Intent
Our Design and technology scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation, and evaluation.
We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Through our scheme of work, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements.
Our Design and technology scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the national curriculum and the aims also align with those in the national curriculum. We aim to inspire children and young people to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.
Implementation
The Design and technology national curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate.
Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand.
Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.
The National curriculum organises the Design and technology attainment targets under five subheadings or strands:
- Design
- Make
- Evaluate
- Technical knowledge
- Cooking and nutrition
Our Design and technology scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these five strands across each year group. Our Progression of skills 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.
Through our Design and technology scheme, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas:
- Mechanisms
- Structures
- Textiles
- Cooking and nutrition
- Electrical systems (KS2) and
- Digital World (KS2)
Each of our key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. Our scheme is a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning.
Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required.
Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.
EYFS
In the Foundation Stage, through the development of the Creating With Materials aspect of the curriculum children begin their journey as designers. They will:
Develop their ability to create a planned outcome
Gain an understanding of function through their play and selection of tools and resources
Explore joining and manipulating different materials in a variety of ways
Know and talk about healthy eating and food choices.
In Key Stage 1
Children in Key stage 1 will be taught Design and Technology 3 times per year.
They will complete a Design and Technology project on 4 key areas:
- Structures
- Textiles
- Cooking
- Mechanisms
In Key stage 2
Children in Key Stage 2 will be taught Design and Technology 3 times per year.
They will complete a Design and Technology project on 6 key areas:
- Structures
- Textiles
- Cooking
- Mechanisms
- Electrical Systems
- Digital World
Aspirations for the future
Pupils develop an understanding of how subjects and specific skills are linked to future jobs.
Here are some of the jobs you could aspire to do in the future:
- Graphic designer
- Video game designer
- Art director
- Web developer
- Civil engineer
- Architect
- Chef