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Design & Technology
Design and Technology prepares children to take part in the development of today’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. Design and Technology helps all children to become discriminating and informed consumers and potential innovators. We live in a technological age, surrounded by artefacts and systems which have been produced, designed and made for us by other humans working together in a complex range of activities.
Curriculum Intent, Implementation and Impact
Intent
To build a Design Technology curriculum which develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills. Children will know more, remember more and understand more.
To design a design technology curriculum with appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum Design Technology Programmes of study, to fulfil the duties of the NC whereby schools must provide a balanced and broadly-based curriculum which promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental and physical development of pupils and prepares them for the opportunities and responsibilities and experiences for later life
Implementation
Clear and comprehensive scheme of work in line with the National Curriculum.
The Design Technology National Curriculum and EYFS is planned for and covered in full within the EYFS, KS1 and KS2 school curriculum. Whilst the EYFS and National Curriculum forms the foundation of our curriculum, we make sure that children learn additional skills, knowledge and understanding and enhance our curriculum as and when necessary.
Language - The promotion of a language rich Design Technology curriculum is essential to the successful acquisition of knowledge and understanding in Design Technology. The promotion and use of an accurate and rich vocabulary throughout school is planned in Design Technology.
Knowledge Organisers - Children have access to key knowledge, language and meanings to understand Design Technology and to use these skills across the curriculum.
Design Technology Focused Displays
Design Technology displays throughout school focus on key aspects of Design Technology and exemplify the terminology used throughout the teaching of Design Technology, BV and SMSC, which enables pupils to make links across the wider curriculum.
Independent learning: In design technology children may well be asked to solve problems and develop their learning independently. This allows the children to have ownership over their curriculum and lead their own learning in Design Technology.
Basic skills - English, Maths and ICT skills are taught during discrete lessons but are revisited in Design Technology so children can apply and embed the skills they have learnt in a purposeful context.
Enhancement - We plan termly visits, visitors and involvement in the community activity to provide first-hand experiences for the children to support and develop their learning. This can be linked to Design Technology (please see cultural capital overview). We recognise that to have impact planned cultural capital must be clearly linked to the statutory design technology skills and knowledge to be acquired and provide the opportunity for children to better understand the knowledge or apply what they already know.
Impact
- Children will know more, remember more and understand more about Design Technology.
- The large majority of children will achieve age related expectations in Design Technology.
- As designers, children will develop skills and attributes they can use beyond school and into adulthood.