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The Howard Partnership Trust (THPT) is a Surrey based Multi-Academy Trust, comprising four secondary, six primary and two special schools with two further under development. We are proud of our ethos of collaboration and inclusion, "Bringing out the best" in students of all abilities and backgrounds. Visit website

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D&T - Resistant Materials Technology

Level GCSE
Exam Board AQA
Website www.aqa.org.uk

GCSE Resistant Materials Technology (RMT) covers a wide range of activities based on designing and making products that are manufactured using materials such as wood, metal and plastics and composites.

As well as learning hand skills, students use a range of industrial processes to shape and form materials into functioning products.

Over the course of two years students develop a whole range of creative designing and making skills, technical knowledge and understanding relating to RMT and invaluable transferable skills such as design strategies, problem solving and time management.

This area of study focuses on designing and making, using different materials and techniques. As part of the making process students learn traditional methods of communicating design through hand drawings and 3D prototype models. Students then progress to specialised 2D & 3D ICT design packages to cover CAD/CAM (Computer Aided Design/Computer Aided Manufacture) and CIM (Computer Integrated Manufacture).

The course prepares students to manufacture design ideas to clients through using a range of materials, such as: pine and mahogany (wood), aluminium and mild steel (metal) and acrylic and HIP (plastics). Prototype models can be produced by hand as well as by CAD/CAM.  Students will be encouraged to make full use of digital cameras, scanners and vinyl cutters in order to produce their products.

Process

  • Knowledge, skills and understanding developed through short focused tasks along with mini design and make activities prior to Easter in Year 10
  • Unit 1 - Designing activities: analysis of design brief, research, specification, initial ideas, starts Easter of Year 10 and to be completed by the summer
  • Unit 1 - Designing activities: review, development, final design to be completed by end of autumn term Year 11
  • Unit 1 - Make activities: plan, make, test and evaluate to be completed by March of Year 11
  • Unit 2 - Written exam taken in summer term of Year 11

Coursework

  • Unit 1 Coursework - Creative design and make activity (60%)    (Easter Year 10 to March Year 11)

Exam Paper

  • Unit 2 End of unit exam - Demonstrate knowledge of resistant materials through multiple choice, short answers, extended writing and design based questions (40%)    (June Year 11)

Post-16 Choices

Many of the students who enjoyed studying GCSE RMT have gone on to study A Level Product Design:

Resistant Materials Technology or Graphic Products. Students can also study any Design and Technology related course post-16. RMT students usually study one or more of the creative subjects including: A Level Art and Design, Media and/or Film; BTEC National Diplomas in Art and Design or Media; the Diploma in Creative and Media or the 14-19 Diploma in Construction and the Built
Environment.

Staff Contact

Miss K Murphy - kmurphy@oxtedschool.co.uk