Students are taught to:

 

• Look at products to see how they work, how they are used, whether they meet their user's needs, whether they use materials efficiently and what environmental impacts the products might have.
• Practise practical skills and tasks.
• Design and create their own products. 

 

Students learn to design and make proper working products. Although these will usually be one-off models, they also compare their work with mass production techniques.

 

Before starting a project, students think carefully about what they have been asked to do and how to meet the needs of the end user. They plan their projects responsibly, making their own decisions about how best to use time, money and resources. They use computersat various stages in their work and, sometimes, work in teams.  The products use plastics, metal, wood, 'smart' materials such as heat-sensitive fabrics, and electrical, electronic and pneumatic parts.