Range and Content

The range and content section of the new curriculum sets out in broad terms the knowledge, skills and understanding associated with the new curriculum requirements for design and technology. This should be explored in detail after first of all considering the importance statement, key concepts and key processes. It is through the range and content that the concepts and processes can be developed.

Setting out only the broad terms is in line with the slimming down of the requirement and handing responsibility for the curriculum back to schools. This enables an emphasis to be placed on a local curriculum, meeting a schools individual needs and ethos. Departments need to consider carefully the knowledge skills and understanding associated with each of the product areas they teach: food, resistant materials, systems and control and textiles.

This process is important and some hard decisions will need to be made. With developments in the use, range of materials, application of ICT and the developing of creativity and designing skills, there is insufficient time to do everything. Departments need to think carefully about whether there is time to teach some (of what are often referred to as) traditional skills at the expense of developing those more appropriate to the 21st century.

This document (please click HERE to download the KS3 suggested entitlement... in pdf format)provides departments with a suggested entitlement of knowledge, skills and understanding which exemplify and interpret the range and content section of the new order. It provides a useful starting point for departments to develop their own.