Design and Technology

Design and Technology

At Willow Primary School, we aim to provide all children with a Design and Technology curriculum which is knowledge rich, aspiring and practical. We encourage children to use their creativity and imagination, to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts.

We aim to provide a broad and balanced curriculum which combines the skills, knowledge and concepts to enable children to progress year on year and which prepares our children for life beyond primary education. We believe that a high-quality Design and Technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the whole world.

We aim to develop our school’s ASPIRE values through the curriculum by: using investigation skills through the design aspect of the D&T process; encouraging teamwork when making products to provide opportunities to collaborate; working through challenging activities to build resilience and learning how to evaluate, when a product is complete.

Intent

We aim to:

Deliver the subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum, which is taught following the ‘Design, Make, Evaluate’ process.

Teach an ambitious Design and Technology curriculum which allows children to acquire and develop skills in a range of areas including Structures, Mechanisms, Electrical systems, Textiles, and Food (Cooking and Nutrition).

Introduce children to a range of designers and engineers from different periods of history and cultures.

Make cross-curricular links between other subjects where relevant.

Celebrate children’s work by displaying it around school and through ‘Showcase’ events.

Provide children with the opportunities and experiences they need to be successful in life, with an interest and appreciation for careers linked to Design and Technology.

Implementation:

Design and Technology elements at the core of projects

At the heart of the curriculum are the key elements of D&T which underpin the projects undertaken in each year group. The elements are explored simply in EYFS. In Key Stage 1, elements are explicitly introduced, and children engage in activities to explore them. In Key Stage 2, elements are discussed in detail and explored through meaningful activities.

Design – children will use research and design brief to inform the design of products aimed at a particular audience. They will communicate their ideas through discussion, sketches, diagrams and pattern pieces.

Make – children will select and use a wide range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks.

Evaluate – children will say how well they have executed the skills and evaluate their product against the design criteria. They will recognise that some aspects of design are subjective and down to personal preference.

Technical knowledge – children will apply their understanding of each of the five key areas.

Exploring all five areas within Design and Technology

All year groups will learn new skills and build on previously taught techniques in Structures, Mechanisms, Electrical systems, Textiles, and Food (Cooking and Nutrition). The curriculum coverage is spread across year groups so that by the time the children reach the end of a key stage, they will have covered all of the required knowledge and skills. Design and Technology will be taught every term, either in weekly lessons or in blocks.

Studying a range of designers, architects, engineers and chefs

Throughout their time at Willow, children will learn about designers, engineers and chefs, both past and present, from all corners of the world. We believe that representation matters, so these significant individuals are selected to reflect our diverse community.

Clear sequence of lessons

All lessons are clearly planned and structured, allowing children to develop and build upon essential knowledge and skills. In Key Stage 1 and 2, lessons follow the same structure to ensure consistency. This process follows the ‘TASC’ wheel: Gather/organise, identify, generate, decide, implement, evaluate, communicate and learn from experience.

Strong vocabulary development

In each project, new vocabulary is taught and used throughout. It is carefully planned to be built on as children progress through school.  

Use Design and Technology booklets

These booklets are used to record the process followed in each project. There are sections for children to record investigation and research, significant figures, the design brief, drawings/sketches of their design, evidence of the making process and an evaluation of the skills.

Impact:

Design and Technology will be loved by teachers and pupils in school.

Children will know more and remember more.

Children can discuss the work of designers, engineers and chefs and explain how they have influenced their own work and the world around them.

Children will develop competence in key skills and knowledge, which is evident through their work and through discussion.

Children’s work will be proudly displayed in school and children are keen to share their work with others.

Children will have more resilience and perseverance by continually evaluating and improving their work.

All children in school will be able to speak confidently about their Design and Technology work and their skills, using technical vocabulary that has been taught.

Design and Technology will be fully embedded as part of STEM in school.