Food Technology

The Food business is the fastest growing sector of our economy worth about £65bn per year. As such it needs skilled people to work within it in food design, marketing, production, catering and many more exciting careers.

Students will work in the fantastic Food Technology rooms in a variety of theory and practical work. In the past we have had visiting speakers and a visit to Warburtons Bakery to give an additional insight into the industrial side of the food business. Students have also participated in a ‘Future Chef’ event at the Daresbury Park Hotel

In Class

Classwork is varied and interesting. There will be some form of practical activity each week, which may involve bringing ingredients from home, or may be an investigation for example into the effect of different fats in pastry, for which ingredients would be provided. The theory work involves both individual and group work and covers Food Materials and Components, Food Product Design and Food Processes and Product Manufacture. 

ICT is an important part of the work and is used at various stages throughout the 2 years.

At home

 Homework may involve researching different products on the market, questions to reinforce what has been learnt in class, internet research etc.

Course Work

Coursework is a large part of the course as it is worth 60% of the final grade. It is started at the end of year 10 and finished around February of year 11. It involves the development of a food product to meet a specific brief.

Exams

The final examination is worth 40% and is held in the summer of year 11, it lasts for 2 hours.

Keys to success

Students who opt for GCSE Design Technology: Food will have an interest in the subject and enjoy working with Food. They should be willing to work both independently and as part of a group.

Recommended Books/websites

The books that are mainly used in the course are:-
Total Revision: Food Technology.
Design and Make It: Food.
A good basic cookbook is a useful thing to have at home for example
Delia Smith’s Complete Guide to Cooking.

Resistant Materials

We all need and use things, which have been designed and made by skilled people. Resistant Materials is all about solving problems and producing a successful product by using different materials and processes. You will learn skills and gain the knowledge to enable you to produce these products.



In Class

You will put to practical use all you learn in the other subjects in the school, it will give you the confidence you need to think for yourself and make a positive input into your work, solving problems and being creative in a workshop environment. You will work independently and also as part of a team, learn how to communicate through drawing and increase your knowledge of materials, equipment and processes 

At home

Homework, consisting of research, development and drawing will need to be done to enable you to work through the design process and solve problems. It will be set as appropriate and is an essential part of the course.

Course Work

Coursework is a large part of the course and is worth 60% of the final grade. It is started at the end of year 10 and is finished around March of year 11. It involves the designing and making of a product.

Exams

The final examination is worth 40% of the total marks and is held in the summer of year 11, it will last for 2 hours

Recommended Books/websites

We use a variety of books for the course including Resistant Materials by Colin Lever, Letts GCSE Success guides, and also Design Technology education software on the school intranet.

 Design Technology Textiles

The Textile industry has many interesting areas which offer jobs such as fashion design, fashion marketing / advertising, fabric technologist and fabric construction.Throughout the course you will work in the textile room, where you will produce practical pieces using the machinery available and look at the textile industry through a series of theory work.

Within the course we go on a field trip to the Clothes Show in Birmingham where students are offered an insight into the fashion industry from catwalk shows to a college forum.

In Class

Within the classroom lessons you will do a variety of practical lessons, which will involve using a sewing machine and an overlocker, we also have a computerised sewing machine linked to a computer. Practical projects have in the past been to make a skirt or a hat where students have learnt to understand a pattern and create their own decoration. This is backed up with theory lessons showing industrial practice in the textile industry compared with techniques used in school. The course involves 50% theory and 50% practical.  

ICT is an important part of the work and is used at various stages throughout the two years

At home

Homework may involve research work and completion of work started in the lesson. This is very important especially in year eleven

Course Work

Coursework is a large part of the overall grade and is worth 60%. It is started at the end of year ten and is completed before Easter.

Exams

The final examination is worth 40% of the final grade and is held in the summer of year eleven and lasts 2 hours

Keys to success

Students who opt for Textile Technology need to have an interest in textiles and must be able to work creatively on their own. They must also be aware of the theory work involved

Recommended Books/websites

The books mainly used on the course are Textiles through diagram and Design and make Textiles. It is also useful to read magazines such as Vogue to be aware of changing fashions and decorative techniques in the industry.