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Design and Technology
Intent
At Beckermet Primary School, our design technology curriculum intends to develop children’s critical thinking and making skills by challenging them to solve problems based on initial exploration, leading to solving problems based on real life contexts. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks through drafting, creating, drawing and realising a range of design ideas, modelling and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their own work and the work of others.
Implementation
At Beckermet Primary School, and in accordance with the National Curriculum’s expectations we aim to ensure that all pupils experience an array of different progressive and linkable skills and techniques from EYFS to Year 6. This ensures that children are building on previous learning and are able to expand their knowledge and understanding of problem solving, designing and constructing different products.
To ensure full curriculum coverage and a clear progression of skills, we follow the ‘Kapow’ combined scheme of work which emphasises the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate.
Each stage is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding required for each strand. The National curriculum organises the Design technology attainment targets into 5 strands:
• Design
• Make
• Evaluate
• Technical knowledge
• Cooking nutrition
Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, that focuses on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.
Pupils respond to design briefs and real-life scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in five key areas:
• Mechanisms
• Structures
• Textiles
• Cooking and nutrition
• Electrical systems (KS2)
Each of the key areas has a theme or focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition area of the curriculum. The key areas are revisited with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to build on their previous learning.
EYFS
Through Expressive Arts children are encouraged to construct and create purposefully selecting tools and techniques needed to shape, assemble and join materials they are using. Children learn through first-hand experiences which involve putting their ideas into practice to develop an awareness and understanding of the possibilities and limitations of different materials. Staff encourage children to explore, observe, solve problems, think critically, make decisions and talk about why they have made their decisions as they design and create. Children’s natural creativity is fostered and opportunities for investigation, designing and making are offered daily within the provision, enabling children to learn about their world.
Impact
The impact of Design Technology can be constantly monitored through formative and accumulative assessment. Pupils are assessed against learning objectives and initial design briefs.
After the implementation of Kapow Primary Design and technology, pupils should leave school equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in education and be innovative and resourceful members of society.
The impact of the design technology curriculum is measured through the monitoring cycle in school. This includes:
• Lesson observations
• Project Monitoring
• Learning walks
• Discussions with class teachers
• Pupil interviews
Monitoring is used to measure whether:
• Pupils enjoy and are enthusiastic about design technology in school.
• Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.
• Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating and manufacturing products.
• Build and apply a range of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, and products to fulfill the needs of users, clients and scenarios.
• Understand and use the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.
• Self evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.
• Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions and events in history and recognise where our decisions can impact the school and wider world.
EYFS/ Expressive arts and design- Design Technology
Through Expressive Arts children are encouraged to construct and create purposefully selecting tools and techniques needed to shape, assemble and join materials they are using. Children learn through first-hand experiences, which involve putting their ideas into practice to develop an awareness and understanding of the possibilities and limitations of different materials. Practitioners encourage children to explore, observe, solve problems, think critically, make decisions and talk about why they have made their decisions as they design and create.
Click this link to view the National Curriculum programs of study for Primary Design and Technology.
Click this link to view the EYFS framework.
