Design & Technology

Curriculum Intent

Design and Technology at Shirebrook Academy has been developed with the needs of the DT learner firmly in mind. Our curriculum ensures that all students acquire the essential knowledge, skills, and understanding that form a strong foundation for lifelong success. Throughout Key Stage 3, our programme is structured around core principles that prepare students for future study, employment, and participation in an increasingly complex world.

Across all projects, students learn to research and investigate design briefs, drawing informed conclusions that support effective action planning. They are taught to work safely within a range of specialist settings and are encouraged to design and manufacture original, creative, and purposeful products. Evaluation is embedded throughout: students assess the suitability of both their own work and that of others, developing critical thinking and reflective practice. Technical knowledge underpins all learning, enabling students to understand materials, processes, technologies, and systems with increasing depth.

Our spiral curriculum ensures that subject-specific practical skills are revisited and strengthened each year. This approach enables students to build proficiency progressively and apply their learning with increasing independence. By focusing on these key areas, students develop essential life skills as well as the foundations required to excel at Key Stage 4 and beyond, whether progressing into apprenticeships, specialist college courses, university pathways, or the world of work.

Hospitality and Catering provides students with a deep understanding of nutrition, diet, food preparation, and the broader hospitality sector. Students learn to plan and cook nutritious meals and develop respect for the diverse beliefs, cultures, intolerances, and allergies of others. They also gain insight into how hospitality and catering industries operate safely, professionally, and successfully.

Construction enables students to interpret floor plans and produce practical outcomes that meet a specified design brief. Through problem-solving and hands-on application, learners develop a broader understanding of the built environment and the construction industry. Concepts such as sustainability, structures, legislation and regulation, and the origins of materials form a core part of the curriculum, helping students connect practical skills with real-world contexts.