• Curriculum
• Subject Teams
• Design & Technology

Design & Technology

At Notre Dame students have the opportunity to experience a variety of material areas such as food, textiles, resistant materials, systems and control, and Product Design with a steady progression of skills from year 7 through to year 9.

 

Students work in mixed ability groups with an average class size of 24 students. As the students progress from yr.7 to yr.9, they learn how to improve their design and making skills through an integrated series of Design and Make Tasks in different material areas that cover the National Curriculum programmes of study.

At GCSE level students are able to opt to study in Catering or Product Design. In both GCSE’s students are able to complete their final studies in the preferred area of either materials or expertise.

We also offer product design at Alevel accepting students from all Technology backgrounds. Students usually progress well in this course with some excellent shop worthy outcomes.

From September 2009 Notre Dame will be involved in teaching the new diploma in Manufacturing and Product Design, through this students will be able access some of the newest technologies available to education and industry such as 3D rapid prototyping machines and 3D laser scanning.

Extra curricular

Notre Dame Technology department is always keen to give our students that little something extra within their education, and therefore enjoys getting involved in opportunities to enrich education within design and technology.

In KS3 students are able to opt into joining the Cookery club where they attend a 10 week course endorsed by Sainsbury’s. Students within Year 8 and 9 can also join a our after school engineering club, this club is run jointly with the science department where we build and race greenpower cars.

In KS4 & 5 we have an open door policy for students to work on projects in their free time subject to room and staff availability.

Facilities

The technology department comprises of a brand new state of the art Catering facility, one Resistant materials room, one product design room and a CAD/CAM suite comprising of 10 computers and a laser cutter. Our facilities will be further improved in Easter 09 with a new Innovation centre, to house our state of the art 3D prototyping machine, CNC lathe and Printing Press along with a class set of high powered laptops. Click here to view some photographs of our facilities.

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