Design and Technology

Design and Technology is concerned with the relationship between design and technology in the modern age. Good design is not enough in itself; it has to address key issues of productivity, business needs, and financial concerns. At St. Edmund's, our aim is to give our pupils an understanding of the technological issues which will have an increasing effect on the environment and on their lives.

Technology is a core subject for most pupils in the Lower Fifth Form, and we cover the topics of Food Technology, Graphics, and Resistant Materials. Those pupils planning for a GCSE in Technology will use this year as a foundation for choosing their GSCE options.

The GCSE in Design and Technology consists of three courses from which a pupil will choose, following on from the areas they studied in the Lower Fifth:

Food Technology studies the chemical, nutritional and sensory properties of foods, and will enable pupils to research, design and make their own food products.

Graphic Products enables pupils to specialise in designing and making, using graphics tools and techniques. It covers a broad range of technological and design procedures, drawing from related subjects such as Art and Science.

Resistant Materials develops a pupil's ability to identify, analyse and solve identified practical problems, and then to demonstrate their solution with tangible evidence.

At A Level, pupils build on the knowledge gained during their GCSE study, but the course has an increased emphasis on industrial and commercial manufacturing and design practices.

We have well-equipped facilities for the teaching of design and technology at St. Edmund's, with a modern Food Technology room, Graphics and CAD (Computer Aided Design) rooms, and a spacious workshop. We supplement our core teaching with a wide range of extra-curricular activities, for example our Friday afternoon "Cooking on a Budget" course, garden design activities, and clubs, including one in which our pupils designed and built a hovercraft.