This paper, published by the Engineering Council in 2001, sets out the importance of design and technology education and the contribution it makes to the school curriculum. Design subjects play a role in developing innovative thinking and practices, and the skills needed in a knowledge economy. The aims of this...

The 1995 National Curriculum Revisions for Design and Technology, which defines the much simplified Programmes of Study (PoS) for each Key Stage and the level descriptions for AT1 and AT2. The requirements for Information Technology were separated and published separately.

By this stage it had become clear...

This Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) document contains the 2004 revision of the Design and Technology National Curriculum. As with previous documents, there were no substantial revisions, and none at all to the Attainment Target statements. The role of CAD-CAM and new materials continued to be...

Following a major overhaul of the entire National Curriculum at Key Stage Three, the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority produced a version for design and technology with a structure consistent with other subjects. There were no changes to the other Key Stages, so...

The 1999 edition of the Design and Technology National Curriculum included set out clearly the programmes of study and attainment targets for Key Stages One to Four. It sets out the importance of design and technology education to students' performance across the curriculum in promoting social, moral and cultural...

This activity, from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), sets students the challenge of designing and building a water treatment system to produce a clean sample of water. They will need to think about what equipment they would need, what stages the...

In this resource designed by the IET, students design and make a pewter cast medal for the men's football World Cup. The resource introduces the concept of CAD design, pewter casting and how this can be used to create something for a major event. Metal casting is a manufacturing process that involves pouring molten...

This project concentrates on the design and manufacture of lighting using simple electronics but with complex and functional part modelling. Students apply the tools in Autodesk Inventor to the challenging task of creating a virtual lamp design in parts, before manufacturing the product. Students will spend time...

The project provides a lesson structure for the design and manufacture of an MP3 amplifier. The resources uses a sketching and computer aided design (CAD), alongside laser cutting and 3D printing processes. Students will apply the tools in Autodesk Inventor and 123D Make to create the MP3 parts, before...

This activity involves generating creative design ideas for a building, drawing the final design idea using CAD software, and 3D printing a model of the building. The software used for the CAD activity, ‘Onshape’, is the free and widely used. However, this could easily be substituted for any other 3D CAD...

This project consisted of 11 activities which were trialled by London schools, with the support of STEM Ambassadors.

Participating schools and their students benefited through enhanced teaching of key STEM subjects, brought about by providing students with real, engaging activities that use cutting-edge...

This resource provides students with a range of consumer or user profiles that can be used for research and creating project briefs. There are 12 profiles with a range of characteristics, for example: age or gender.

This resources provides a homework choice board for students of design and technology. It suggests a number of homework challenges, differentiated into three areas: junior designer, senior designer or creative director. Homework tasks are varied and could be used to compliment exam revision.

This mock exam tests student understanding of the ethics involved in being a designer. Questions look at sustainability, life cycle analysis and the impact of design on society.

Design for a better world is a design challenge for students aged 11-14 years. It offers students the opportunity to:

• Learn about the global goals for sustainable development.
• Access a range of global contexts including water and sanitation, food security and climate action in which to...