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DESIGN and TECHNOLOGY

It is said that we are living through a fourth Industrial Revolution; first came steam, then electricity, followed by electronics.  Now we are experiencing a fusion of technologies which blur the lines between the digital, physical and biological realms.  Along with the Computing and Digital Literacy curricula, it is of huge import that primary-aged children are taught the basic elements of Design and Technology so that they can apply these skills to practical problems which are relevant to them.  In this way, they will be better prepared to advance, develop and implement sustainable ideas in the future to respond quickly to our ever-changing world.

Intent: 

At Broke Hall we want all children to learn through practical experiences and be able to use their creativity, imagination and social interaction skills, to design, make and evaluate their own products. They will also develop life skills and knowledge associated with healthy living, food nutrition and cookery. We intend for all children to acquire appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the national curriculum. We want to prepare our children to give them opportunities and experiences they need in later life. 

Implementation: 

A range of skills will be taught ensuring that all learners are aware of health and safety issues related to the tasks undertaken.   They are taught to:

  • develop imaginative thinking. 

  • talk about how things work and discuss their likes and dislikes. 

  • select appropriate tools and techniques for making a product, whilst following safety procedures. 

  • develop an understanding of technological processes and products, their manufacture and their contribution to our society;  

  • develop their understanding of the ways in which people have designed products in the past and present. 

Clear and appropriate cross-curricular links are established to underpin learning in multiple areas across the curriculum, giving the children opportunities to learn life skills and apply these to ‘hands on’ situations in a purposeful context. The curriculum is carefully sequenced so that any prior learning needed to accomplish a goal has been covered, including knowledge and skills from other subjects such as science. 

In Design and Technology, children may be asked to solve problems and develop their learning independently. This allows the children to have ownership over their curriculum and lead their own learning in Design and Technology such as when designing products to sell at our Christmas Fayre.  

In Design and Technology children may well be asked to work as part of a team learning to support and help one another towards a challenging yet rewarding goal. 

The children will complete projects over multiple lessons encouraging them to think deeper about their designs, allowing them the time and thinking space to evaluate, edit and improve their original ideas. 

In all classes there are children of differing ability including those with SEND. We recognise this and provide suitable learning opportunities for all children. We achieve this through a range of strategies, for example: 

  • tasks that are open-ended and can have a variety of results. 

  • challenge through the provision of different resources. 

  • additional adults to support the work of individual children or small groups. 

Impact: 

Children will have a clear understanding, enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will be able to apply in other areas of the curriculum. Through careful planning and learning opportunities, pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and participate in an increasingly technological world. 

Design and technology also teaches children that it is OK not to succeed first time. The process of designing, making and evaluating should be a cycle where redesigning, remaking and re-evaluating leads to improved outcomes. The perseverance that children practice by following this cycle is a key transferrable skill. 

Our Design and Technology Curriculum is based on clearly sequenced substantive and disciplinary knowledge.

Substantive knowledge in Design and Technology is based on the knowledge of four key elements of the process of design (design, make, evaluate and technical knowledge). All these elements will be taught from Reception to Year Six and vocabulary is taught explicitly and will be deliberately practised and applied through the four key elements.  

These are:  

Design - Know how to design a product that is purposeful, functional and appealing to a specific group.  

Make - Know how to cut, join and finish a range of increasingly complex materials, ranging from paper to wood both safely and effectively. 

Evaluate - Know how to investigate, evaluate and analyse a range of existing products and their own designs based on specific design criteria. In addition to this, children will know key individuals have helped to shape the world in which we live in.  

Technical knowledge - Know how to apply their knowledge of specific materials to meet the criteria listed above in the design, make and evaluate stages. 

Disciplinary knowledge in Design and Technology is the process of enabling children to use their substantive knowledge of products and materials around them to make links between and across different areas of the curriculum. Knowledge in Design and Technology will equip the children with the opportunity to explain how and why products have changed over time and how they might be further improved in the future. They can use their knowledge and understanding, suggesting how existing products may be improved with the advances in modern technology. Children will demonstrate that they have the cultural capital to become global citizens, following global themes and fundamental British Values, in an ever-changing and technologically advancing world.