The Curriculum

Key Stage 3

 
Design Technology is studied from Year 7. Key Stage 3 DT is taught between Resistant Materials and Food and Textiles using 'Focused Practical tasks' and 'Design and Make activities'. Pneumatics and Electronics are studied in Year 8. Pupils have 2 periods of DT each week in Years 7 & 9 and 1 period in Year 8. Year 7 pupils enjoy a visit to Alton Towers whilst studying mechanisms and structures.

One of the rides enjoyed during the trip to Alton Towers	Lego Model of an Alton Towers Ride (Lego has been used by year 7 girls to help illustrate how a ride works.)

Key Stage 4

Girls may opt to take GCSE DT in Resistant Materials, Graphics Products, or Food. We use OCR syllabus. Our results are excellent; in 2005 we gained 98 % grades A-C in Design Technology; 88% of which were A*/A grades.

Key Stage 5

Home Economics is offered in KS5

• This department provides practical opportunities for girls to develop skills in different material areas.
• We try to make the subject fun whilst developing team work and problem solving techniques.
• We are a busy department and girls frequently spend extra time developing their skills

Accommodation

We have a purpose built Technology Block opened by Miss Betty Boothroyd in December 1993.
The block consists of four large rooms:

We have facilities for Wood, Metal, Plastics and Electronics. We have pneumatic equipment and CAD/CAM equipment including a CNC micro router and micromill along with interactive white board and video conferencing equipment through "Advantage West Midlands" Funding and a cluster of 3 networked computers. There is a well stocked and organized storeroom. We also have the use of 6 laptops.

This subject is taught in T2 which is adjacent to T1. The art room tables were made to specification; and it has a store room and separate kiln room. The art room has ICT facilities which comprise two Apple Mac computers, colour A3 and A4 inkjet printers and an A4 Scanner.

T3 - .ICT.

This is the school's main computer room which houses a suite of 27 networked computer work stations and a fully interactive digital white board, along with digital cameras and scanners.

T4 - ICT , and Graphic Products.

This is a very large and well furnished room, completely refurbished over the 2006 summer break. It now houses 29 networked computer stations including an interactive tablet station for teaching and a graphics station with a large cutter/plotter attached.

T5 - Food Technology & Textiles

This room is situated in the main school. It is a well equipped kitchen having been completely refurbished in the summer of 2005 with 8 free standing cookers and 6 microwave ovens, 2 fridges and a freezer. There is an upper floor area with a small ICT suite of 8 networked PCs and a colour and mono printer providing good ICT access at all KS levels. A digital video projector is provided in the main food room to assist interactive teaching. The room can also be used for Textiles. There are many electric sewing machines; including an electronic machine. There are facilities for making and printing the girls' own design T-shirts. Juggling shapes are made in year 8 based on a theme.

Food Technology Lessons in progress

What the girls think about Design Technology

Please click here to view Technology gallery with examples of work.