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Year 9

In Year 9 our students either study Design and Technology  or Engineering.

Design and Technology (Edexcel GCSE)
Students begin their Design and Technology  course by studying one of the eight themed designers outlined in the Edexcel specification. Designers from history to be studied are Heather wick, Alessi, Apple, Joe Cazdeley-Hayford, Pixar, Raymond Loewy, Tesla and Zaha Hadid. Examined work will begin in June of Year 10 and continue into Year 11. This is referred to as NEA (non-examined assessment). Projects in Year 9 will include clock design, drawing skills, CAD/CAM, picture frame, chair design and architectural designs.

Engineering (AQA GCSE)
Students taking Engineering start their course as outlined in the AQA specification by working in sheet metals to create soft jaws in aluminium. This will be followed by 3D CAD (computer-aided design) modelling. At this stage our students are challenged to visualise their projects and work out how to make them happen for themselves. State of the art equipment is in place to allow an immersive experiences of modern engineering practice.  Further projects include pewter casting techniques, pneumatic robotic arms and understanding electrical systems.

Home learning tasks are in the form of a multiple choice grid with tasks of varying challenge. Students are expected to complete two of these by the end of the fifth week of the term.