Design and Technology

Design and technology is about using creativity and imagination. It enables children to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ requirements and values.

It gives children the opportunity to take risks with their designs and to use creativity to solve unexpected problems alongside developing technical and practical expertise.

Without it they would not have the opportunity to think creatively and be able to perform everyday tasks confidently in order to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.

It feeds into our school’s curriculum intent by empowering children to use their creativity and imagination through stimulating projects. Through exciting and inspiring lessons children experience the different stages of design, which embeds their skills and widens their vocabulary. As discussion opportunities are planned, children can generate and communicate their own ideas and critically evaluate the products during the process as well as the finished product.

Design and technology is taught across the whole school from children in Year 3 to in year 6. Our curriculum ensures that children progressively learn new knowledge and skills so that these skills can make a contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well- being of the nation.

Our curriculum ensures that our children:

• develop creative, technical and practical expertise.
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• are able to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products against the work of others.
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

In addition, we invite external experts to deliver STEM sessions so that they gain an insight into the wider world of work. Some of the places children have visited are the Big Bang science fair, Think Tank and the Space centre to further develop their technical knowledge.

As children progress across the school, their practical and technical expertise develops year upon year from strengthening structures in year 3 to producing a controllable vehicle in year 6. Resulting in, innovative, enterprising and resourceful children with the relevant skills to face an increasingly technological world. The products produced in design and technology are also closely linked to the school’s overarching themes, which in turn closely link with science underpinning the theory behind the technical expertise.

Please see below our curriculum progression grid for design and technology, detailing how our children progress through knowledge and skills from year 3 to Year 6:

Design and Technology Progression Grid

Useful websites

https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/     Super website  to learn where food comes from, cooking and healthy eating.

https://www.howstuffworks.com/  Learn how items of the past were designed and made.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/search?filter=bitesize&scope=bitesize&q=design+and+technology+ks2&page=1    Fantastic website covering a range of subjects

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSzkTkmKfts  Good for year 3 learning about earthquake proof structures.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIZPNP3tibw  Great for year 4 to get ahead start on making musical instruments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7XYzPfutBs  Great for year 5 to start learning about roller coasters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kiShcRnkBnU Great for 6 to start learning how to make a controllable vehicle.