Intent of our DT curriculum
Design and technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Creative thinking encourages children to make positive changes to their quality of life. The subject encourages children to become autonomous and creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond by developing ideas and eventually making products and systems. Through the study of design and technology they combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impacts. Families of children who attend Westvale School predominately live and work in an area of profound socioeconomic deprivation. With that, comes poorer health and well-being. In previous years children in year 6 have been identified as having gained more weight than expected when correlated to their weight and height in year Reception. At Westvale, it is our intent to support and encourage healthy eating to enable children to achieve good health and well-being outcomes when they leave year 6. We strive to achieve this by planning and teaching one taught unit of food technology each year in addition to other whole school food and health related activities throughout the academic year.
Design and technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators.
At Westvale Primary School it is our intent that through the teaching of Design and Technology, the children in our school:
- develop imaginative thinking which enables them to talk about what they like and dislike when designing and making;
- are enabled to talk about how things work, and to draw and model their ideas;
- are encouraged to select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safe procedures;
- explore attitudes towards the made world and how we live and work within it;
- develop an understanding of technological processes, products, and their manufacture, and their contribution to our society;
- develop enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making.
- will be able to cook at least one meal from scratch by the time they leave year 6.
Implementation of our DT curriculum
Early Years Foundation Stage
Working within the EYFS 2021 framework, pupils are given the opportunity to develop essential basic skills in design and technology which prepares them for their transition into Year 1.
This is by the teacher creating many opportunities for the children to carry out DT related activities across all areas of learning. Advice is followed from the DT Association EYFS document to inform best practice.
Reception children complete three core projects throughout the year that follow the same format as the rest of the school; Exploring and researching, designing, making and evaluating.
Planning and activities in the EYFS enables children to reach the following Early Learning Goal Statements which are related to Design and Technology:
Early Learning Goal 3 – Self Regulation
- Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control immediate impulses when appropriate. (e.g. goal could be I want to make a model house.)
Early Learning Goal 4 – Managing Self
- Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.
Early Learning Goal 7 – Fine Motor Skills
- Use a range of small tools, including scissors, paintbrushes and cutlery.
Early Learning Goal 16 – Creating with Materials
- Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
- Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.
Key Stage 1 & 2
Children engage in three DT projects a year, which includes the children exploring, researching, designing technical knowledge / skill, making and evaluating. All project work is placed into the child’s individual Design and Technology file which follows the child as he/she moves up the school. This is to ensure that:
- The children remember the long-term content.
- The children understand that they are systematically learning.
- The children can integrate new knowledge into larger concepts
Each project has a cover sheet / knowledge organiser
- Aspect of D&T (e.g. mechanisms).
- Focus (e.g. Sliders and levers).
- Project title (Must include the intended user).
- Key vocabulary
EXPLORING & RESEARCHING
The children explore products linked to their unit. They do this by:
- Carrying out research regarding the product that they are going to make so that they can use this research to support the design of their product.
- Taking the product apart and looking at the material/s used to make it.
- Looking at the different features of the product.
- Establishing how the product is constructed.
- Questioning how effective the product is in its purpose.
- Discussing what could be done to improve the product.
- Linking key vocabulary from the unit taught to the product.
DESIGNING
The children draw/sketch their design and annotate this with information about the design such as, what features they have included in their design. In KS2 pupils begin to use computer aided design (CAD).
During this part of the project the children answer questions such as:
- What materials will I need?
- What tools will I need?
- What technical skills do I need to practise before making this product? (Some of these may have been previously taught skills that need refreshing or completely new skills)
MAKING
The children make their product paying careful attention to the new skills they are learning and building upon previously taught skills.
EVALUATING
The children not only evaluate the effectiveness of their product but also the skills that they have applied. The children also get opportunities to evaluate other children’s work.
Planning
Teachers follow the schools long term plan for DT which has been informed by the Design and Technology Association’s Projects on a Page. Each year group is taught one unit of food technology.
Assessment
Children in each year group are assessed against the success criteria detailed in the medium term plans. This is carried out by the class teacher.
Impact of our DT curriculum
The intended impact of the DT Curriculum is that the majority of children in each year group are working at or above the expected level for their age.
In addition, it is the intended impact that the children:
- Are inspired by the DT Curriculum and want to learn more.
- Show the progression in their skills, knowledge and understanding in the work in their folders.
- Can discuss their learning and remember what they have learnt.
- Can identify some key designers and talk about the impact that their work has had on the world.
- Can cook a minimum of one meal from scratch using fresh ingredients by the time they leave year 6.