Below we have mapped out where each lesson reflects the standards of the UK National Curriculum (ages 11 – 13). These reflect the Design and Technology ‘Programmes of Study’ published by the Department of Education.
The second table maps where the Intermediate lesson pack and the Advanced lesson packs reflects the subject content of the new GCSE KS4 curriculum (ages 14 – 16). This lesson pack is a great way to prepare students for the non examined assessment (NEA) part of the qualification in year 11. Depending on how you structure your curriculum e.g. a two year or three year KS4, the intermediate lessons could be used in year 9 or year 10 as a 7 – 8 week 3D printing project to help prepare students for the final year NEA Project.
| National curriculum standards KS3 | Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Lesson 6 Assessment |
| Aims | ||||||
| Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world |  | | | | | |
| Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users | | | | | | |
| Design | ||||||
| Identify and solve their own design problems and understand how to reformulate problems given to them | | |||||
| Develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches, detailed plans, 3-D and mathematical modelling, oral and digital presentations and computer-based tools | | | ||||
| Make | ||||||
| Select from and use specialist tools, techniques, processes, equipment and machinery | | | | |||
| Evaluate | ||||||
| Investigate new and emerging technologies | | | | |||
| Understand developments in design and technology, its impact on individuals, society and the environment, and the responsibilities of designers, engineers and technologists | | | ||||
| Technical Knowledge | ||||||
| Understand and use the properties of materials and the performance of structural elements to achieve functioning solutions | |
The table below maps where the learnbylayers Intermediate curriculum and the Advanced curriculum meets the standards of the new KS4 GCSE subject content published by the Department of Education. This also includes the links to Maths and Science content that each lesson contains, resulting in a true STEM experience for the students.
| GCSE Subject content | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 | Lesson 11 | Lesson 12 | Lesson 13 Assessment | Lesson 14 | Lesson 15 | Lesson 16 | Lesson 17 | Lesson 18 Assessment |
| Aims | ||||||||||||
| Demonstrate their understanding that all design and technological activity takes place within contexts that influence the outcomes of design practice | | | | |||||||||
| Develop a broad knowledge of materials, components and technologies and practical skills to develop high quality, imaginative and functional prototypes | | | | | | |||||||
| Be ambitious and open to explore and take design risks in order to stretch the development of design proposals, | | | | |||||||||
| Consider the costs, commercial viability and marketing of products | | | | |||||||||
| Use key design and technology terminology including those related to: designing, innovation and communication; materials and technologies; making, manufacture and production; critiquing, values and ethics | | | | | | | | | | | ||
| Technical principles | ||||||||||||
| The impact of new and emerging technologies on industry, enterprise, sustainability, people, culture, society and the environment, production techniques and systems | | | | | ||||||||
| How the critical evaluation of new and emerging technologies informs design decisions; considering contemporary and potential future scenarios from different perspectives, such as ethics and the environment | | | | | ||||||||
| Developments in modern, smart materials and composite materials | | | ||||||||||
| The sources, origins, physical and working properties of the material categories or the components and systems, and their ecological and social footprint | | | | |||||||||
| The way in which the selection of materials or components is influenced by a range of factors, such as functional, aesthetic, environmental, availability, cost, social, cultural and ethical | | | | |||||||||
| Stock forms, types and sizes in order to calculate and determine the quantity of materials or components required | | | | |||||||||
| Alternative processes that can be used to manufacture products to different scales of production | | | ||||||||||
| Designing and making principles | ||||||||||||
| Understand that all design and technological practice takes place within contexts which inform outcomes | | | | | ||||||||
| Develop, communicate, record and justify design ideas, applying suitable techniques, for example: formal and informal 2D and 3D drawing; system and schematic diagrams; annotated sketches; exploded diagrams; models; presentations; written notes; working drawings; schedules; audio and visual recordings; mathematical modelling; computer-based tools | | | | | | |||||||
| Design and develop at least one prototype that responds to needs and/or wants and is fit for purpose, demonstrating functionality, aesthetics, marketability and consideration of innovation | | | | |||||||||
| Applying in-depth knowledge | ||||||||||||
| Investigate new and emerging technologies | | | | | | | ||||||
| Using specialist tools and equipment, appropriate to the materials or components used (including hand tools, machinery, digital design and manufacture), to create a specific outcome | | | | | ||||||||
| Links to Mathemathics | ||||||||||||
| Calculation of quantities of materials, costs and sizes | | | | |||||||||
| Scaling drawings | | | | | | |||||||
| Measurement and marking out, creating tessellated patterns | | | | | | |||||||
| Links to Science | ||||||||||||
| Appropriate use of scientific terms | | | | | | | | | | | ||
| Calculation of quantities, measurement of materials and selection of components | | | | |||||||||
| Classification of the types and properties of a range of materials | | | ||||||||||
| Selection of materials and components based on ethical factors, taking into consideration the ecological and social footprint of materials | | | | |||||||||
| Knowledge of properties of materials to be applied when designing and making | | |