D&T is optional at Key stage 4 with GCSE and other vocational qualifications able to be studied.
D&T is a wide range of different practical activities involving the designing and making of products using a wide range of materials.
These materials include wood, metal, plastic, SMART materials, food and paper.
Pupils will also use ICT and develop their Business Capabilities in this subject.
(This is an extract from The National Curriculum 2007)
Design and Technology Programme of study for key stage 3
The Importance of Design and Technology In design and technology pupils combine practical and technological skills with creative thinking to design and make products and systems that meet human needs. They learn to use current technologies and consider the impact of future technological developments. They learn to think creatively and intervene to improve the quality of life, solving problems as individuals and members of a team. Working in stimulating contexts that provide a range of opportunities and draw on the local ethos, community and wider world, pupils identify needs and opportunities. They respond with ideas, products and systems, challenging expectations where appropriate. They combine practical and intellectual skills with an understanding of aesthetic, technical, cultural, health, social, emotional, economic, industrial and environmental issues. As they do so, they evaluate present and past design and technology, and its uses and effects. Through design and technology pupils develop confidence in using practical skills and become discriminating users of products. They apply their creative thinking and learn to innovate.