We offer Design Technology, Food Technology and Hair & Beauty.
Qualification: GCSE
Exam Board: AQA
Whilst studying this subject you will build innovative design skills, explore, create and evaluate a range of outcomes. Design Technology enables you to use your creativity and imagination to design and make prototypes that solve real and relevant problems, considering your own and others’ needs, wants and values. Creative design and making is at the heart of what you will do, you should enjoy communicating through drawing and be passionate about problem solving. You will learn how to take design risks, helping you to become resourceful, innovative and enterprising. Design Technology gives you opportunities to apply knowledge from other disciplines, including mathematics, science, art and design and computing. You will develop an awareness of practices from the creative, engineering and manufacturing industries.
You will follow a structure of a lesson each of theory, project work and NEA every week.
The course has two components:
Component 1: Written examination: 2 Hours, 50% of the qualification, 100 marks.
Section A – Core technical principles (20 marks)
A mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions assessing a breadth of technical knowledge and understanding.
Section B – Specialist technical principles (30 marks) Several short answer questions (2–5 marks) and one extended response to assess a more in-depth knowledge of technical principles.
Section C – Designing and making principles (50 marks) A mixture of short answer and extended response questions.
In addition:
Component 2: Non-examined assessment, 50% of the qualification, 100 marks.
Content overview
You will undertake a project based on a contextual challenge released by the exam board.
There are four parts to the assessment:
A GCSE DT qualification forms part of a career path leading to further technical, creative or academic product design qualifications, for example A Level Product Design.
Not only does this course give students experience in designing and making in new exciting way, it opens up a range of possibilities on leaving school in careers such as: Architecture, Advertising, Fashion Design, Graphic Designer, Web Design, Typographer, Interior Design, Jeweller, Ceramicist, Product Engineer, Furniture Designer, Packaging, Communications, Film, Software, Transport, Product Engineering, Landscape designer, etc.
The subject gives students a firm grounding in the skills of creativity problem-solving, communication and ICT which would apply to all careers.
https://filestore.aqa.org.uk/resources/design-and-technology/specifications/AQA-8552-SP-2017.PDF
Food Preparation and Nutrition aims to equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to cook and apply the principles of food science, nutrition and healthy eating. The OCR qualification will enable you to cook and make informed decisions about a wide range of further learning, opportunities and career pathways as well as develop life skills that enable you to feed yourself and others affordably, now and in later life. You will develop practical cookery skills and techniques as they explore the underlying principles of food science, nutrition, food traditions and food safety. This qualification aims to bring about real sustainable change; it is relevant to the world of food today.
Assessment overview
Food preparation and nutrition Written Exam 1 hour 30 minutes (50% of GCSE)
Food investigation task NEA 1 (15% of GCSE)
Food preparation task NEA 2 (35% of GCSE
Content overview
All content is covered in all components. There are four sections.
Section A: Nutrition
The relationship between diet and health
Nutritional and dietary needs of different groups of people
Nutritional needs when selecting recipes for different groups of people
Energy balance
Protein
Fat
Carbohydrate
Vitamins
Minerals
Water
Nutritional content of the main commodity groups
Section B: Food (food provenance and food choice)
Food provenance: source and supply
Food processing and production
Food security
Technological developments to support better health and food production
Development of culinary traditions (students study British cuisine and a minimum of two international cuisines)
Factors influencing food choice
Section C: Cooking and food preparation
Food science
Sensory properties
Food safety
Section D: Skills requirements (preparation and cooking techniques)
Knife skills
Preparation and techniques
Cooking methods
Sauces
Set a mixture
Raising agents
Dough
Judge and manipulate sensory properties
This forms part of a progressive career path leading to further technical or academic food and nutrition related qualifications.
Link to specification
This qualification aims to support you to:
- develop a broad and comprehensive understanding of the hair and beauty sector
- develop knowledge which spans the entire vocational sector and related industries
- develop academic study and transferable skills that will support progression within the hair and beauty sector and more broadly
This qualification includes two mandatory units and two optional units.
- Understanding the hair and beauty sector (mandatory) - in this you will develop an understanding of the structure and importance of the hair and beauty sector. You will also learn about the products used, and services and treatments provided throughout the sector as well as career opportunities.
- Hair and beauty research project (mandatory) - in this unit you learn how to plan a hair and beauty research project. You will then produce a research proposal and conduct their research into a particular topic area of the hair and beauty sector.
- Hair and beauty science (optional) - in this unit you will develop an understanding of the chemistry of hair and beauty products. You will also learn about the anatomy of the skin and hair and produce a formulation for a hair and beauty product.
- Responding to a hair and beauty design brief (optional) - in this unit you will develop an understanding of design briefs throughout the hair and beauty sector. You will then be set a specific design brief to which you have to respond by researching the area, presenting your ideas and justifying your choices.
Link to Specification
https://qualifications.vtct.org.uk/finder/qualfinder/1AM20530%20Specification/AM20530.pdf
A broad and comprehensive understanding of the hair and beauty sector
A significant knowledge core which spans the vocational sector and related industries
The business aspect of the hair and beauty sector and have the opportunity to investigate the principles of marketing and how entrepreneurship supports the hair and beauty sector, including how to select and design promotional activities and materials.
Academic and study skills that will support progression within the hair and beauty sector and more broadly
This qualification consists of three mandatory units
UCO90 – Business and entrepreneurship in the hair and beauty sector
This unit will enable learners to develop knowledge and understanding of business principles, types of businesses, marketing and entrepreneurship and different business opportunities within the hair and beauty sector.
UCO91 – Anatomy, physiology and cosmetic science
This unit will enable learners to develop knowledge and understanding of cosmetic chemistry, the role of the integumentary system and the development of hair and beauty products
UCO92 – Design in the hair and beauty sector
This unit will enable learners to develop knowledge and understanding of the purpose, principles and development of design briefs for the hair and beauty sector, including how to present and communicate design brief ideas and concepts to a range of audiences and develop analytical, reflective and evaluative skills.
The three units are not individually assessed – learners will need to achieve a pass in both an external written exam and a synoptic written assignment (NEA) – the marks for these will be added together and the total mark will determine the level and grade of achievement; this will ensure a wide range of abilities is recognised and rewarded. There are no optional units.
Link to the Specification
https://qualifications.vtct.org.uk/finder/qualfinder/1Qualification%20Specification/CO2A5.pdf
A GCSE DT qualification forms part of a progressive career path leading to further technical, creative or academic product design qualifications.
Not only does this course give students outstanding experience in designing and making in new exciting way, it opens up a range of possibilities on leaving school in careers such as:
Architecture, Advertising, Fashion Design, Graphic Designer, Web Design, Typographer, Interior Design, Jeweller, Ceramicist, Product Engineer, Furniture Designer, Packaging, Communications, Film, Software, Transport, Product Engineering, Landscape designer, etc.
The subject gives students a firm grounding in the skills of creativity problem-solving, communication and ICT which would apply to all careers. In a time when employers look for people who can add value, this is the subject that could give students their USP.
The aim of the course is to encourage students to take a broad view of design and technology, to develop their capacity to design and make products and to appreciate the complex relations between design, materials, manufacture and marketing.