Design & Technology

At Rossall we develop our student’s understanding and skills across a number of specialisms, including:

  • Product Design

  • Architecture

  • Design Technology. 

All of our students have the opportunity to work on creative exploration, development and innovation as part of their studies. 

Our approach focuses on enhancing their investigative and analytical skills, as well as building confidence in creative and practical skills. This all takes place under the guidance of our talented and experienced staff, who bring with them a wide range of commercial design experience. 

We have the benefit of light and well equipped studio spaces, extensive workshop facilities and a host of CAD and digital manufacturing equipment to support our pupils imagination and ambitions.

Our students have worked on live architectural projects with local property developers, visited the Vitra Design Museum, travelled to university degree shows and exhibitions, in addition to working in placements in both Transport Design and Product Design. 

We are part of the RIBA schools program allowing our students access to lectures and visits from practising architects, bringing extra inspiration to this aspect of the department’s work.

  • In Key Stage 3 (Years 7 to 9) we cover a varied range of design topics, based around the principals of:

    Design & Technology in Society
    Design Innovation
    Designing and making

    These build the key skills and knowledge needed to follow the subject into GCSE, or to provide skills like research, problem solving and presentation, which can be applied to other courses of study.

    Our pupils get to work with a wide range of materials and processes, including microprocessor controlled systems, laser cutting and CAD computer modelling.

  • Cambridge Pre-U

    At Rossall School we offer the Cambridge Pre-U, a course specialising in Product Design and Architecture, this offers students opportunities for creative exploration, development and innovation. 

    Students opting to study this course will have the opportunity to enhance their investigative and analytical skills through research, recording, development and refinement of ideas. 

    Over the two years of the course they will build confidence in creative and practical skills through consolidated studio-based studies, beginning to understand the relationship between intellectual ideas and resolved designs.

    IB Design and Technology

    IB Design and Technology can be seen as an interface between the sciences and the arts, using principles from both in the design cycle. 

    The Design Technology IB course is based upon a model of learning that incorporates knowledge, skills and design principles in problem solving contexts. 

    Design and Technology develops students’ interdisciplinary skills and their capacity for imaginative, innovative thinking, creativity and independence.

  • Mr Hodgetts, Head of Design & Technology

    Since joining Rossall in 2004 I have covered a combination of Architecture, Product Design and Resistant materials as part of my role as Head of Department. I have always had a passionate interest in all things design related, and it is my aim to pass this on to the students that I teach.

    Having studied both Product Design and Art at degree level, I initially started my career in Product design, where I worked on a range of different product types, before moving into Transport design. I worked on various cars for the best part of a decade as a designer for TVR sports cars, focussing on interior and exterior styling. 

    I have previously worked with undergraduates from Coventry and Huddersfield Universities, as well as giving seminars for students at Glasgow school of art and design, and SCAD in the USA. I am passionate about retaining links with both universities and industry, as I believe this gives our students a better insight into potential career choices, having the opportunity to speak to both students and lecturers, as well as practicing designers is a valuable part of this.

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