“Design is intelligence made visible.”

 Alina Wheeler

The Cape School Curriculum ensures that all our students have the opportunity for academic and personal development across a broad range of subjects and experiences. It combines equality of opportunity to our core learning with opportunities for students to make individual choices regarding their learning experiences.  Acquisition of knowledge and transferable skills are the cornerstones of our student’s progress and we place a high value on building their understanding of community, place and social justice. Lessons and other learning experiences are sequenced to build on students’ prior knowledge, and to ensure that students deepen their understanding of each subject, and the interconnection between subjects and their global context.

Our Curriculum is the foundation to achieving our Core Principles:

• Students leave Cape with high value achievements and the life skills and resilience that provide a platform for future success and happiness.
• We are inspired to work together to research, design and implement highly effective and sustainable solutions to develop and maintain our thriving school community.
• Continuous improvement is achieved through a whole school culture of, and commitment to, creativity, engagement and professionalism.

What is Unique to the study of Design & Technology?

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Through our Curriculum they acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art.

Through a carefully sequences structure of learning, covering the National Curriculum requirements and more, pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. The Curriculum develops the knowledge and understanding that high-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.  Links to potential careers and future education paths are referenced so students understand the extensive arena of opportunities linked to a design and technology education.

In addition to our standard curriculum D&T based include a design and manufacturing project within the Be Inspired programme. This will provide a unique opportunity for students with a particular interest in design and technology to further develop their design and manufacturing work with a wide range of materials and processes.

Our Curriculum will prepare students well in terms of knowledge, understanding and confidence for Post-16 education D&T courses ranging from level 3 design based courses through to craft/trade based vocational courses.  These routes can create local, national and international opportunities for our students.

In Design & Technology, our repeat concepts are:

1. Design
2. Make – Materials & processes
3. Evaluate
4. Health & Safety
5. Sustainability
6. Technical Knowledge