Design & Technology

Intent

All children at Eling will:

• explore and experience creative opportunities to develop their Design / Technology knowledge and skills

• be introduced to a range of products and designs

• be reflective and able to evaluate their DT work to help them to think about how they can make changes and keep improving

Implementation

• All children will be explicitly taught DT knowledge and skills as well as frequently re-visiting and applying their skills through their cross-curricular topics.  For example, we will make links between Design and Technology and Science when learning about nutrition and healthy diets.  We will make links with mathematical ideas of shape and space, for example when thinking about 3D shapes to support structures. Children will play DT purple mash games in ICT and use tools and construction materials in art and project time.

• Assessment will be carried out by teachers and fed back to the subject leader.  Assessment will be summarised at the end of each half term to monitor progression and depth of learning.

• The subject leader will conduct regular work monitoring and pupil conferencing.

• Pupils will be clear what the intended outcomes are and have a means to measure and reflect on their own work against this.  Children are encouraged to take risks and experiment and then reflect on why some techniques and ideas are successful or not for a particular project.

Impact 

Our Design and Technology Curriculum will be high quality, well thought out and planned to demonstrate progression. We will measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:  a reflection on standards achieved against the planned outcomes, pupil evaluation and pupil conferencing.

The Curriculum

We aim to promote quality learning and capability of Design and Technology by combining designing and making skills alongside knowledge and understanding in order to develop the children’s creative, technical and practical expertise.  Through Design and Technology the children are encouraged to work with tools, equipment, materials and components, in a safe environment, and to produce good quality products.  Recognising that evaluation of the process and products are key to this, they are encouraged to reflect, test and critique ideas in order to build on their existing knowledge and understanding.  In key stage 1 the children follow the National Curriculum programme of study.

The children may be presented with a topic-based problem from which they discuss and think about.  Their task is to design a possible solution that is tested and, if necessary, modified. They are encouraged to continually evaluate their skills and on completion of the task to reflect and make suggestions which could improve either their own, or others' work.  As much of this work is incorporated within the current theme children will develop the skills of reasoning and assessment linked to the design process.

Design, make and evaluate

• To critique, evaluate and test existing ideas and products

• To learn and use technical vocabulary

• To communicate their ideas through talking, drawing and templates

• To design purposeful functional products based on design criteria

• To select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks 

• To evaluate and improve their products

• To use the past and present as a source of design inspiration

• To understand the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes

• To understand where food comes from.

Technical Knowledge

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils will design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others needs, wants and values.

The curriculum will support the acquisition of a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. We will encourage pupils to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative and enterprising.

Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, pupils will develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

In Year R the children follow the Early Learning Framework  in which they work towards early learning goals in Expressive Arts and Design (Creating with Materials).

Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and use a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with design, form and function.  It also provides opportunities and encouragement for sharing their creations, explaining the process they have used.  The children are encouraged to make use of props and materials when role-playing characters in narratives and stories.

Reviewed by Subject Leader - February 2023