Learning Design and Technology at school helps to prepare students for living and working in a technological world. It stimulates both intellectual and creative abilities, develops skills in communication, problem solving, the application of numbers, and information technology, and develops the personal qualities needed to complete a design project from initial ideas to finished prototype. In the words of James Dyson:

“Design and Technology should be the subject where mathematical brainboxes and science whizzkids turn their bright ideas into useful products.”

Design and Technology at Warminster has long been successful and is housed in an excellent Design Centre, some of the facilities of which are listed below. The team approaches Design and Technology with a real can-do attitude and passion for the subject, and is constantly seeking ways to enhance the provision at the school in keeping with developments in the curriculum and in industry. We encourage the pupils to follow the Scott Adams maxim that “Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Design is knowing which ones to keep.”

All the work we do with the pupils in Years 7 to 9 leads in to the AQA GCSE course in Design and Technology. This is superbly supported by the resources produced by PG Online which enable all pupils to follow the theory content of the course remotely if needs be. The GCSE course leads neatly in to the AQA A Level course in Design and Technology: Product Design. Pupils enjoy the subject and are successful, with most pupils taking home the products they make. Results in recent years have been consistently good and pupils have gone on to read subjects like Architecture, Design and Engineering at a range of universities including Loughborough, Southampton and Winchester.

Facilities Available

Rooming: We have four multi-purpose design studios with capacities of between ten and eighteen pupils.  Three of the studios have a number of PCs on which pupils can access a range of subject specific Computer Aided Design (CAD) software as well as the more standard programmes. Three of the four studios have at least sixteen PCs on which pupils can access a range of subject specific Computer Aided Design (CAD) software as well as the more standard programmes. We also have a large, fully equipped workshop which contains a range of wood, metal and plastic working equipment, some of which is listed below.

Equipment: We have a huge range of machines for working with a variety of different materials. Some of the machines we have include the following: Pillar Drills, Bobbin Sanders, Fretsaws, Bandsaws, Lathes (wood and metal), Manual Milling Machine, Mortiser, Vacuum Former, Dome Blower, Strip Heater, Hot Wire Cutter and Dip Coating facilities. This list is not exhaustive, and in addition, we are fully equipped with hand tools and portable power tools as well. We also have purpose-built facilities for brazing, casting and welding. In addition to all this, the Department has a wide range of CNC equipment including two Laser Cutters, a CNC Router, a Vinyl Cutter/Plotter, a Sublimation Printer and three 3D printers.

Examination Boards

AQA A Level Design and Technology: Product Design
AQA GCSE Design and Technology