Design & Technology

Intent

Our intent for DT at Swaffield is that our children will: Design, Make and Evaluate. We do this through the 3 S’s approach to each unit of work – which is that we are making Something, for Someone, in a Situation. We want our children to use creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, for an ever-changing world where technology is developing at a rapid rate. We intend for all children to acquire appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum or the Early Years Framework. It is our aim to create strong cross curricular links with other subjects, such as Mathematics, Science, Computing, and Art. We want Design and Technology to prepare our children, to give them the opportunities, responsibilities, and experiences they need to be successful in later life.

Design
Our Design and Technology curriculum aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle from the generation of ideas to creation and evaluation. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing.

Make
We want our children to be able to use tools and equipment with increasing skill and confidence and to understand and to understand and select materials and components (including ingredients) based on their aesthetic and functional properties.

Evaluate
We want our children to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. We want them to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and to encourage them to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements.

Implementation

We use the Kapow scheme of work to teach Design and Technology an adapt it to meet the needs of our school. For example, in Year 2 the children make a ‘Moving Monster’ based on the Lonely Beast they read as a text in English. Year 5 design and make a bridge which links to their learning in History about the Victorians.

There are six key areas which are revisited within each key stage, with Electrical Systems and Digital world beginning in KS2. These areas are:

• Structures
• Mechanisms/Mechanical Systems
• Textiles
• Cooking and nutrition
• Digital world
• Electrical systems

We follow a spiral curriculum where our children revisit and develop the same core skills as they move up in the school, encountering a progression in creative challenge and autonomy.
Link to Long Term plan which gives examples of the progression of knowledge and skills from Nursery to Year 6.

This Progression of knowledge and skills document shows the skills that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage.

Children in Early Years are given opportunities to experience and experiment with a wide range of materials, techniques and purposes, developing a keen interest in designing and making. This knowledge of artistic materials, artists and techniques progresses as our children move up through the school.
Our children are also given the opportunity to continue to develop their skills through events such as Enterprise Week and after school clubs such as Cookery Club.

Impact

The impact of our Design Technology curriculum is consistently monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. We assess pupils against the learning objectives in each lesson and use knowledge catchers and quizzes at the beginning and end of every unit, allowing clear assessment of children’s understanding and progression. After delivering our broad design and technology curriculum, our children leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be innovative and resourceful members of society.