Year 9 DT

What students learn this year:

In Year 9 Design and Technology, students build their core practical skills, safety rules, and the design process. They embed their knowledge materials like plastics, wood, and textiles to understand their properties. Students learn to draw technical drawings, use computer-aided design (CAD), and follow a design brief. Hands-on workshop training embeds how to use hand tools and machinery safely ready for KS4. They also gain cooking skills, focusing on nutrition, food hygiene, and healthy recipes. Finally, students learn to evaluate their finished products, analysing strengths and areas for improvement. This final KS3 year builds confidence, creativity, and essential problem-solving skills for Engineering Level 2 or Design Technology GCSE.

Termly overview

Term / Half-term	Main topics / units	Key knowledge & skills
Tin Can Car	Car Manufacturing	Mechanical devices, linkages, gears, pulleys and belts.
Flight	Aeronautical engineering	Aerodynamics, Structural Dynamics, Propulsion Systems, Flight Mechanics & Stability, Stringent Safety & Testing.
Treasure Chest	Wood and Timbers	Timbers and boards, sources and origins, properties, stock forms and sizes, surface treatments.

How learning and progress are checked

In KS3, Design and Technology students are assessed using the National Curriculum’s iterative "Design, Make, Evaluate" framework. Teachers grade portfolios on "Designing," checking how well pupils research target markets and sketch ideas. "Making" evaluates practical craftsmanship, material selection, and the safe use of workshop tools. "Evaluating" tests how students critique their finished prototypes against initial specifications. Schools combine this ongoing formative feedback on physical projects with short end-of-unit theory tests. Progress is benchmarked against school-specific Age-Related Expectations rather than traditional GCSE grades.

Assessment in this year group:

Type of assessment	Approx. frequency / when	What it is used for (e.g. reports, targets)
Classwork / quizzes	Short retrieval quizzes most lessons	To check recall of key facts and address misconceptions quickly
Homework tasks	Once per fortnight	To practise applying ideas and build good study habits
End-of-topic assessments	Every 10 week rotation.	To judge understanding of each unit and inform progress data.

Independent study

How often is homework set?

Once per fortnight. Typically retrieval practice using knowledge organisers for in class quizzing.

Typical length per task:
Around 30 minutes

Suggested independent study:

Students are encouraged to spend 10–15 minutes a week reviewing their exercise book and knowledge organiser. Websites such as The Design and Technology Site are useful for revising topics we have covered.

How parents and carers can support

Ask your child to explain one thing they learned in DT today in their own words.
Check that homework is completed on time with neat and tidy diagrams.
Encourage a quiet, distraction-free space for homework and revision.
Help your child to revise little and often rather than leaving everything to the night before a test.

Support, stretch and enrichment

We use carefully structured practical tasks to support students who find DT challenging.

Teachers liaise with the SEND team to adapt resources where needed.

Stretch & challenge:

More confident students are given extension questions, opportunities to research real-world applications of DT, and more complex exam-style problems linked to DT and Engineering.

Clubs / trips / extra opportunities:

Year 9 students can attend DT Club on Wednesdays after school in GO3, where they make a series of small products using the equipment and resources.