Design Technology

 Intent

At St Peter’s C of E Primary school ‘Every child of God matters’. At our school, Design and Technology is engaging, creative, practical and effective. Through opportunities to design, make, evaluate and test products for a variety of relevant purposes and a wide range of users, our children develop their practical and technical skills and build up a repertoire of knowledge that contributes to their development of becoming enterprising and capable citizens in the future.

Implementation

Design and Technology is a crucial part of our curriculum and we teach and deliver a high quality curriculum through:

• A well thought out school and yearly overview which allows for progression across year groups in all areas of DT (mechanisms, textiles, structure, Food and electrical systems). Each class from Year 1-6 completes 2 units which span over a term and a half to allow enough time for children to develop their technical skills. Each class completes their third unit during enterprise week where the children design, make and sell a Christmas product.
• Each project from Year 1 to Year 6 addressing the principles of designing, making, and evaluating and incorporating relevant technical knowledge that the children will use in the future.
• Pupils being introduced to key individuals including specific designers, chefs, nutritionists that the children can aspire to and increase the cultural capital from which they can draw in the future.
• Projects that allow and encourage children to be critical, inventive and reflective throughout the whole DT process.
• A variety of child and adult led activities in the EYFS that allow children to talk about their ideas, select tools and equipment for a range of purposes and make models and props using constructions kits and materials.

Impact

Through our carefully planned and implemented activities, by the end of key stage two our children will enjoy and develop their confidence and skills in Design and Technology which they will be able to apply across the curriculum. It will equip them with the technical, practical and creative skills that they can take further into high school and beyond. We measure the impact of our curriculum through:

• Marking and highlighting learning challenges in books.
• Interviewing pupils about their learning.
• Images of the children’s practical learning
• Book scrutinies and the opportunity for dialogue with teachers to improve and develop our DT curriculum.