Design and Technology

"With God, all things are possible" Matthew 19:26

Design and Technology prepares children to take part in the development of our rapidly changing world. Creative thinking encourages children to make positive changes to their quality of life. Through our DT curriculum, we encourage pupils to become autonomous and creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Pupils identify needs and opportunities and respond by developing ideas and eventually making products and systems. Through the study of Design and Technology, our children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industrial practices.

At Crowton, we will ensure our children become creative designers by making sure they meet the National Curriculum expectations, to:

▪ 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

All teachers provide inclusive, quality first teaching in DT by planning and delivering engaging and effective teaching and learning for their class. We follow the National Curriculum and primarily use the CUSP Scheme of Work as a guide to support teachers with their planning and assessment.

Design and Technology involves learning about the world we live in and developing the technical knowledge and skills that enable our children to make products that people want and that work well. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Design and Technology is planned in line with the statements laid out in the National Curriculum and with cross-curricular links where possible. All children receive discrete Design and Technology lessons with additional opportunities for cross-curricular links such as whole school STEM days and extracurricular activities after school.

Our children learn: what makes a healthy and varied diet, where food comes from, how products are designed and constructed, what different tools and materials can be used for, how manufacturing processes can be sustainable.

Our children are able to: evaluate existing and own products, design and make new products to fulfil a particular need, choose appropriate materials and tools and cook a variety of dishes. Our designers are confident, independent, resilient and hold high expectations of themselves. The children have individual Design and Technology scrapbooks books which show progression in their work and evidence of their knowledge and skills.

Intent

Design and Technology at Crowton 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.

In DT, we aim to provide all children with the opportunity to explore their own creative, technical and practical expertise (and that of others) to then make products that solve real and relevant problems. We want to develop all pupils’ interest and enjoyment of DT, helping children understand how DT education makes an essential contribution to creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Teachers aim to link work to other subjects such as Reading, Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art. Children learn how to take risks through high-quality design and technology experiences. Children will leave Crowton as problem solvers and future innovators.

Implementation

All teachers provide inclusive, quality first teaching in Design and Technology by planning and delivering engaging and effective teaching and learning for their class. At Crowton, we follow the National Curriculum and primarily use the CUSP Scheme of Work as a guide to support teachers with their planning and assessment. As we have two mixed-age classes, children come across knowledge and vocabulary in a two or four year rolling program to ensure National Curriculum coverage, whereas skills are built upon each academic year.

In addition to the core knowledge required to be successful within each discipline, the curriculum outlines key aspects of development in the Working as a Designer section. Each module will focus on promoting different aspects of these competencies and will be evident in every unit. This will support teachers in understanding pupils’ progress as designers more broadly, as well as how successfully they are acquiring the taught knowledge and skills.

In KS1, pupils are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment]. They will learn about the work of a range craft makers and designers. Learning in KS2, pupils will be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment]. They will learn about the work of a range craft makers and designers. The curriculum is built around design questions such as ‘How can you repurpose an item of clothing?’ as we are aiming to get the pupils to solve problems using their designs. As well as teaching pupils the key knowledge, we aim to give pupils skills that are needed to solve problems in real life.

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 vocabulary progression also forms part of the units of work. We use books from Key Stage 1 to enable children to explore ideas and practise skills and keep a record of their learning.

Children will have clear enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will then apply their skills and knowledge to other areas of the curriculum. Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities the pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. The children will gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on further learning in High School. Pupil’s skills and knowledge are assessed in an ongoing manner by the class teacher, throughout lessons.

Pupils 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, and products to fulfil the needs of users 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 their impact on 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.