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The ‘formal’ curriculum for Design Technology at Chailey School is designed to be taught across a three-year Key Stage 3 and a two-year Key Stage 4.
All students are able to access the resources, learning and outcomes in Design Technology through carefully planned projects. These are regularly reviewed and updated and incorporate a range of structured and differentiated tasks, that will help support students of all abilities to engage with the subject matter.

The intent of the curriculum in Design Technology aligns with the overall curriculum intent of Chailey School.
By the end of Key Stage 3, students are expected to know that Design Technology is about creative problem-solving real-world problems and being able to use the design process to create novel solutions to different problems, whilst working in a safe and reflective manner.
By the end of Key Stage 4, students who take the subject at GCSE level are expected to know that effective design solutions are realised through an iterative design approach. They should be able to apply a broad subject knowledge, to work within a range of material areas and create innovative solutions.
To achieve this, the curriculum in Design Technology is planned in coherent sequences of nine-week rotations at KS3 – knowledge, skills and understanding will be built on and applied in a cumulative manner. In KS4 the content is broken down into Theory based and Design and Make based content, which is taught through either structured theory-based lessons, or a selection of carefully constructed design and make projects.
Assessment, testing of knowledge, skills and understanding, and effective feedback will support this – Continuous verbal feedback, end of rotation marking and one formative piece of feedback each rotation.

Design Technology contributes greatly to the school’s ‘informal’ curriculum – the experience and opportunity for students in Design Technology is not just about a set of exam results, very important though those may be, but about challenging their creative abilities and developing understanding of achieving success through failure.
Key opportunities for this are planned into each rotation, through the varied projects completed across key stage 3, using a wide range of materials, tools and machines, including the laser cutter, vinyl cutter and 3D printer. Other opportunities include both independent and group activities through DT lunch club, the STEM Day, wood turning club and Technology Day in Curriculum enrichment week. Design Technology also contributes to the development of cultural literacy in a multitude of ways.
Our Design Technology curriculum teaches students how to design, problem-solve, and innovate by combining creativity with practical skills. It prepares them to understand materials, engineering principles, and real-world design challenges.
Careers Links: DT links to careers in product design, engineering, architecture, manufacturing, robotics, and industrial design.

All subjects at Chailey School contribute towards building the character and values of its young people.
This is achieved through practical learning through doing, taking part in ‘drop-down days’ in KS3 and 4, and encouraging kindness, teamwork, creativity, curiosity, support and tolerance of others and diversity, self-confidence and self-respect, resilience, global and environmental awareness, independence and responsibility in work.

Documents

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DT Year 7 subject intent outline	Download
DT Year 8 subject intent outline	Download
DT year 9 subject intent outline	Download
DT Overview of the New Curriculum 2025	Download