Design and Technology – Introduction

Welcome to Design Technology @ BWHS.

Within the area of Design Technology, we offer: Resistant Materials, Graphic Products, Textiles Technology, Food Technology and Catering. Design Technology is an expanding and progressing department within the school that is forward thinking, creative and practical. Emphasis is placed on the students and their learning and we organise a number of events to enhance their knowledge and understanding of design, such as our annual Design Show, trips to London and Paris’ museums and galleries as well as links with the community and local chefs, craftspeople and industries.

Our aim is to make Design Technology an exciting, creative and lateral-thinking subject. It is important to us that students enjoy our subject in a stimulating and enthusiastic environment so they learn about different materials, techniques and the importance of Design and aesthetics in today’s society.
 
Everything that we wear and use is designed, and the ideas and concepts involved in designing and creating are fundamental to all specialist areas of the department.

Curriculum

KS3
Design and Technology is taught to every student in Key Stage Three (Years 7-9). Students have two lessons a week, and groups are taught through the medium of English or Welsh. The current teaching/project format is featured below but is soon to be re-structured in the Summer 2010, with Food being offered in Year 9 and Textiles in Year 7.

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

GCSE

Students are given the opportunity to choose a range of specialisms at GCSE Level, Resistant materials Technology, Graphics, Textiles and Catering. Students have three lessons a week, and undertake WJEC GCSE courses.

From June 2010, we are very pleased to be offering BTEC Level 2 Engineering, taught by Mr. R. Davies.

GCSE (WJEC)

More information

Post 16

Design and Technology (Product Design) can also be chosen as an Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and an Advanced (A) Level course. Students receive 5 lessons in Year 12, and 6 lessons in Year 13.

From June 2010, we are very pleased to be offering BTEC Level 3 Engineering, taught by Mr. R. Davies.

The specification is divided into a total of 4 units, 2 AS units and 2 A Level units. Weightings noted below are expressed in terms of the full A level qualification.

AS Level

A Level (the above plus the following two A Level modules)

More information

Department Gallery

Design Technology Years 7-9 (coming soon)

GCSE Catering (coming soon)

Design Show 2009 (coming soon)

Paris Trip (coming soon)

Competitions

INNOVATION AWARDS
We regularly have Design work that is recommended by external A Level and AS moderators to go forward to the WDA Innovation Awards in Cardiff in September each year.
Over the course of the last few years, the following students have been successful:

• In 2009, Bryony Mills and Andrew Carrington’s work was recommended for the first round of the Awards.
• In 2008, Rebecca Thomas and Lindsey Jones both had their A Level work exhibited at the Awards.
  
• In 2007, four our A Level students were recommended for the first round of the Awards – Sean Jones, Mark Powell, George Williams and Rhianna Thomas.
• In 2006, four of our A Level students had their work recommended for the next round of the Awards – Samantha Jones-Davies, Charlene Morris, Sadie Davies and Joseph Sargeant. Samantha and Charlene’s work went on to be exhibited at the awards.
• In 2004, Owen Morgan came third in the WDA Innovation Awards, with Angela Williams’ also being recommended for the final round.

We have also had success at GCSE Wales Student Innovation Awards over recent years.

• In 2008, Bethan Mackenzie had her GCSE work exhibited at the Awards.
• In 2007, William Jones-Davies won a North Wales Engineering Award for his ‘Easy Fencer’ design and Natalie Powell was also successfully chosen for the final round of the Awards, both had their GCSE work exhibited at the Awards.
• In 2006, Heulwen Thomas has been recommended to go forward to the next round.
• In 2005, James Healey won the Product Design Prize
• In 2004, Samantha Jones-Davies was selected and had her work exhibited in the final round.
• In 2002, Ceri Hughes was selected to have his work recommended for the Engineering Award.

CATERING COMPETITIONS
We encourage our students to take part in various community catering competitions which involve local chefs and businesses, including Springboard (linked to Newtown College) and Rotary Young Chef (linked with Builth Wells Rotary Club). In recent years, participants in the Future Chef competition took part in a catering workshop, held in the well-established restaurants Carlton House and The Drovers Rest in Llanwrtyd Wells.

• Future Chef, through Springboard is held in school annually, each October. One student is selected to represent our school every year at regional rounds of the competition.
• In 2009, Emily Marrs has won the Springboard school heat and now goes through to the local finals in Newtown – we wish her luck!
• In 2008, Ryan G. Davies won the Springboard school heat and went through to the local finals in Newtown.
• Rotary Young Chef – is held in school annually, each November.
• In 2006, Danny Price won the first round and went on to represent the school in the next round, which we have hosted for the past two years.
• In 2008, Eirlys Davies won the school heat and local heat held in Ysgol Gyfun Pantycelyn. She then went through to the South Wales final in Barry College.
  

Events and Extra Curricular Activities

Over the last few years, we have undertaken a number of events or extra-curricular activities. These have included:

• Exhibitions of work by GCSE and AS / A Level students. These take place in the Drama Studio in school every May.
• Annual trip to Innovation Awards in Cardiff.
• Annual trip to Clothes Show live in Birmingham NEC.
• Trips to source specialist fabric are run by Miss Rees each year.
• A trip to Paris for DT and Art students (2008), visiting galleries such as the Pompidou and the Musee d’Orsay
• Annual trips to the V & A Museum and Design Museum, London
• Displays of work for school events such as Open Evenings
• Transition workshop for Year 6 students from the feeder primaries
• Visits from past students who have studied Design at university, showing their work to students.
• We organise a Structures Day each July, alongside Careers Wales where Year 8 pupil stake part in building bridges. Local engineers come in and advise on the day.
• Visiting speakers from Centre of Alternative Technology visit us to give advice on sustainable and environmentally friendly design.

Facilities

The Design Department is accommodated on the ground floor of the building and is equipped adequately with good quality specialist equipment.

D.2 ~ Food room, facilitates 5 gas and 5 electric cookers, a microwave, washing machine, tumble drier, food mixer etc. Students in Year 7 are taught one lesson/ week of Food Technology. Students in Years 10 and 11 study the WJEC Catering course. This room also has a permanent data projector.

D.3 ~ Metal workshop, with three lathes, two pillar drills, a small bandsaw, vacuum former, plastics oven, strip heater, linnisher, a PCB developing/ etching tank, grinding wheel, casting bay, two blow torches, Oxy-acetylene welding, buffing machine, Mig Welder and a jewellery torch. This room is used to teach Year 8, 9, 10, 11 and sometimes 12 & 13 students Product Design 12/ 13. There are many hand held machines stored in the store cupboard.

D. 4 ~ Mainly used for ICT work for all Key Stages. A3 and A2 printer, several computers and a Photocopying machine housed here. GTA’ s desk is located in this room.

D. 5 ~ This is mainly used to teach K.S.4 Graphics Products, though some Post 16 Product Design lessons take place in here. This room has many computers, a permanent projector, a Roland CAMM1 Sticker making machine, a Laser Cutter machine and a light box.

D. 6 ~ Wood workshop containing a bandsaw, circular saw, planer and thicknesser, a wood turning lathe, a belt/ disc sander, two scroll saws, a mortice machine, a pillar drill and a TV/ video recorder. There are many hand held machines stored in the store cupboard. This room is used to teach Year 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 & 13 students Resistant Materials Technology/ Product Design.

D. 7 ~ Textiles room, also used to teach some KS3 Art lessons. Contains 12 sewing machines, a computer controlled embroidery machine, a computer and a permanent data projector.