Design and technology at key stage 3    (Year 9)

• select information sources, deciding which will help them with ideas for their design
• seek the opinions of potential users of the product and others who might be affected
• consider the impact of a solution on users when drawing up a design brief
• refine a single idea from a range of ideas and draw up a manufacturing specification
• model different shapes and forms, using ICT where appropriate
• resolve conflicting demands when proposing design ideas
• consider whether a product is marketable, maintainable and sustainable when generating ideas
• use a range of ICT applications in an integrated way to help them generate ideas
• produce plans that predict the time needed to carry out the main stages of making
• use CAD/CAM, where appropriate
• collate, interpret and present product information to a client
• review the extent to which the product meets the design specification at appropriate stages of the development
• work effectively within a team, discussing and responding to information, working on designing and making aspects, and reviewing product outcomes

• give three reasons why there are so many new products, explain why some of these products fail or are replaced regularly, and use simple criteria to compare products

• describe one or two differences between a one-off and a high-volume product, and give four examples of one-off products and four examples of high-volume products

• compare one-off and high-volume products in terms of differences, eg design features, cost, tools and equipment used, quality

• describe manufacturing in the local area a century ago, and explain how it has changed since

• talk about how a local company produces a product, eg what it makes, the materials/ingredients, tools and equipment that it uses, including ICT

• name one product that is made in the local area and give the name of the company that makes it; describe the structure of the company and the roles of people who work there

• list three ways in which a manufacturer can make its manufacturing more environmentally friendly, eg reducing waste, reducing materials/ingredients used, reducing energy used, planning to use leftover ingredients

• describe why people might value hand-made and high-volume products in different ways, eg one person might think that a hand-made product takes a lot of culinary skill, while another might say that it has individual flaws and is never perfect

• describe what is meant by 'quality assurance' and 'quality control' and give an example of each, eg ingredient selection, use of moulds and templates, checking temperature and pH

• list the main roles and responsibilities of three different types of managers in a company, and decide which role would suit which team member, according to their skills

• give one example of how a manufacturer could produce an item more quickly, more cost effectively or of a higher quality

• know what is meant by food processing and describe one or two methods, eg thermal processing, reducing temperature
• know what is meant by the quality assurance procedures and HACCP and explain simply how this is used for the safe production and storage of food items

• carry out simple product research and user research to identify users and what they want, eg carry out a survey or observation of users

• describe how a product is made, breaking the process down into the main stages and representing the information as a simple flow chart