Key Stage 4 Design and Technology Curriculum Intent

At Ridgewood Design and Technology is a consistently popular subject and very well-resourced department.  It is our aim that pupils see relevance in the subject, feel safe and secure in lessons and make very good progress throughout.  Lessons are designed to enthuse pupils, link to real life, build confidence and challenge abilities.  There are a lot of future opportunities for creative thinkers and this subject develops essential skills to prepare pupils for the rapidly changing world.

The DT curriculum is planned to fully cover exam specifications and prepare pupils for year 11.  Assessment is used to make sure it is meaningful and efficient and links to GCSE from year 7-11.  Our Key Stage 3 curriculum has been designed to build the pupils’ interest in the subject, confidence and curiosity in learning.  Pupils learn how to use a range of hand and power tools as well as how to solve problems through design.  Lessons are a balance of both practical and theory and all pupils take part in practical tasks. The three year Key Stage 4 builds upon this and makes sure that pupils are ready to achieve their potential in year 11.  Year 9 covers a lot of theory so that year 10 can be used to retrieve this knowledge and embed it into the pupils’ long term memory.  Knowledge is taught alongside practical project work.  Pupils enjoy being in the workshop and learn how to be independent learners through learning a range of skills.  The coursework project is started at the end of year 10 and worked on in year 11 until March.  The final term of the course is dedicated to preparing for the exam.