Year 7
Building Essential Foundations
Students begin their design journey with fundamental skills across multiple disciplines. In our D&T Practical Workshop, they create their first major project—a trinket box—while learning essential workshop safety, accurate marking out, and quality finishing techniques. Students master basic woodworking skills including sanding, drilling, and joining methods, alongside textile skills through felt keyring creation.
Our Food and Nutrition program introduces kitchen safety and basic cooking techniques through dishes like couscous salad, tuna balls, and crispy chicken. Students learn to work with high-risk foods safely while developing chopping, mixing, and cooking skills. The program concludes with understanding the Eat Well Guide and essential nutritional knowledge.
Core Theory studies provide the conceptual foundation, covering the design process, sustainable living through the 6Rs, material properties, and product evolution. Students explore iconic designs and understand how products develop over time, studying materials from timber and metals to polymers and textiles.
Year 8
Developing Specialised Skills
Year 8 deepens expertise through more complex projects requiring advanced planning and execution. The Push Along Toy project develops sophisticated woodworking skills while introducing product analysis, specification writing, and evaluation techniques. Students learn to interpret working drawings, apply quality control measures, and explore permanent and temporary joining methods.
In African Textiles, students create block-printed cushions inspired by traditional patterns. They master tie-dye techniques, embellishment methods including beading, and gain confidence with sewing machines. The project integrates cultural appreciation with technical textile skills.
Food and Nutrition advances to cover macro and micro nutrients, food sources and environmental impact, and specialised techniques like pastry making and bread dough preparation. Students learn about raising agents, seasonality, and complete an independent cooking assessment demonstrating their accumulated skills.
Year 9
Mastering Advanced Techniques
Our final Key Stage 3 year challenges students with sophisticated projects requiring independent planning and execution. The T-Shirt Customisation project combines fashion design with technical textile skills. Students create personal design journals, explore decades-themed inspiration, and master surface pattern techniques including brusho inks, image transfer, and fabric manipulation.
The Amplifier Project integrates electronics, CAD/CAM technology, and resistant materials work. Students learn Computer Aided Design, laser cutting, soldering, and circuit construction while considering social, ethical, and cultural design factors. This project perfectly demonstrates the integration of traditional craft skills with modern technology.
Food and Nutrition reaches advanced levels, covering dietary influences, commodity knowledge, and specialised cooking techniques. Students explore different cultural cuisines, understand various dietary requirements, and complete challenging baking projects culminating in an independent assessment.
The Cable Tidy Project introduces industrial processes, including injection moulding and vacuum forming, while developing CAD skills and packaging design. Students experience the complete design-to-manufacture process using professional equipment and software.
Contact
The Thomas Adams School
Lowe Hill
Wem
Shropshire
SY4 5UB
Tel: +44 1939 237000