Food

Students will gain a broad range of the knowledge, skills and confidence to enjoy cooking meals at home; they will also gain an understanding of how to economise when meal planning. They will be encouraged to transfer of skills learnt on one recipe to another and to make changes that have health benefits. All work is underpinned with the understanding about sourcing food, nutrition, hygiene and food safety where relevant. Students will demonstrate their skills by following and adapting recipes.

Communication skills will be developed and tested through folder work. Students will be encouraged to use a wide range of source materials, to respond creatively to briefs. They will have the opportunity to explore the work and style of popular Chefs and Cooks who inspire them, thus forming their own ideas. It is an expectation that students will provide ingredients and be prepared to cook every week.

Product Design

Students will initially study the core design skills which will focus on generating and developing ideas, using information sources and computer aided design (CAD). Students will be challenged to think creatively and solve problems with innovation and flair. Students will also have the opportunity to explore and use a number of materials including card, wood, metal and plastic.

Communication skills will be developed and tested through folder work including ICT and practical work. Students will be encouraged to use a wide range of source materials to respond creatively to design briefs and explore and test their design skills. Students will also use others design work to inspire their own ideas. They will work with a range of tools, materials, equipment and processes. Ideas will be modelled, tested and adapted accordingly. Both individual and group work will be explored. Higher levels of independent learning are to be expected, creativity will remain at the core of most thinking and students will be given the opportunity to push the boundaries to reach the highest grades possible. Lunchtime will be designated to students across the DT areas.

Textiles

Students will start from the beginning and will learn hand stitching skills and basic joining techniques. They will learn how to use the sewing machine and use pressing methods to achieve a high-quality product. To compliment the practical skills, the students will also learn theory behind the various materials, their origins, and how they can be manipulated to make the most of their properties. They will use the framework of The Design Process to understand how to design for a client and will be able to use research to help them to generate a variety of ideas for a specific user group.

The students are encouraged to be creative and innovative problem solvers. They are encouraged to think ahead into a world where sustainable technology will be of prime importance and creative design is essential.