designing for markets |
STRAND C |
Using ICT | To support researching and designing | To support making | Link with world outside |
STRAND D |
Using control | Mechanical and electric control as in display | Programming a computer-based controller | Control for electronic monitoring (microcontrollers) |
STRAND E |
Making and producing in quantity | Making for oneself | Batch production | Quality mass production |
