Design & Technology
Subject Co-ordinator: Miss S Scott
Intent
At Woodhouse Primary Academy we intend to inspire and ignite the curiosity of our pupils; enabling them to explore and experience a high-quality Design and Technology education that engages, inspires and challenges pupils. We aim to provide pupils with opportunities to design and create products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. We aim to develop ‘critical thinkers’ who gain a rigorous understanding of the Design and Technology curriculum and acquire a broad range of knowledge, making connections across the curriculum. Through high quality teaching and learning experiences, we aim to equip pupils with the ability to take risks and become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Opportunities will be provided to develop a critical understanding of past and present technology and its impact on daily life and the wider world; including gaining a knowledge that Design and Technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.
Implementation
At Woodhouse Primary Academy, we aim to implement learning through a range of high quality, exciting and purposeful learning experiences. We deliver learning in a variety of ways to ensure access for all our pupils. Experiences will vary from practical exploration to theoretical and technical knowledge based around the development of technology and significant events. The curriculum is carefully planned to ensure the pupils receive a sequential curriculum; where learning and skills are progressive as previous learning is built upon as pupils progress through each year.
Throughout their learning in DT, students will have the opportunity to plan, create and review products in the following strands:
- Mechanisms
- cooking and nutrition
- structures
- textiles
- electrical control
- the digital world
The curriculum is organised to ensure that children leave Woodhouse Primary Academy feeling confident and knowledgeable in cooking and nutrition to help improve standards of living for our students and their families.
In all projects across the year groups, children will create a ‘Product for a Person with a Purpose’ and will follow a Plan – Do – Review process where children will have the opportunity to:
- evaluate existing products
- explore careers and key people associated with the product
- learn new and develop existing skills (via a series of practical tasks)
- create a design brief for their own Product for a Person with a Purpose
- design, make and evaluate their own products
Through this process, children will develop the four aspects of learning:
- Design skills
- Making skills
- Evaluating skills
- Technical knowledge
Our curriculum planning is based on the units from the KAPOW scheme which are directly linked to the National Curriculum objectives and is organised to ensure the above strands, skills and knowledge are covered.
Teachers use the KAPOW scheme to support planning lessons and activities to cover the specific learning objectives and expected outcomes. ‘Sticky Knowledge’ is mapped out over both Key Stages to ensure coverage of objectives as well as the four learning strands (design skills, making skills, evaluating skills and technical knowledge). We teach Design and Technology in EYFS as an integral part of the topic work covered during the year. We relate the Design and Technology aspects of the pupils work to the objectives set out in Early Learning Goals (ELGs) within ‘Exploring Media and Materials’ and ‘Physical Development’ which underpin the curriculum planning for children aged two to five.
At Woodhouse Primary Academy we strive to ensure pupils gain a wide range of skills; skills that are life long and transferrable to other areas of learning. As a team we work hard to promote skills in many curriculum areas. The DT curriculum is organised to provide thematic learning, linking children’s learning to other areas of the curriculum.
Teachers will assess pupils work by making informal judgements during lessons against the four learning aspects (design skills, making skills, evaluating skills and technical knowledge) and their correlating ‘sticky knowledge’ objectives for each topic. Written or verbal feedback, in line with the school’s marking policy, is given to the pupil to help guide his or her progress.
Impact
We intend that the intent set by Woodhouse Primary Academy and the implementation of fundamental Design and Technology skills and experiences equip pupils with skills and knowledge that they will continue to build upon throughout their time at our school and as they progress from EYFS to KS1, through KS1 to KS2 and ensuring they are best equipped for KS3. Pupils will be confident and competent in a wide range of Design and Technology skills, as set out in the National Curriculum; displaying them through high quality pieces of work and knowledge that is evidenced through their understanding of products, how they work and evaluations of them. Pupils will use their knowledge and skillswhen working in a range of relevant contexts. They will talk about their learning; projecting their wide range of knowledge and experiences; especially those gained through practical activities. We at Woodhouse Primary Academy give pupils an in-sight to what it is to be a ‘designer’. This is underpinned through revisiting and always building on prior knowledge and learning.
National Curriculum Aims and Objectives
Through the teaching of Design and Technology we aim to:
- develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
- build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to designand makehigh-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
- critique, evaluateand test their ideas and products and the work of others
- understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook
