Curriculum Statement: Design Technology
‘Excellence, Truth and Grace’
Design and Technology Intent
Design and technology at Middleton Parish aims to inspire children through a broad range of practical experiences to create innovative designs, which solve real and relevant problems within a variety of different contexts. At Parish, the design process is fundamental and runs throughout our lessons. This process encourages children to identify real and relevant problems, critically evaluate existing products and then take risks and innovate when designing and creating solutions to the problems. As part of the process, time is built in to reflect, evaluate and improve on prototypes using design criteria throughout to support this process. Opportunities are provided for children to evaluate key events and individuals who have helped shape the world, showing the real impact of design and technology on the wider environment and helping to inspire our children to become the next generation of innovators.
Upon leaving the school, the children will have developed creative, technical and imaginative thinking and have the confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. They will be able to talk with confidence about how things work and as a result, will have sound technical and practical knowledge. They will be able to apply a growing body of knowledge and skills in order to design and make prototypes and products for a wide range of users. Children will know how to select appropriate tools and techniques when making a product, whilst following safe procedures. They will be able to develop an understanding of technological processes and products, their manufacture and their contribution to our society as well as fostering enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making things. Children will be able to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products, and the work of others. Furthermore, they will understand and apply the principles of nutrition and to know how to cook. Finally, they will understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.
Our school’s motto, ‘excellence, truth and grace’ is clearly evident within our teaching of design and We aim to develop excellence in our design and technology lessons, through teaching to the highest standards and in turn, the children will build to the highest specifications. We will be truthful in our evaluation of our own work, graceful in the giving of advice and the manner with which we comment about others’ work in our teams and with our partners.
Design and Technology Implementation
Our design and technology scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within the 5 attainment target strands set out in the National Curriculum: design, make, evaluate, technical knowledge, cooking and Nutrition. The curriculum overview shows how the units cover the National Curriculum attainment targets and the progression of skills shows the skills that are taught in each year group and how these skills develop, to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. The scheme supports pupils to develop their skills in 6 key areas: mechanisms, structures, textiles, cooking and nutrition, electrical systems (KS2) and digital world (KS2). Each of these areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a theme and focus from the technical knowledge section of the curriculum. Our curriculum is designed to reflect on the six essentials of good practice in design technology. They are consistent with the National Curriculum requirements and are applied whenever children are designing and making products.
In Key Stage 1 pupils are taught how to design, make and evaluate, but also to gain specific technical knowledge and skills such as using mechanisms (levers, slides, wheels) and sewing techniques. In Key Stage 2 pupils will also design, make and evaluate products, but their technical knowledge and skills will develop and build on existing skills to strengthen and reinforce more complex structures, use mechanical systems in their products (for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages), understand and use electrical systems and software in their products and apply their understanding of computing to design, program and control their products.
At Middleton Parish, we follow the Projects on a Page scheme endorsed by the Design and Technology Association, which the school has adopted as their scheme of work. The scheme of work is designed 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 their 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. As a school, we follow the Rosenshein principles that build on previous work and supports children by re-learning the information, thus cementing it into their long-term memory. At the start of every unit, the children are reminded through flashback activities and the scheme features reminders that are emphasised and built on. This is to support children with the plan, design, make, and evaluate process – to ensure all the knowledge and skills are fresh in their minds and not forgotten.
Design Technology Impact
Design and technology is assessed in accordance with the school’s assessment policy. Teachers assess while observing children working during lessons and provide in the moment verbal feedback, as well as assess against the objective for the end of the lesson. Next steps and helping hand suggestions will also be used to move children forward. Children will also self-assess their own work after each lesson. Teachers will make termly assessments at the end of each topic block, by completing the foundation subject end of unit assessment.
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