Resistant Materials

Students join us from a range of primary schools and backgrounds, bringing varied experiences of Design Technology. To ensure a strong foundation, the Bookend Project introduces all pupils to the design cycle and the workshop environment.

The project begins with a focus on health and safety, establishing essential rules for safe working practices. From there, students progress through the stages of the design process: research, initial ideas, and final design development.

Key skills taught include:

• Sketching and isometric drawing
• Labelling and annotation techniques

The practical element emphasizes accuracy in marking out and cutting a basic wood joint using hand tools, reinforcing precision and craftsmanship.

Assessment combines:

• Practical project outcome
• Final design page
• Theory knowledge, tested through homework tasks

This structured approach ensures every student gains confidence in both creative design and technical making skills.

As the workshop only opened at Easter last year, Year 8 and 9 students have varying levels of prior experience. To ensure consistency, both year groups complete the same ten-week Shaky Hand Game project.

Each rotation begins with a reintroduction to safety rules and safe working practices in the workshop. Pupils then progress through the research and design ideas stages of the design cycle, developing key skills such as:

• Sketching and visual communication
• Using correct scientific electrical circuit symbols
• Enhancing labelling into full annotation

The practical element involves a carousel of activities, where pupils create individual components by:

• Marking out materials accurately
• Heating and bending plastic
• Shaping metal
• Building a working electrical circuit
• Assembling all components into a functional prototype

Assessment is based on:

• Practical project outcome
• Design ideas page
• Theory knowledge, tested through homework tasks

This rotation ensures students gain confidence in both creative design and technical manufacturing, while reinforcing safety and precision.