Design & Technology
INTENT
At St Wilfrid’s Primary Catholic School, children receive a design and technology (DT) curriculum which allows them to exercise their creativity through designing and making. The children are taught to combine their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to design and make a product.
Skills are taught progressively to ensure that all children are able to learn and practice in order to develop as they move through the school. Evaluation is an integral part of the design process and allows children to adapt and improve their product, this is a key skill which they need throughout their life.
DT allows children to apply the knowledge and skills learned in other subjects, particularly Maths, Science and Art. Children’s interests are captured through theme learning, ensuring that links are made in a cross curricular way, giving children motivation and meaning for their learning. Children will learn basic cooking & nutrition skills.
IMPLEMENTATION
We teach the National Curriculum, supported by a clear skills and knowledge progression. This ensures that skills and knowledge are built on year by year and sequenced appropriately to maximise learning for all children.
Early Years Foundation Stage
In Early Years, the children develop essential basic skills in DT which prepares them for their transition into Year 1. This is by the teacher creating many opportunities for the children to carry out DT related activities across all areas of learning and through developing ideas and practising skills through their own self-initiated design activities. By the end of Early Years, it is expected that the children will be able to:
Construct with a purpose in mind.
Use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately.
Build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources and adapting their work when necessary.
Select the tools and techniques they need to shape, assemble and join materials they are using.
Key Stage 1 & 2
From Year 1 upwards, the children will engage in DT projects which will involve the children exploring, researching, designing, making, technical knowledge/skills and evaluating.
EXPLORING
The children will explore products linked to their project. They will do this by:
Taking the product apart and looking at the material/s used to make it.
Looking at the different features of the product.
Establishing how the product is constructed.
Questioning how effective it is in its purpose.
Discussing what could be done to improve this product.
Producing a list of key vocabulary linked to this product.
RESEARCHING
The children will carry out research regarding the product that they are going to make so that they can use this research to support the design of their product.
DESIGNING
The children will draw/sketch their design and annotate this with information about their design such as, what features they have included in their design. During this lesson the children will also answer questions such as:
What materials will I need?
What tools will I need?
What technical skills will I need to practise before making the product? (Some of these may have been previously taught skills which need refreshing or be completely new)
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE / SKILL
The children engage in a practical activity of practising technical knowledge or skill that they will be required to use when making their product. This may be a new skill or a skill previously practised but that required more practise.
MAKING
The children make their product.
EVALUATING
The children will not only evaluate the effectiveness of their product but also the skills that they applied.
Furthermore, children through school are taught cooking and nutrition in the curriculum and we provide a curriculum which enables children to make healthy eating choices.
IMPACT
By the time children leave St Wilfrid’s they will:
The ability to carry out thorough research, show initiative and ask questions to develop an exceptionally detailed knowledge of users’ needs.
The ability to act as responsible designers and makers, working ethically, using finite materials carefully and working safely.
A thorough knowledge of which tools, equipment and materials to use to make their products.
The ability to evaluate their work, identifying strengths and weaknesses and an awareness of how to improve
The ability to manage risks exceptionally well to manufacture products safely and hygienically
An excellent attitude to learning and independent working.
The ability to use time efficiently and work constructively and productively with others.
A passion for the subject.