Product Design Department – 

Overarching Curriculum Intent 2024-25 

RFSS Curriculum Vision Statement: 

To build an inclusive curriculum which is aspirational for all and empowers our students to make outstanding academic and personal progress. 

Design & Technology Curriculum in Context: 

In 2022 the IET discovered that there is an estimated shortfall of over 173,000 workers in STEM sectors, with an average of 10 unfilled roles per business in the UK, costing the economy a “shocking” £1.5bn each year. 49% of engineering businesses are experiencing difficulties recruiting workers with the skills they need. Design and technology is more than a practical subject. The knowledge gained from learning the subject allows pupils to understand how the world around them has been created. Through first-hand experiences they can see that things are designed and made to help people in their daily lives. To that end, through designing and making products, pupils are realising their ability to respond to needs and wants, whilst solving real-life problems. At RFSS the Design & Technology curriculum is collaboratively and coherently planned and sequenced across Years 7- 9/GCSE to ensure that pupils build on all aspects of prior learning and stretches and challenges all pupils regardless of starting point. As pupils progress through Key Stage 3, they are given the opportunity to develop skills in using a range of materials and equipment as well as understanding the process of designing and making products. Cultural capital is explored across the key stages by appreciation of the work of others locally, nationally and internationally, each subject identifies and relates to real contextual challenges focusing upon people, communities or businesses. 

Curriculum Aims: 

Our curriculum aims to: 

• Excite and ignite our pupils’ interest in product design and prepare them to participate in the development of a rapidly changing world. 

• To ensure that learners develop technical and practical competencies as well as the wider skills valued by employers. 

• To have a curriculum which will allow students to become self-motivated and confident learners, who can work independently and as part of a team. 

Our broad and balanced curriculum concentrates on developing our students’ key knowledge and skills, and enhances their understanding of the world around them. 

We do this by: 

• Incorporating elements of KS4 work even in year 7 as we instil in all our pupils high academic rigour and challenge from the outset. 

• Enabling pupils to experience a range of product design projects and contexts, taught by subject specialist teachers that are enthusiastic about their subjects and share this passion with all our pupils. 

• Use academic language consistently and appropriately in their subject specific teaching and learning where pupils are encouraged to use tier 2 & 3 language in lessons both verbally and in extended written work for example in evaluations. 

• Planning projects, tasks and challenges to enable students to find areas that they can excel in, that they may never have had the opportunity to see or do. 

Our curriculum is focused on the development of communication, character and cultural capital of each 

individual student, so they become: 

• Able to problem solve real contextualised briefs in a variety of materials and using a range of strategies. 

• Able to analyse, critique and evaluate their own work and the work of others. 

• Critical and creative thinkers problem solvers evaluators and decision makers. 

• Willing to express their own creativity through their designs and are more socially confident to give their opinions. 

Curriculum Outcome: 

As a result of our curriculum, students will leave RFSS with a range of practical modern life skills and 

create a work ethic to prepare students for the world of work.