DESIGN TECHNOLOGY
"Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works."
Steve Jobs
CURRICULUM
Our design and technology curriculum covers the four main areas of:
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Textiles
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Structures
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Mechanisms
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Food technology
Understanding food and nutrition
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developing, planning and creating ideas
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working with tools, equipment, materials and components to make quality products
evaluating processes and products
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INTENT
Design and Technology is a highly practical and creative subject, which will equip children with many of the life-skills that they will need for the future. Learning about how to fix things, build things, create and problem-solve are vital, and encompass some of the main skills that we want children to have when they leave Harris Primary Merton. Design and Technology is all about solving real problems, and as such, is taught in the context of lots of different disciplines; children will use software to render 3D images in Computing, design and create settlements in Geography, and learn about food and nutrition in Science. They will use their design skills to help them create Art, and in History, learn about how design and technology have helped shape the world.
Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. It encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. At Kingswood, we aim to give children the skills to tackle projects with imagination, creativity and confidence. We aim to help our children make informed judgements through practical and relevant experiences.
IMPLEMENTATION
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing and making for purpose. Design and Technology is taught discretely but sometimes links to class topics and feeds into our wider curriculum embedding design and engineering principles into many areas of our curriculum. Children encounter a wide range of skills including model building, sewing, cooking and coding.
We use the National Curriculum in England 2014 framework for Design and Technology as the basis for its curriculum planning. We develop our medium-term plans using a curriculum scheme Kapow. While there are opportunities for pupils of all abilities to develop their skills and knowledge in each teaching unit, the planned progression built into the Design and Technology curriculum means that the pupils are increasingly challenged as they move through the school. Design and Technology is taught by individual class teachers who take responsibility for planning, resourcing and delivering this area of the curriculum. Overall responsibility for ensuring that there is a suitable risk assessment in place for this subject lies with the subject coordinator who will ensure that this has been reviewed by the Principal.
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Design and Technology is taught throughout, and alongside other units, usually following the Kapow curriculum, however there are some units which will be taught alongside our Computing curriculum (e.g. 3D modelling), or discretely, for example cooking.
EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE
We teach Design and Technology in our Reception classes as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year and as set out in the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged three to five. We encourage the development of skills, knowledge and understanding that help pupils make sense of their world as an integral part of the academy’s work. This learning forms the foundations for later work in Design and Technology. These early experiences include asking questions about how things work, investigating and using a variety of construction kits, materials, tools and products, developing making skills and handling appropriate tools and construction material safely and with increasing control. We provide a range of experiences that encourage exploration, observation, problem solving, critical thinking and discussion. These activities, indoors and outdoors, attract the pupil’s interest and curiosity
IMPACT
Through our DT curriculum we aim to give children the skills and knowledge to be creative, practical and adventurous. The skills taught in DT will help our pupils to flourish as problem-solvers and give them the confidence to take risks and to become resourceful, innovative and enterprising adults.
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The design and technology curriculum will make a profound and positive impact on the outcomes of every pupil. The structure enables us to return to core knowledge and skills throughout the course, embedding key practices and understanding
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Core knowledge of each unit is supported by a knowledge organiser which details the key learning points, vocabulary and key questions. This is sent home in advance of the unit, allowing pupils to make a head start on their learning. It is our expectation that the knowledge on our organiser is known by all.
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We endeavour to create strong and appropriate links with other subjects to enhance the curriculum and learning experience.
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Subject leaders will conduct learning walks and pupil interviews to measure the impact of our teaching, based on how much children can remember.
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Subject leaders will moderate the planning, work and monitoring outcomes from across the school to ensure that standards are meeting or exceeding the expectations of the National Curriculum.
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