Construction

Intent

At KS3 the Construction Curriculum provides students with the opportunity to gain a broad knowledge and understanding of the Construction industry. Students will develop practical skills together with skills such as interpreting and analysing information, identifying the infrastructure required for safe and efficient work, and understanding how client needs can shape building design.  

The Construction Curriculum at KS4 allows students to study BTEC Construction and the Built Environment. The qualification is the same size and level as a GCSE and is aimed at everyone who wants to find out more about construction and the built environment. It will give students the opportunity to learn about one of the most important sectors in the UK economy. Students will study the following three compulsory units, covering the fundamental knowledge, skills and understanding required for construction technology and design: 

• construction technology
• scientific and mathematical application for construction
• construction and design

Students will build on the knowledge gained in the compulsory units by studying one further unit called ‘exploring carpentry and joinery principles and techniques’. This unit provides students with an opportunity to develop a wider understanding and appreciation of a specific aspect of the construction industry and includes practical work. 

This qualification will enable students to develop a theoretical and practical knowledge of the built environment alongside some practical skills. It will also enable students to engage with the mathematical and scientific principles that underpin the construction industry, and to explore the impact of design through research and the application of their own ideas in response to a design brief. This qualification will allow students to progress to further vocational study at level 3, such as a BTEC National in Construction and the Built Environment, or Engineering, or academic study such as A levels. The broad content may help successful learners enter a range of apprenticeships, for example in craft trades or built environment design.  

Learning Journey

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KS3 Product Design and Construction

In year 7, 8 all students study 140 minutes of Product Design per week. The course includes a diverse range of projects, materials and tools and seeks to inform students about the use of design in society as well as to develop their practical design and manufacturing skills.

Students rotate throughout the year so will have a project lasting between 7 and 10 weeks, which introduces students to a range of materials, properties and working practices. In year 9 students undertake two projects in Product Design or Construction as they rotate only twice allowing for a more sustained focus on an area they will have chosen through the year 8 option process. Students are able to choose their favourite two specialisms and focus upon these during year 9.

Projects in Product Design will involve: Manufacture of a pencil box made from a range of woods and utilising CADCAM manufacturing techniques and veneering. The project also includes vacuum forming and finishing techniques. The second project is the design and manufacture of a desk lamp. Students are asked to draw upon the skills and experiences they have had throughout year 7 and 8 and then put this to use within the development of a lamp.

Projects in Construction involve: Developing skills and understanding in the design and manufacture of wood joints as it pertains to joinery and carpentry in construction and an architecture unit which teaches students to respond to a client brief, developing and modelling a range of house designs to suit the needs of a client.

BTEC Construction

The Construction course is a fun and challenging way to develop an appreciation of the construction industry in society. This course builds upon the learning from KS3 in both practical and theoretical aspects. Students participate in practical construction in the woodwork specialism learning about the correct choice and application of tools and then progress to develop their practical skills. Students also study the application of mathematics in construction as it may pertain to architects in order to develop workable house designs and as it pertains to practical trades in calculating the pitch of a roof or quantities of building materials as in the case of a quantity surveyor. Students complete a unit on house design providing a taste or architecture and complete an external examination on the theory associated with house design and construction, learning about everything from constructing foundations to fitting a roof and internal finishes. The course provides a combination of practical assessment, project work and examination providing students with a thorough appreciation of the construction sector.

Further details of our BTEC course can be found here.

Extended Independent Reading

The Art, Design and Technology extended reading list may be downloaded here.