Technology
The Technology Curriculum Area team members are enthusiastic, enterprising and well organised. We collaborate effectively and work well as a team. We regularly meet to disseminate information, share ideas and exemplar materials, to enable us to strengthen the curriculum further.
Each curriculum member teaches across the age and ability range and informally takes responsibility for some aspect of the curriculum. Technology staff are well presented on whole school developments, which include the Teaching & Learning Group, Staff Development Group, Business & Enterprise Group and GorGor – Kenyan School Partnership.
There are wide opportunities for staff development within the curriculum area to ensure all staff are kept up to date with curriculum / syllabus developments.
We have 8 full time members of the curriculum area, delivering a wide range of technology subjects. We also have 3 full time technicians who support the teaching and learning across the area.
The teaching rooms are located together in the same block, on 3 different floors – all accessible by stairs and a lift. All rooms are resourced to an exceptional high standard – rooms are fully equipped with CAD / CAM facilities as well as interactive white boards and computers. We also have a Technology office / workroom where many central resources are housed and where staff can work in a quiet environment.
Attainment and Progress in the department is good. We successfully use data to monitor and evaluate the performances of staff and students alike and to set targets. Recent Technology headline figures:
Key Stage 3: 86% Level 5 + (2007)
Key Stage 4: 53% Grade C or above (2006)
Key Stage 5: Product Design
AS 100% pass rate with 50 % above Grade C (2006)
A2 100% pass rate with 67% above Grade C (2006)
Level 2 Engineering Course 100% pass rate (2006)
Technology is taught across the school in mixed ability groups (except for year 9 where we have a top set). All KS3 and KS4 groups are kept to a maximum class size of 24 to ensure safety is paramount.
Within years 7 and 8, students receive 3 lessons of Technology per week. They have 1 lesson per week within each of the following 3 areas: Food, Resistant Materials/Systems & Control and Graphics/Textiles/Enterprise (GTE). The GTE module is delivered as one project per term.
Within year 9, students receive 3 lessons of Technology per week – a double and a single lesson. They have 2 teachers for the whole year, who deliver the four different areas of Food, Textiles, Resistant Materials and Resistant Materials with Systems and Control. Each area is allocated 10 weeks. The Key Stage 3 Strategy has had a direct impact upon the delivery of the KS3 curriculum.
We can be proud of the success of our GCSE courses simply by the large uptake. Students enjoy designing and making new products. We deliver Technology to around 200 students, within 9 different GCSE classes. We offer 5 different areas of study: Food, Textiles, Resistant Materials, Systems and Control and Product Design. We use the AQA examination board for all the areas. The courses are based upon 60% coursework and the remaining 40% is a final examination.
The curriculum area offers students a variety of enterprising activities across the dept, which includes CAD / CAM Business Project, Junk Food Road Show, Innovation Challenge, Young Foresight, River of Discovery and Young Engineer Challenge. Students are encouraged to participate in extra curricular activities within the area and it is expected that GCSE students attend the support sessions offered to them after school.
We aim to provide opportunities for all students to develop their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to create quality products. We also prepare students to be discerning users of products and systems that they will use in the outside world.