Technology & Design Department
Staff:
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Mrs K McLaughlin – Curriculum Leader
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Mr E Lavery
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Mrs L Moon
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Miss M Turner
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Mrs V Conway
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Mr G Hull - Technician
Facilities:
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4 fully equipped workshops
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2 planning rooms
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2 systems rooms, each with 20 PCs and access to a Laser Cutter, CNC Router and and three 3D printers.
KS3
At KS3 we aim to cover the full Northern Ireland Curriculum for the subject through the various projects we make. Each year group make several practical projects, complimented by appropriate theory, as well as pupils working to develop their sketching and Solidworks skills across the KS3 years.
Year 8
Steady Hand Game
Birdfeeder
Year 9
Trinket Box
Memphis/ De Stijl Style Clock
Year 10
Nightlight
Gumball Machine
And most importantly we always try to make Technology & Design fun for our pupils.
KS4 GCSE
At GCSE we offer CCEA Technology Product: There are four modules which we teach across the two years.
Unit 1- Core Theory -Examined at the end of Year 11 (25%)
Unit 2- Product Design Theory- Examined at the end of Year 12 (25%)
Unit3- Design & Make Controlled Assessment- Examined at the end of Year 12 (50%)
Further information on this course can be found here: http://ccea.org.uk/technology/
KS4 Occupational Studies
We offer two Occupational Studies courses, both of which are very popular with our pupils.
Occupational Studies- Engineering
Year 11 Unit: Electronic Circuit Construction
Year 12 Unit: Computer Aided Design
Occupational Studies- Construction
Year 11 Unit: Bench Joinery
Year 12 Unit: Carpentry & Joinery
Further information on these course can be found here: http://www.rewardinglearning.org.uk/microsites/occupational_studies/
KS5 A-Level
We offer A-Level CCEA Technology & Design: Product Design in the department.
From this specification students can take:
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the AS course as a final qualification; or
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the AS units plus the A2 units for a full GCE A level qualification.
The AS units include a common core of design and materials and a specialised study of:
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systems and control (either electronic and microelectronic systems or mechanical and pneumatic systems); or
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product design- This is what we offer at FHIC
Students also complete a product development task that is internally assessed.
Students who continue to A2 explore systems and control (either electronic and microelectronic systems or mechanical and pneumatic systems) or product design in greater detail than at AS level. The A2 course includes an internally assessed design-and-make task.
Unit Breakdown
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In Year 13 there is a 2 hour exam worth 20% of the A-Level course and a design and make project which includes a ten page A3 portfolio, also worth 20% of the course.
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In Year 14 there is a 2 hour exam worth 30% of the A-Level course and a design and make project which includes a twenty page A3 portfolio, also worth 30% of the course.
See the full specification for more details. This can be found at:
Extra-Curricular
There are two extra-curricular clubs we offer during the school year. Pupils are kept updated by their teachers when these clubs will run.
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KS3 Technology Club
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Lunch time Minecraft Club
W5 Cardboard Regatta Competition
Throughout the 2022/23 academic year, Year 10 and 11 students from six participating schools took part in theory and practical workshops to develop their engineering knowledge.
For the final event, students applied the knowledge they gained throughout the programme to construct a cardboard boat which they displayed at the Showcase event in W5 LIFE.
On Thursday 22nd June 2023, the six teams, alongside their paired industry expert, travelled to W5 LIFE to participate in the programme's Showcase event.
The teams presented their innovative cardboard boat designs and communicated their engineering expertise to the judges.
The team from Fort Hill Integrated College performed fantastically, winning two trophies. One for ‘Best Theme’ and one for winning the ‘Cardboard Regatta Race’. Many thanks must go to the team of Engineers from Energia that supported the pupils over the year.
