Intent

Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. At Barwic Parade, 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, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering and art. The children are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, its uses and its effectiveness and are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.

Our curriculum aims to give all children key skills in creating structures, understanding mechanisms, textile work and food technology. We aim to encourage pupils at Barwic Parade to explore and experiment with the skills they are taught in new and innovative ways to create products to fulfil a purpose or brief.

Our aim is to provide a curriculum that gives design technology the prominence it deserves and is instrumental in fostering transferable skills such as creativity, problem solving, analysing and communicating as well developing independence, confidence, well-being and self-esteem.

Throughout their time at Barwic Parade, we want children to appreciate and evaluate the works of many designers, craft makers drawing on them for inspiration. We want children to deepen their learning through maximising opportunities for discussion and exploration of existing products and techniques. We aim to expose children to the many ways in which design skills can be utilised in their future paths.

Characteristics of a Design Technologist

• Significant levels of originality and the willingness to take creative risks to produce innovative ideas and prototypes.
• An excellent attitude to learning and independent working and passion for the subject and knowledge of, up-to-date technological innovations in materials, products and systems.
• The ability to use time efficiently and work constructively and productively with others.
• The ability to carry out thorough research, show initiative and ask questions to develop an exceptionally detailed knowledge of a products purpose.
• The ability to act as responsible designers and makers, working ethically, using finite materials carefully and working safely.
• A thorough knowledge of which tools, equipment and materials to use to make their products.
• The ability to apply mathematical and scientific knowledge.
• The ability to manage risks exceptionally well to manufacture products safely and hygienically.

Implementation

Design and technology is taught in half termly blocks in hour-long sessions and is done as part of our mixed-age curriculum. Our curriculum is bespoke to our school and children’s needs whilst enabling all children to meet National Curriculum objectives. The bespoke curriculum makes cross-curricular links to our humanities and science curriculums, encouraging children to apply specific subject knowledge to their products.  

Our curriculum is structured in such a way that children are taught and explore key skills in discreet lessons before applying them to a project or final product in the latter half of the unit. Through using this approach, children have the opportunity to practise skills, experiment with resources and evaluate their ideas, enabling children be more skilful and knowledgeable when designing and creating their products.

In each unit, all children will be introduced to and encouraged to discuss and critically analyse existing products, structures and mechanisms whilst exploring and designing products of their own. In both KS1 and KS2 will look at designers, products and structures that link to their units. The progression of the design and technology curriculum is mapped through school from EYFS to year 6, detailing the progression of knowledge, skills and vocabulary. Children will be taught key vocabulary in practical ways and encouraged to use this when discussing and evaluating, designing and creating products. Unit specific language progresses and is built on as the children move through the school, deepening their understanding. In the early years, children explore building structures and solving problems; in KS1 children are introduced to new skills and language that will support them as they build upon them in more challenging and complex briefs in KS2.

Below is an overview of DT across the year, covering year 1 to year 6:

Here is an extract from our curriculum documents. This example is taken from year 1/2 for the summer term:

Impact

Our design and technology curriculum is planned to demonstrate progression and to stimulate design skills and problem solving. Pupils are clear about what the intended outcomes are and have a means to measure their own work against this through effective evaluating skills and vocabulary. In design and technology, children are reflective and evaluate their own and each other’s work, thinking about how they can make changes to keep improving. This is meaningful and continuous throughout the process, with evidence of age-related verbal and written reflection.

We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the units of work. We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the unit is taught.
• Summative assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.
• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.
• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).
• Moderation where pupil’s work and books are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.
• Otrack is used to monitor attainment of key skills and knowledge