DESIGN & TECHNOLOGY
IGS working in partnership with JCareyDesign Ltd
One Sheet Challenge - Inspired by Industry focus
At Ilkley Grammar school, we have a large D&T department with a team of ten teaching staff delivering six different qualifications. At A-level, we deliver the popular AQA Product Design and AQA Fashion & Textiles courses, with pupils having previously studied one or more of the following: OCR Engineering Design; AQA D&T in either Resistant Materials, Electronics or Textiles specialisms.
We also accept pupils from the Art GCSE due to the crossover in foundational skills and knowledge. Each year we have pupils joining the sixth from other local secondary schools therefore our cohort have varying skills, knowledge and creativity starting the A-levels.
First Term
In the first term, pupils studying product design complete two short, practical focused projects providing a strong understanding of hand tools, machines, and processes, including CAD using CoralDraw and OnShape, CAM outputs through the laser cutter and 3D printers.
They work in softwood, plywood, HIPs, acrylics, PLA printing, laser cutting whilst also processing mild steel. These base skills and knowledge support pupils to begin making informed decisions about their future projects whilst simultaneously reinforcing knowledge necessary for their base materials and process elements in the examination unit.
Industry Links
In addition, as a team, we felt it was crucial that the KS5 pupils had links with industry, universities and potential careers and this began our partnership between the Product Design course and JCareyDesign Ltd. JCareyDesign are a commercial furniture design and manufacturing company producing complex, bespoke projects for customers across the UK and abroad.
They have a large design and manufacturing unit based a short distance away, providing factory tours to our D&T students-an offer that has been taken up by our students for a number of years. Following on from the tours, myself and Richard Tillotson, the Installation Director, felt we facilitate a deeper experience for students, both in their links with JCareyDesign, but also with the design, prototype, production knowledge and overall experience they could gain, whatever their Post 18 route.
One Sheet Challenge
This link leads us to our third project, the One Sheet Challenge, which is delivered in the second term of year 12. This is set as a practice NEA project embedding the research, investigation, design and prototype pathway to create a series of potential designs for JCareyDesign to review. Careys created a brief for students to design and prototype a product to be manufactured from one 3050 x 1220 x 18mm sheet of MDF.
The project begins with a Carey’s factory tour and design meeting, where they are introduced to the company, the design process, the manufacturing processes available and the various outcomes which could be possible. Pupils then spend time in school, working independently through the project. Approximately halfway through, a small team from JCareyDesign come into IGS and host 1:1 discussions with students to talk through their initial designs and 3D models and offer direct feedback to improve them, based on commercial production knowledge and techniques.
Final Task
To conclude the One Sheet Challenge project, pupils use their feedback from the JCD team to develop their design to a commercially viable outcome. Their final task is a formal presentation to the JCareyDesign team where they present a final scale model in corrugated card, full technical drawings, nesting drawings, fixtures and fittings decisions and costings. There’s then much deliberation between the professionals and myself to conclude which is the winning design from the year 12 cohort. This year we have had one winner, Francis Hein, with his bike stand, plus a runner up, Cassia Gee, with dragon bookcase with a highly commendable award to Alex Hartley for his sliding image.
Manufacture
Both Francis and Cassia have been invited to spend a day in the design office at JCareyDesign and transform their designs from strong concepts into full working technical drawings ready for production. From here JCareyDesign will fully manufacture the finished products in the students’ chosen sheet material, including their desired finish! In September, our year 13s will return to JCareyDesign, alongside our new year 12s to discuss the project and then be presented with the final outcomes, which are theirs to keep!
Overall
This project and relationship offers Product Design pupils at IGS a wealth of design and manufacturing experience, both in the journey they must go on, shown through the skills of discussion, modification and improvement within their designs, but also the exposure to commercial manufacture techniques, integrating components, reviewing costings and dealing with professionals across the manufacturing spectrum. It provides pupils with a wealth of knowledge to confidently step into their final NEA coursework project with the aim to complete the product to a high standard.
Feedback from pupils
Alex: “They provided supportive feedback where you can discuss and then consider the limitations of materials, which allowed me to maximise the design”
Adam: “I enjoyed the factory tour; it was great to get a context of what can be manufactured and the seeing the processes in action”
Rachel Eyles | Curriculum Leader of Design & Technology
