It was fantastic to see our Year 9 students using their design thinking during our recent Enrichment Day. As they stand on the threshold of choosing their GCSE options, we opened the doors to the D&T workshop to provide a “sneak peek” into the world of GCSE Design and Technology.

The day was designed to demystify the course structure balancing the technical principles of the written exam with the creative freedom of the Non-Exam Assessment (NEA). However, rather than just talking about design, we got straight into the making!

Students were set a fast-paced “Design Fix” challenge. The brief? Create a functional smartphone stand using only a limited palette of card, paper and art straws.

To succeed, their prototypes had to meet a strict professional specification:

• Versatility: Support a device in both portrait and landscape orientations.

• Functionality: Feature an integrated access point for a charging cable.

• Stability: Hold the weight of a device without collapsing.

The highlight of the sessions wasn’t just the final models, but the “lightbulb moments” that happened in between. Students quickly learned that the first idea is rarely the best one.

We focused heavily on Iterative Design, the process of prototyping, testing, and refining. It was brilliant to see students:

Testing: Placing a phone on their rig and watching where it wobbled.

Evaluating: Identifying that a straw joint was too weak or the base was too narrow.

Adapting: Using triangulation or reinforced card folds to solve the problem.

The variety of solutions was staggering; we saw everything from minimalist geometric frames to complex, reinforced “truss” structures.

This session gave students a genuine taste of the problem solving and resilience required at GCSE level. D&T isn’t just about making products; it’s about identifying a need and engineering a solution that works in the real world.

The energy in the room was electric, and if the quality of these prototypes is anything to go by, the future of British design is in very safe hands.

Mrs Hewitt Design and Technology Teacher