Design Technology
Our Subject Leader for Design and Technology is Mrs Holmes.
Design and Technology prepares children to deal with tomorrows rapidly changing world. Throughout primary school, it develops skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food. Design Technology encourages children's creativity and supports pupils to become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers, both as individuals, and part of a team.
The Design Technology Curriculum at St Josephs:
- Enables children to develop the skills they need for designing and making through range of creative and practical activities.
- Provides opportunities for children to work in a range of relevant contexts, reflecting the real world.
- Develops children’s ability to investigate, analyse and evaluate a range of products, applying their understanding and technical knowledge across a range of products and materials.
- Develops the understanding and skills needed to prepare and cook healthy food.
- Develops transferable skills, such as, communication, resilience, team-work and problem solving.
INTENT
At St Joseph’s Design and Technology education involves two important elements - learning about the designed and made world and how things work, and learning to design and make functional products for particular purposes and users. Children acquire and apply knowledge and understanding of materials and components, mechanisms and control systems, structures, existing products, quality and health and safety.
The skills learned in D&T also help with learning across the curriculum. Knowledge about the properties of materials helps in science and the practice of measuring accurately helps in maths. These skills help in IT through the children’s use of computer control and, naturally, in art and design. Design and Technology encourages children to be creative and innovative. Our Design Technology education helps develop children’s skills through collaborative working and problem-solving, and knowledge in design, materials, structures, mechanisms and electrical systems.
There are three core activities children engage within Design and Technology:
● Activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products
● Focused tasks in which children develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills
● Designing and making activities in which children design and make 'something' for 'somebody' for 'some purpose'
These three activities are combined in sequence to create a Design and Technology project.
Implementation
At St Joseph’s Design Technology skills are taught in blocks of lessons, across the year, through a broad range of themes that make Design Technology Projects relevant and enjoyable for the children. Enrichment activities, trips and workshops are also incorporated to enhance their Cultural Capital. We also use the DaTA Projects on a page scheme, to ensure that key aspects, skills and vocabulary are taught across all key stages.
Planning of DT lessons follows a process of research, design, make and evaluate. Evidence of pupil’s work and progress is recorded in topic books, project booklets and on Seesaw. Through the use of high quality resources, and by making clear links with Maths, Geography, History and Science, children are able to apply their skills and to deepen their learning across the curriculum.
- Curriculum overview
- Research, Design, make, evaluate cycle.
Assessment of children's learning in Design Technology undertaken through ongoing monitoring of children's understanding, knowledge and skills by the class teacher, throughout lessons. This assessment is then used to inform differentiation, support and challenge required by the children.
Design Technology is also monitored by the subject leader throughout the year in the form of topic book and Seesaw scrutinies, looking at outcomes and pupil interviews to discuss their learning and understanding and establish the impact of the teaching taking place.
- End of Key stage expectations (skills progression)
Early Years
In the early years, a range of construction materials are available within indoor and outdoor continuous provision. This ranges from lego to crates and planks in the garden. There is a designated construction area in the classroom where children can select different construction materials. In this area there are also clipboards and pencils for recording designs. Different construction resources are included in provision on tough trays. Further Craft materials and play dough are available on the craft table. Probing questions are asked by staff about what children have made, how they made it and what they would do to improve it. Regular hands-on cooking activities take place across the year. The children learn to use tools safely and correctly including knives, peelers, graters. The bridge and claw grip are introduced as well as the fundamentals of food hygiene. A range of fiction and nonfiction books with a STEM focus available in the reading area and shared as a class. Throughout the year there are more formal planned 3 part design make and evaluate opportunities.
IMPACT
All children at St. Joseph’s receive a broad and balanced curriculum, recently updated for 2022/2024. Every child, regardless of year group or ability, accesses all subjects on offer and Design Technology is developed throughout the curriculum.
Children work both independently and as part of a group, ensuring skills of resilience and teamwork are promoted in DT. Children are enthused and engaged in the wide variety of projects, activities and opportunities they are exposed to in DT.
Class trips, visitors and links within our local environment ensure our children understand the significance within the wider world; we ensure that these experiences excite and inspire children’s thirst for knowledge.
