Design & Technology/ Creating with Materials -Becoming Future Designers!

Please press the link below to see our DT Progression Map. 

Purpose of Study:

Design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Using creativity and imagination, pupils 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 acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:
 

• 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 design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others § understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

EYFS Learning goals:

Creating with Materials:

• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting

colour, design, texture, form and function.

• Share their creations, explaining the process they have used.                                                  
• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narratives and stories.

KS1 Pupils should be taught: 

Design

• design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
• generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology

Make

• select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing]
• select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics

Evaluate

• explore and evaluate a range of existing products evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria
• Technical knowledge
• build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
• explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products

Cooking and Nutrition

• use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes understand where food comes from

Intent

At Dunchurch, the intent of the DT Curriculum is to provide plenty of opportunities for the children to learn, apply and strengthen essential skills required in the designing, making and evaluating of an effective product for a given purpose. Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative and enterprising.

Implementation

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in design and technology, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Design and technology is generally taught as part of a half-termly topic, focusing on knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. The teaching of DT should enable all children to gain ‘real-life’ experiences. Teachers plan lessons for their class using our progression of knowledge and skills documents. The progression document ensures the curriculum is covered and the skills/knowledge taught is progressive from year group to year group.

Impact

The high-quality teaching of DT at Dunchurch will enable learners to build a strong range of core skills as they progress through the school that will give them the opportunity to become resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. All children will feel empowered to design and create a range of products as well as applying practical expertise to enable them to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. Children will evaluate work by other designers and consider how resources may be adapted to suit the needs of others. They will learn to see the value of design in a variety of contexts and the scope of art to build towards different careers in the future.