Design and Technology

Intent

At Walton-on-Trent Primary School Design Technology should be fully inclusive to every child. We fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Design and Technology, provide a broad and balanced curriculum, ensure the progressive development of knowledge and skills, to learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens through evaluation of past and present design and technology, develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world, to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world using the language of design and technology.

The aims of teaching Design and Technology in our school are:

• Develop creative, technical, and imaginative thinking in children and to develop confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• Enable children to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge,
• Apply a growing body of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• Encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques when making a product, whilst following safe procedures.
• Develop an understanding of technological processes and products, their manufacture, and their contribution to our society.
• Foster enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose in designing and making things.
• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products, and the work of others.
• Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and to learn how to cook.
• Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.
• Children to be inspired to design and make items inside and outside of school.
• All children no matter their needs will have access to the History curriculum, including SEND, and EYFS.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Design Technology, we implement a curriculum that is progressive, engaging, broad and balanced throughout the whole school, including a variety of teaching approaches. At Walton-on-Trent, we ensure that Design Technology is given the same importance as the core subjects, as we feel this is important in enabling all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences.

The DT curriculum at Walton-on-Trent Primary School is based upon the 2014 Primary National Curriculum in England, which provides a broad framework and outlines the knowledge and skills and taught in each Key Stage. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills document alongside the topic guidance on Curriculum Maestro. Teachers can use this document to plan their art and design lessons suitable to their class’s interests, topic and outcomes. The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills and knowledge taught is progressive from year group to year group. The teachers use creative and cross-curricular approaches as well as teaching the subjects independently. As we have mixed classes, we provide suitable learning.

We give children the opportunity to work by themselves and in collaboration with others, on projects in two and three dimensions, and at different scales. We ensure that children are given the opportunities to investigate, explore and develop ideas as well as evaluate, revisit and improve their work. Children also have the opportunity to use a wide range of materials and resources, including computer technology and cooking.

Planning and evaluation of work take place in weekly plans, medium and long-term plans. The Humanities subject leader will complete a book scrutiny to ensure curriculum coverage is consistent.  People with an interest in or expertise in a particular topic or area of history and/or may be invited into school to work with the children. Such visitors may include parents, grandparents, other family members, neighbours and the local community. School trips are also a part of the curriculum delivery to enable children to have a wider experience of a topic.

Impact

Within Design 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 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.