At St Mary’s, Design and Technology is a vehicle we can use to prepare children to participate in this rapidly changing world of technology. Through mainly practical, process based activities, we will develop the skills of researching, designing, making and evaluating products. Design & Technology can be easily recognised and developed within our Christian ethos. The Bible speaks of God the Creator and, as we were made in his image, everyone shares creative qualities and talents to some degree. We can encourage our children to think and construct creatively for themselves, and a wider audience.

Intent

We intend for all children to acquire appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. It is our aim to create strong cross curricular links with other subjects, such as Mathematics, Science, Computing, and Art. Design and Technology will prepare our children, to give the opportunities, responsibilities and experiences they need to be successful in later life.

Our intention is to fulfil the requirements of the Design and Technology National Curriculum and build our own curriculum which is inspiring, rigorous, and practical. We support the children to develop the social skills necessary to work as part of a team, as well as the ability to work independently when the situation demands. The children will sustain their motivation, imagination and enjoyment by engaging in meaningful opportunities for planning, executing and developing ideas. They will be taught to develop a critical understanding of the impact Design and Technology has on daily life and the wider world.

Our children will be able to use creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems, within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. They will develop skills through a combination of designing and making, together with knowledge and understanding, to design and create products. They will be taught practical skills and provided with opportunities to work a wide range of materials and tools, developing safety awareness through risk identification. The children will be encouraged to evaluate how effective their product is at meeting its purpose and the quality of its manufacture.

Implementation

We will ensure continuity and progression of knowledge and skills from Foundation to Key Stage 2 by means of careful, structured planning, monitoring and assessment. The children will follow a Design and Technology booklet which focuses on a research, design, make and evaluate format and the children are familiar with this process as they progress through St Mary’s.

Design and Technology is taught as a block of lessons to allow children time to be critical, inventive and reflective in their work. We introduce children to specific designers, chefs, nutritionists etc, helping to increase the cultural capital surrounding the subject. In all classes, we provide an adaptive curriculum when appropriate. We recognise that our teaching will provide learning opportunities for all children, by matching the challenge of the task with children's needs. We achieve this through a range of strategies:

• setting tasks that are open-ended and can have a variety of results;
• setting tasks of increasing difficulty, appropriate to the needs of the children;
• providing a range of challenges which will use different resources;
• supporting children to use their oracy skills and increase their vocabulary.

Impact

Children will have developed a clear enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology which they will then apply to other areas of the curriculum. Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities, which link to other curriculum areas, including the National Curriculum, children will develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently. They will participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.

Children will know how to discuss the products they have made, evaluating and critiquing the choice of materials and assembly techniques used on their own products and their peers’ products. Evaluation of the product will look at the suitability of materials and components in addition to the success of the product itself and its purpose. Finishing techniques which strengthen and improve the appearance of a product should be taken into account during the evaluation process.

Children will gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on further learning in their future.

Early Years Foundation Stage

During the EYFS, pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have the opportunities to learn to use different media and materials to express their own ideas. They use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about form, function and purpose. They make plans and construct with a purpose in mind using a variety of resources. The children will develop their skills to use simple tools and techniques appropriately, effectively and safely and they will be able to select appropriate resources for a product and adapt their work where necessary. The children will learn to cook and prepare food adhering to good health and hygiene routines.

Design and Technology Skills Progression

Design and Technology Policy