Design & Technology

Any pupil at LGS who is keen to pursue an engineering related career will find in this department all the facilities and high level teaching skills that are a must. Our exclusive building has its own rustic charm – situated far enough away from the rest because of all the noise we make! Inside is an extensive range of machinery and related facilities ensuring that our pupils become experienced in all resistant materials with an emphasis on metals, plastics and wood products.

Our Wood based area consists of a Design Studio with computer facilities and a practical area for the production of designed artefacts. Incorporated is a separate and fully equipped machine shop for the preparation and machining of materials. The Metal area has its own Technology suite that includes drawing and computer facilities. Alongside is a practical area with benches for hand skills and an engineering area with manual lathes and vertical milling machinery. There is also a computer controlled engraver for small CAM projects linked to a hot metal working area with welding, brazing and casting facilities.

These studies are on offer from Year 8 and can be continued right through the curriculum to Advanced Level. The first year is largely spent on the attainment of practical skills in line with our belief that meaningful design cannot be accomplished without a sound background of production knowledge. After that, our pupils will have opted to study and can enjoy practicing the linked skills of designing a product before realising it through to production. This GCSE course is comprised of 50% coursework with the rest of the final grade coming from a theory examination. Product Design at A Level also involves a high element of coursework which is demanding upon both time and commitment. Despite this, candidates from both the Grammar and High Schools have constantly reported back that this is a highly satisfying and rewarding course.