The year 9 bridging course gives students a chance to trial the GCSE course for a year building on knowledge learnt in KS3 during longer projects giving them time to refine and improve their skills and knowledge. This course is seen as a stepping stone onto the GCSE Design and technology GCSE course. Our GCSE syllabus fully prepares students for further study or  future career in Design and Technology. At GCSE, students will work on a series of practical projects that look to sharpen the subject knowledge gained at KS3.

The initial projects start by acting as independent aspects of the NEA that is expected in the final year of their GCSE. At KS4, students design and manufacture a product through an iterative process taking into consideration the needs and wants of a real end user. In order for students to successfully achieve a thorough outcome, they will split their focus across three key areas: core technical principles; specialist technical principles; designing and making principles.

For GCSE students to make effective design choices they will cover a breadth of core technical knowledge and understanding that will consist of new and emerging technologies, mechanical devices and firm knowledge of materials and their working properties. Students will study the process of designing and innovation and examine the impact of new technology on our society and the environment. The NEA forms the final part of the two year course where students will demonstrate and apply knowledge and understanding of the designing and making principles in relation to the use of primary and secondary data, investigating and evaluating the work of others through disassembly and specialist techniques and processes. There is also an Exam paper to prepare for and students will get the opportunity to practice Exam Technique throughout year 9 onwards. The students’ progress will be monitored through regular checks on the progress of design projects, assessment of short focused practical tasks and examinations at the end of Year 10 and the mock examinations in Year 11.