D & T - Fashion and Textiles

We aim to deliver a high quality design and technology education for students at SJN, which will make an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth, and wellbeing of our students. 

Curriculum rationale

In Textiles lessons, students will use their creativity and imagination to make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.  They acquire skills through working on a range of projects using fashion and textiles subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering and art.  Global issues such as sustainability are considered throughout students’ design education.  Students learn how to take risks, be resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present textiles and fashion, students will develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. 


Curriculum Design

Essential skills have been carefully and progressively woven in throughout the curriculum. These include:

  • Practical skills developed using a range of materials and equipment within each subject area
  • Communication and presentation techniques including graphic communication techniques, presentation of data and written communication styles for design.
  • Knowledge and understanding of working properties of ingredients and materials and how these are used in existing products and can be used in their own work to meet a range of user needs.
  • Critical analysis and evaluation skills. Students develop skills to analyse the work of others to learn about past and present design to inform future design approaches.  They will look closely at their own work and the work of others, including professionals.

The curriculum has been developed to allow a range of opportunities for students to develop more effective knowledge retention for exam preparation, including regular retrieval practice and interleaved topics.


Curriculum Plan

Key Stage 3

In Years 7-9 textiles is taught on a rotation system so modules are not tied to specific terms.

 

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Project 1

Small bag with a lining. 

  • Consider other’s values through research of cultural designs
  • Build skills and apply them to make high quality prototypes.
  • Develop and communicate design ideas using annotated sketches.

Cushion cover decorated from a choice of 3 contexts.

  • Develop designs using the ‘user centred’ approach.
  • Select from a wider, more complex range of tools, equipment and machinery including CAD CAM.

Mobile Phone Case.

  • Develop further understanding and use of properties of materials and the performance of structural elements to achieve functioning solutions.
  • Select from and use specialist tools, equipment and machinery with developed precision.

Project 2

Set of 3 juggling balls.

  • How to use a design specification to ensure user’s needs are met.
  • How to critique, evaluate and test their ideas.
  • Properties of materials and performance of structural elements.

Fashion Design Challenge.

  • Develop designs using a collaborative approach.
  • Understand how developments in fashion history impact on individuals and society.
  • Dressmaking and tailoring techniques.

Textile Accessory.

  • Develop a Design Specification.
  • Test, evaluate and refine design ideas against a specification.
  • Analyse the work of past and present professionals to inform ideas.
  • Consider the impact and lifecycle of materials used in product design.