Design Technology

The Design Technology studio is housed in the Sopwith Centre, our magnificent centre for Technology and the Arts.

Our superb Design Technology studio is equipped to the standard of many senior schools and enables designs to be realised in wood, metal and plastics with facilities for electronics, pneumatics and computer-controlled designs.

Design Technology encourages children to develop planning and practical skills using a range of materials.  By working in a number of media they learn the qualities and limitations of different materials, improve their dexterity and acquire skills for life.

Every child in the school studies Design Technology and begins by learning the design process, making drawings, a card model or a template for their project.

Children are shown how to use safe tools (always with a member of staff present) and acquire the technical knowledge of using  different tools for different materials.

Design Technology has a strong cross-curricular element, with many processes involving science and maths.  A recent project to research and create family crests introduced history and art into the Design studio.  Pupils undertake projects including the construction of tall or weight-bearing structures, for example bridges, which incorporate physics.

The most recent additions to our studio are a ceramic kiln and a baby enamelling kiln. Weekly evening classes are offered in ceramics with a professional potter.  Jewellery making is also studied, as well as glass-forming using the pottery kiln.

The heat-treating centre is popular with the senior pupils who make metal sculptures using the braising torch and the blacksmiths hearth.  They are also tutored in the art of pyrography: creating patterns on furniture which they have made and then staining with inks to produce the finished design.

Other topics studied include technical drawing, 3D sketching, injection moulding, plastic extrusion, dip coating and vacuum forming.