Vocational Qualifications

Key Stage 4 - Years 10 and 11

Child Development, H.E Food and Construction are NOT part of Design and Technology choices.
Students can select one Design & Technology subject (Graphics, Resistant Materials, Textiles), and may also study Child Development, H.E. Food or Construction alongside a D&T subject.

These courses allow you to develop skills that all employers are looking for: decision making, problem solving, team work, research, time management, organisation, and presentation of work.

Which course is right for you? Most importantly - one you enjoy! Some students enjoy using the tools and machines to make products that they have designed. For others, the interest lies in drawing, modelling and presenting their ideas.

BTEC Construction - Level 2 First Diploma

This double option is a course which could help prepare you for entry to the craft based careers in the construction industry. It consists of twelve units of thirty hours each, which cover many aspects of the industry.

During the course you will study the following:

• An introduction to the building industry, looking at the range of work covered and its social and economic significance.
• Health, safety and welfare in construction: being able to identify hazards and risks and having a knowledge of good practice.
• The use of science and maths in construction, learning about forces and their effect, how temperatures can change things, and being able to use science and maths to work out and solve construction-based problems.
• Exploring the craft sector of the industry – brick-laying, carpentry, painting and decorating and others.

As much of this work involves practical activities, students will need to have a mature and responsible attitude to safety and behaviour in order to put what they have learnt in the classroom into practice.
For the practical sessions, students will need to provide some of their own personal protective equipment.

The assignments for the course consist of written and practical work and are internally assessed and verified. The Diploma is awarded at either pass, merit or distinction and is worth 4 GCSEs.

Due to the demands of the course, students need to demonstrate a commitment to both the practical and written elements of the course. Selection will be based on these commitments.