Design & Technology

D.T Curriculum Intent

The child is at the very centre of everything we do at Burrough Green. Our Design and technology curriculum aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation, and evaluation. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Through our scheme of work, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements. Our Design and technology curriculum enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum and the aims also align with those in the National curriculum. EYFS (Reception) units provide opportunities for pupils’ to work towards the Development matters statements and the Early Learning Goals.

 

D.T Curriculum Implementation

At Burrough Green, we alternate between teaching Design and technology and Art and design each half term. The Design and Technology units chosen provide coverage of the National curriculum and when combined with the Art and design units give the best overall skills coverage.

The Design and technology units have been carefully selected to ensure gradual progression towards the National Curriculum end of key stage attainment targets and to cover all the design, make, evaluate and technical knowledge strands. Some key areas appear less frequently than others, for example Textiles, and this is deliberate. The National curriculum statements show that working with textiles is only a small element of the Make strand and many of the making techniques covered in our Textiles units are also covered with a range of materials in other units, such as the use of templates, modelling, measuring and marking out, cutting, shaping and joining.

The Design and technology National curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.

The National curriculum organises the Design and technology attainment targets under four subheadings: Design, Make, Evaluate, and Technical knowledge. We have taken these subheadings to be our Primary strands:

● Design ● Make ● Evaluate ● Technical knowledge

Cooking and nutrition is given a particular focus in the National curriculum and we have made this one of our six key areas that pupils revisit throughout their time in primary school: 

● Cooking and nutrition ● Mechanisms/ Mechanical systems ● Structures ● Textiles ● Electrical systems (KS2 only) ● Digital world (KS2 only)

Our Design and technology scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these strands and key areas across each year group. Our Progression of skills shows the skills and knowledge that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage.

Through Design and technology units, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in the six key areas. Each of our key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. We have adopted a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning.

Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.

Strong subject knowledge is vital for staff to be able to deliver a highly effective and robust Design and technology curriculum. Each unit of lessons includes multiple teacher videos to develop subject knowledge and support ongoing CPD. Kapow Primary has been created with the understanding that many teachers do not feel confident delivering the full Design and technology curriculum and every effort has been made to ensure that they feel supported to deliver lessons of a high standard that ensure pupil progression. 

D.T  non-negotiables:

• D.T skills should be taught when linked to topics.
• Teachers are to monitor children’s progress during and at the end of each D.T topic taught.
• They are to monitor against the key skills for their year group and record them.
• Children will be recorded either as: working below, working at, or working above age-related expectations.
• Information will be passed onto the next class teacher.

 

Design and Technology Curriculum Impact

The impact of our curriculum can be constantly monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Each lesson includes guidance to support teachers in assessing pupils against the learning objectives. Furthermore, each unit has a unit quiz and knowledge catcher which can be used at the start and/ or end of the unit.

After the implementation of Design and technology, pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be innovative and resourceful members of society.

• The expected impact of following the Design and technology scheme of work is that children will:
• Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.
• Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating, and manufacturing products.
• Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, CAD, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients, and scenarios.
• Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.
• Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world.
• Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues.
• Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and technology.