Design and Technology
Intent
At St James’, design and technology is taught with the intent to provide children with the opportunity to express themselves creatively and innovatively through real-life contexts. The process of designing, making and evaluating their products enables children to be creative with their ideas, find different ways to construct their ideas, working both collaboratively and independently, and to become critical thinkers and problem-solvers.
Our design and technology curriculum is designed to provide opportunities for all children to develop, extend and consolidate their knowledge and skills progressively, working with a range of materials including mechanics, structures, electrical systems, textiles and food technology. Through this carefully designed curriculum we are preparing children to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
Implementation
Design and technology is taught in either discrete or cross-curricular projects across each term, allowing children to apply the knowledge and skills learned in other subjects, particularly Maths, Science and Art. The time dedicated to design and technology ensures that each topic can be delivered to a high standard and children can create important and useful products, within engaging and meaningful contexts, whilst developing the appropriate technical vocabulary at the same time.
During the EYFS children explore and experiment with a variety of media and materials through both adult led and child initiated activities, setting the foundations for their design and technology journey. These activities fall within the ‘Expressive Arts and Design’ and ‘Physical Development’ strands of the EYFS framework. Children will develop their fine motor skills through the use of a range of small tools including scissors and paintbrushes. They will also begin to express themselves through creating things indoors and outdoors using different materials and experimenting with colour, design and texture.
Across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, the teaching of design and technology follows the expectations set out in the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. Children are taken on a learning journey following the design, make and evaluate cycle. Each project is based around a design and technology subject focus of structures, mechanisms, cooking and nutrition or textiles.
Through the teaching of design and technology, teachers encourage children to consider the impact their product can have on the wider world, to ensure they realise the difference they may make in the future. All children are engaged, yet challenged during design and technology lessons through continuous verbal feedback and through real-life problems presented to them.
Impact
At St James’, children’s learning in design and technology will have developed their confidence in working with textiles, mechanisms, structures, electrical systems and food. By the end of Year 6, children will have a good understanding of how they are able to perform everyday tasks confidently as well as to make an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation through carefully designed products within different contexts.
Children’s learning and understanding is regularly monitored in order to help them be successful in the skills required for design and technology. Summative assessment is conducted termly by class teachers across each year group and is aimed at targeting next steps in learning. Alongside this, formative assessment of children’s learning in design and technology is carried out through ongoing monitoring of children’s understanding, knowledge and skills through targeted levels of questioning and observations of work. Through this we are able to measure the impact of our design and technology curriculum.
Please click here to view the DT subject overview
