Design & Technology trip to the Science and Industry Museum

In December, a group of Year 8 students visited the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester to explore a range of new material and techniques used throughout Design & Technology. As we visited the experimental area of the museum, students were able to have a go at lifting a real life MINI in the air through the use of gears and weights, explore a variety of smart materials and were able to understand the impact of recycling and the use of nonrenewable fuels on the environment. We then observed a demonstration on how cotton was manufactured and how it has changed from today including health and safety and the working conditions of the factory workers. This is all great knowledge and understanding which leads perfectly into GCSE Design & Technology. In the afternoon, the students took part in a workshop on Materials and Design. This introduced them to a range of new and exciting materials which students had the opportunity to explore and look at. Following on from this, they were given the contextual challenge of ‘End of days’ where the Earth is toast and 10-foot cockroaches rule. Students has to design an apocalypse-proof super-vehicle to save the day. Each group provided some FANTASTIC ideas and presented their ideas to the judges (the teachers!!) beautifully. Well done, girls! You were a credit to the school!

Mrs Freer, Technology Department

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