DT

Intent

We believe that through technological approaches, children learn to generate new ideas, make decisions, develop independence and take responsibility for their environment.

This enables children to develop their constructional and manipulative skills and their awareness of appropriate tools and materials which foster an understanding of the working environment and how Design & Technology is used in everyday life and in a variety of cultural settings.

We aim to encourage pupils to develop their Design and Technology capability through combining designing and making skills with the knowledge and understanding in order to design and make products. This should be done through offering each child a range of opportunities to develop their Design and Technology capability, irrespective of age, gender, belief or ability.

Implementation

The scheme of work for Design and Technology provides a two year rolling programme of opportunities for children to engage in:

assignments in which children design and make products;
focussed practical tasks in which they develop and practise particular skills and knowledge;
activities in which they investigate, dissemble and evaluate simple products

Design and Technology may be planned within a context (ie. as part of a topic), or as a subject in its own right.

Teaching methods should match the abilities and interests of each pupil and the context within which Design and Technology is being learned.

A range of teaching and learning approaches will be used including:

practical tasks;
teacher led presentation;
group and collaborative work;
individual work;
talking and discussion with other pupils and adults;
a range of graphical means of recording;

Classrooms are organised where possible to promote the development of independent skills.

Safe and tidy work is encouraged at all times.

Impact

Within design and technology, we strive to prepare children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. We aim to encourage children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology, children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impact. Our design and technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the units of work

Design & Technology National Curriculum

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.