Design and Technology Department Successes 2018-2019
The Heathland School Design and Technology Department has continued to offer numerous extra-curricular Technology Clubs which were popular and well attended. These included informal drop-in sessions as well as official Technology Coursework clubs for Design and Technology, Food Technology and Textiles. In addition there were ICT clubs, and practical workshop sessions. Pupils were offered a wide variety of opportunities outside of lessons, in particular a range of clubs and STEM related activities and trips.
STEM trip to Brunel University 2019
The Technology Department took me on a trip to Brunel University, to take part in some STEM Challenges. The Brunel was a very fun and exciting trip. I got to learn new things; I learnt how to make a ball-shaped robot move by using a flowchart, which was one of the best things I have ever learnt. I also learnt about the different types of bridges. I used this information to learn how to design and make a bridge using a chocolate bar, which was a bit messy, but great fun. The thing I enjoyed most at Brunel University was building a car and making it move using a rubber band. We finished the day in a dome, we sat on bean bags and had a virtual reality tour of a space station.
Written by Ric Dias 9Jenner
I’m an Engineer Get Me Out of Here Review by Luiz Meta 8JE
In our Design and Technology lessons we got the opportunity to take part in a STEM webchat called “I’m an Engineer get me out of here.” On the webchat we spoke to a Cloud Engineer who works with the World Wide Web and a Science Engineer. They answered lots of our questions and we learned what we needed to do in school to become an engineer. At the end of the webchat we could vote for our favourite engineer and we had a chance to ask more questions during the two week process. I thought the whole webchat was fun and an exciting experience and it has inspired me to be an engineer in the future.
The Bio Bodies Bake Off 2018-19
All pupils who took part in The Heathland Bake Off in July 2018 were given the chance to take part in a Technology based STEM competition called The Bio Bodies Bake Off. This is a National Competition run by the Physiological Society. They needed to bake a cake in the shape of a body part and describe how it shows it on the cake. Our entry was a detailed cake showing a Caesarean C-Section submitted by Anullah Rivers in 10 Dickens.
GCSE Design and Technology course 2018-19
The new GCSE Design and Technology course was in its 2nd year, and the pupils were again given an opportunity to try out building a circuit. The pupils all successfully made a working Audio Amplifier circuit with a bent plywood and acrylic casing.
New GCSE Design and Technology 2018-19
The first set of Year 11s have successfully completed the new NEA Controlled Assessment. The pupils were given three different contexts from the exam board, and they had to generate their own design brief and specification, which solves real life problems. The three contexts were; “encouraging a healthy lifestyle”, “addressing the needs of people with disabilities” and “supporting developing countries”. The pupils addressed the contexts confidently and with complete independence.
GCSE Textiles trip to the Victoria and Albert Museum to see the Christian Dior Exhibition
Year 10 and 11 were taken to London to visit the sold out, highly impressive “Designer of Dreams” exhibition. They used the information and research found to incorporate it into their own work. Whilst working in their sketchbooks the aim was to work in the style of the designer.
New GCSE AQA Art & Design:Textiles 2018-19
The first group of Year 11s have successfully completed the new GCSE course. The pupils completed a personal project and a practical examination piece.
KS3 Pasta Masterclass
This year I was very fortunate to take part in prospective parents evening for the technology department. We learned a great life skill on how to make fresh pasta. We got to enjoy cooking and learning whilst the parents asked different questions about food technology in The Heathland School. I extremely enjoyed it. It was a great opportunity.
By Pritika Sivagnanasundaram 9 Sheridan
Year 9 International Food Module
Year 10 GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition
Year 10 Food Preparation and Nutrition GCSE pupils successfully carried out a 2 hour examination practical. The brief was to research, plan and prepare two dishes for teenagers.
Year 11 GCSE Food Preparation and Nutrition
Year 11 students carried out their 3 hour examination practical, producing a wide selection of highly successful dishes based on Asian cuisine.
