Intent
Our Design & Technology curriculum is designed to inspire pupils to be imaginative and creative. We want our children to be inventive, resourceful and innovative and for them to be confident to take risks. We intend for all pupils to gain knowledge in the product design cycle, building on the planning and ideas, creation and evaluation stages and their technical knowledge year on year so that they know more and remember more. They will design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values – skills they will take with them into later life to succeed. Wherever possible we aim to exploit links to other subjects in order for children to make connections and build on their knowledge.
Implementation
In EYFS, D&T skills are learnt through child led activities within areas such as PSHE, Physical Development, Understanding the World and Expressive Arts and Design. These activities promote children to explore how things work, select resources and develop their own ideas and ways to express them. From a more practical perspective, they learn how to use one-handed tools correctly and safely helping them develop their fine motor skills and get to practise constructing items using kits and a variety of materials. Working through a series of projects also teaches them to not only share their ideas but also their final creations explaining their process as they do.
In Key Stages 1&2, D&T is taught discretely, and all projects cover the five key areas of the subject. Every two years they complete a project on mechanisms/mechanical systems, textiles, structures and food with the addition of electrical systems in KS2. Working on the same areas allows for progression from the previous undertakings but within a different context to add variety. Each assignment encompasses the skills of designing, making and reviewing with lessons taking the children through these processes a step at a time. We start with evaluating existing products to supply them with the knowledge they need to select materials and produce ideas for a design before moving on to the construction stage. As they make their item, they use the skills they have acquired lower down the school as well as new ones and apply problem-solving skills when needed. Once they have finished making, they are taught how to review the project by reflecting on the successes as well as the things they would change.
Impact
Our D&T lessons see children progress in a variety of skills by building on the same aspects of the subject each year, taking what they have learned previously and applying it to new projects that use similar techniques that then add to their knowledge. Experiencing the same process of designing, making and evaluating a product but within a different context, enables them to develop those abilities but also become better at adapting to new problems that are presented to them along the way.
However, it is not only these practical skills we help them acquire, but also life skills that they can take with them into further education and the working world. We hope that D&T makes them better at collaborating in a team which in turn will mean they are more confident to express their own opinions at the same time as taking on others’ ideas. Through D&T our children gain an enjoyment for working with others towards a common goal. It gives them the chance to become more able at problem solving which is something that can be applied to all areas of life.
