Design and Technology

Design and Technology

Are you looking for a career that will enable you to use your skills in design and technology to nurture students creativity and turn their ideas into reality. To encourage students to explore their environment, challenge concepts, and understand how important technology is in the world today? If so, our secondary design and technology course is for you. You’ll be teaching a subject which gives students opportunities to develop their practical and personal skills.

Design and technology covers a number of subject specialisms and encompasses the teaching of designing, making, and evaluative skills in interesting and challenging ways. It involves working with a range of materials and processes in different subject specialist areas. These areas develop specialist technical knowledge and as well as life skills. Subject areas include food and nutrition, textile design, graphic design, resistant materials, and systems and control. Design and technology trainee teachers are expected to specialise in two of these subject areas at Key Stage 4 and develop skills in a range of the subject areas across Key Stage 3. As a trainee you will learn how to teach design and technology to pupils in the 11–16 age range within the secondary age phase, with additional primary and post-16 enhancements. You will learn how to develop skills, knowledge and understanding for teaching design and technology through a combination of subject expert sessions and school-led training.

You will specialise in the subject area you studied for in your undergraduate degree (such as food, textiles or product design) and during the course chose an additional subject area to focus your training on for Key Stage 4. You will also learn practical skills across all subject areas and gain subject and curriculum knowledge across all design and technology in Key stage 3. You will learn how to undertake risk assessments for activities and provide a safe learning environment for all students. You will work in both practical and classroom environments and develop the necessary skills needed to support, challenge and motivate students including SEND and EAL students.

The course aims to help you become a competent, professional and, above all, creative practitioner, capable of developing the imaginations and abilities of the young people with whom you have the privilege of working.

The course is often tailored to the areas of weakness identified by trainees at the start of the course. However, typically the training includes:

  • Technology in the classroom and national curriculum
  • Assessment opportunities in the classroom, differentiation and progression
  • Risk assessment and health & safety
  • Planning for practical lessons and classroom management
  • Skills and technique workshops for KS3
  • Building teaching resources for KS3
  • Core technology for KS4 and exam specifications
  • The design process and links across technology
  • Delivery of NEAs (coursework) KS4
  • Specialist knowledge and technique development KS4/KS5

All aspects of the subject are addressed during the course, including meeting the requirements of the national curriculum and national initiatives such as Assessment for Learning (AfL) and literacy. With focused study of D&T at post-16 you will not only be equipped to teach pupils and students in the 11–16 age range but will also have opportunities to gain experience of teaching at the 16–19 level.

These sessions are delivered by a D&T subject expert in school, therefore you are required to travel to Stafford for the delivery of these sessions.

To sum up, the course aims to help you become a competent, professional and, above all, creative practitioner, capable of developing the imaginations and abilities of the young people with whom you have the privilege of working.

D&T trainee teachers are eligible for tax-free bursaries. Click here for further details on funding.

Please note, the D&T course incurs additional costs to you for the external courses below. These courses are not compulsory, however we strongly recommend that you undertake them at a reduced cost offered by The OAKS. Gaining a certification in the courses below will be beneficial and necessary for your first teaching position.

  • Secondary core level health and safety (SCHS)
  • Secondary materials health and training (SMHS)
  • Secondary textiles health and safety (STHS) textiles technology
  • Secondary food health and safety (SFHS) food technology

The approximate cost of these courses is £500, plus accreditation by the D & T Association at £24 per course attended. Accreditation lasts 5 years and payment for this is the responsibility of the trainee. The courses are offered over four days during the half-term holidays.