Intent
Design and Technology (D&T) is a practical subject aiming to develop children’s capabilities to design and make products that not only work well, but that also respond to identified needs. D&T shows how products are created for a real context and situation. It develops the skills, knowledge and understanding of our children in the processes of design.
The breadth of our D&T curriculum is designed with three goals in mind:
- To provide appropriate experiences to develop as confident, responsible citizens;
- To provide a rich ‘cultural capital’;
- To provide a coherent, structured, Design Technology curriculum that leads to sustained mastery for all and a greater depth of understanding for those who are capable
DATA states how providing opportunities for pupils to enhance and develop capabilities, design skills and the knowledge to support creativity and final high-quality products is the underlying ethos of design and technology. Using their explicit project planning boards, this will give way to supply both teachers and children with the best building blocks for good practice throughout their learning. Aligning with our local curriculum, we will be able to meet local needs and interests.
Implementation
Our Design and Technology Curriculum design is based on Chris Quigley Essentials Curriculum. and is underpinned by the curriculum drivers. Our curriculum is a year group specific programme which covers all design and technology areas from Early Years to Key Stage One.
There are four main areas which run through every phase of our school. These are colour coded on the roadmap supporting the children’s use during lessons and at home with their families. They are: Structures, Cooking and Nutrition, Mechanical Systems and Textiles.
As the children progress into KS2 (Year 3-6), they build on the skills covered in KS1 and develop further aspects of mechanical systems, structures, textiles, food. They also start to apply their learning in science through applying their electricity knowledge to a design project. In working this way the children work and develop their understanding throughout the primary phase.
The ‘threshold concepts’ are what pupils should understand and the skills they should develop. In design and technology, these are returned to again and again across all year groups, they are what develops the designing and making skills. These include:
- Master practical skills
- Design, make, evaluate and improve
- Take inspiration from design throughout history
- This returning to the same thing again and again is called interleaving.
Impact
Through the explicit teaching of skills in Design and Technology, both the teachers and the pupils assess their learning continuously throughout the lesson. To help children get to a deep level of understanding we return to the threshold concepts again and again.
Children develop each concept over time to get to a deeper level of understanding at the appropriate age. For example, in Year 1, children will have a basic understanding of design and technology at an age appropriate level, but by revisiting this they should have a deeper level of understanding and have developed their skills by Year 2.
