Design Technology
Design and handwork are a foundational component of our curriculum, nurturing creativity and individual expression in every student.
Primary years
In the primary school, our Design and Technology Curriculum is in two main strands:
- Craft (knitting, crochet, sewing, weaving, and other “soft” crafts.)
- Hard-Arts (woodwork, metalwork, mosaics, prop design and construction, and other “hard” crafts.)
Our handwork curriculum is designed to enrich the educational experience, weaving together the development of cognitive abilities with the nurturing of creative and practical skills. It teaches patience, fosters attention to detail, and promotes creativity, enabling students to experience the satisfaction of creating something tangible from their own efforts. This not only enhances self-esteem but also instils a sense of responsibility and perseverance.
Through engaging in handwork such as knitting, sewing, weaving, crochet, woodworking and metalworking, our students develop essential fine motor skills. These activities demand precision and coordination, as students learn to manipulate tools and materials with their hands and fingers. This builds dexterity and strength in the small muscles which control the hand, fingers and thumb – building a strong foundation for handwriting. Handcraft also helps eye-hand coordination, pattern recognition, concentration and perseverance - important skills for learning and development.
Healthy pride, patience, application, realism, creativity and focus are all elements that handwork nurtures in the young person, and this learning benefits all areas of study.
Secondary
In the Secondary school, we run two streams of technology.
- Design and Technology (Hard Arts and Textiles)
- Digital Technology
Design and Technology builds on the skills that the students have developed in earlier year levels and begins to incorporate creative design-based thinking to develop students' ability to solve problems. We continue to work with a range of materials, predominantly woodwork and metalwork, but also incorporating other mediums, such as mosaics, plastics, 3D printing, book-binding, Computer Aided Design and Electronics. In Textiles, students learn how to use a sewing machine and complete explorations into sustainable fashion, eco-dying and more.
In Digital Technology, students in year 7 begin to use computers. They are first taught about what a computer is and how it works, how to navigate file management and touch type. After this, they explore both hardware and software. For hardware studies, they might pull apart and rebuild a computer. For Software, students learn basic coding skills, data analysis skills (such as spreadsheets) as well as being introduced to a range of software programs, such as the Adobe Suite.
