News
It has been a busy time in The Design Technology Department this term! Keep on reading to find out what our pupils have been up to…
Fourth Form Fan Project
Fourth Form pupils have carried out an electronics and practical skills fan project, which has been very successful. They completed their designs to a high standard using a variety of hand tools, key machinery and processes that would be used in GCSE projects. This is one of three projects in the Fourth Form that help pupils to find the Designer or Engineer within. The other projects are in Graphic communication and computer-aided design.
Jewellery Making and Metalwork Club
The Jewellery Making and Metalwork Club is now in its second year and aims to provide a range of particle skills to pupils. This allows pupils to build confidence in the Design Technology workshops to be independently innovative and creative using metals. For most pupils, this is their first experience working directly with this material. They learn quickly and see very instant results with new techniques. The challenge is then to become the designer that can amalgamate these skills to make attractive and desirable products.
Ella Kirschner had the following to say about the club…
“This term I came to the jewellery club with no idea what we would get up to. However, by the end of November, we had already done raising and hammering out wire to make rings, texturing metal and making a mould to cast a pendant in. I love the creativity involved and I have learned so many new skills in the past few months. Each week was filled to the brim with new techniques, learning and laughing with the other members of the club. My favourite part of my Friday is spent in the workshop doing something new and I can’t wait to continue doing so in the next term.”
Arkwright Engineering and Robotics club
Pupils have been working on a project set up and run by Benjamin (Fifth Form, Winfield). Benjamin is a DT scholar who will be applying for the Arkwright Scholarship this year. He has demonstrated excellent leadership in setting the robotic arm challenge for the Fourth Form club members. Using industry-standard software pupils design and make working models using computer-aided design. These will then be laser cut for construction and can be operated using Arduino programmable technology. The robots will then compete to see which is most efficient in the timed challenge, these results will be published later in the year.
For those pupils who wish to pursue the Arkwright scholarship in their Fifth Form year, the following key benefits are outlined.
The Scholarships are awarded to hard-working 16-year-old students through a rigorous selection process, supporting them through their A levels, Scottish Highers or equivalent qualifications.
Every Scholarship is sponsored by a commercial company, trade association, university, professional institution, armed service, government organisation, worshipful company, charitable trust or personal donor. This means that support is offered in various different ways, for example, valuable hands-on work experience, support for your curriculum project and a personal mentor who can help you with aspects of your studies and career planning.
Mr Walmsley (Head of Design Technology)
