Design Technology
Intent
At Charles Warren we are designers and technologists! We want our children to love design technology. We want them to have no limits to what their ambitions are and grow up wanting to be architects, graphic designers, chefs or carpenters. We want them to embody our core values and ‘be remarkable’. The design technology curriculum has been carefully crafted so that it prepares our children to deal with tomorrows rapidly changing world. We want our children to remember their DT lessons in our school, to cherish these memories and embrace the DT opportunities they are presented with! 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 Charles Warren, 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, computing 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.
Implementation
We use Kapow which has been carefully sequenced and constructed. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. The children design and create products that consider function and purpose and which are relevant to a range of sectors (for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment). When designing and making, the children are taught to:
Investigate, investigate and analyse a range of existing products. evaluating the products against their the design criteria. As well as have an understanding of how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.
Design, use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups. generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.
Make select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, as well as chopping and slicing) accurately. select from and use a wider range of materials, ingredients and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, accordingly
Evaluate their ideas and products against the design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
Our DT curriculum is into 5 main areas:
Cooking and nutrition
Mechanisms
Structures
Textiles
Electrical systems
Each of these areas have been broken down into key skills and key knowledge and have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. The context for the children’s work in Design and Technology is also well considered and children learn about real life products and the purpose of specific examples. Design Technology is taught as a unit across a half term.
DT is planned across so that children will have covered one of these areas at least each two years i,e through KS1, LKS2 and UKS2. This has been rigorously planned so that children revisit and build on knowledge and skills across their time here at Charles Warren.
The school will also seek to provide access to people with specialist design and technology skills from the local and wider community to enrich the Design and Technology curriculum.
EYFS The staff team will plan for children to experience creative opportunities and develop key skills and techniques within the EYFS curriculum. There will be a focus on developing fine motor skills and learning how to plan, design and produce the finished project.
Impact
We ensure the children 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 and 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. Children will design and make a range of products. A good quality finish will be expected in all design and activities made appropriate to the age and ability of the child. Children 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.
Assessment
Children’s knowledge and skills are assessed and developed by the teacher during lessons and through critical discussion. As well as this staff use pupil DT portfolios in which children collate their work from across the unit to show their individual learning journey. Staff do this with reference to the progression outlined in the national curriculum, teachers have the progression of knowledge and skills mapping which support the National Curriculum statements, to identify pupil progress in each unit of work. Teachers use the information they gather during projects about the performance of individual children to provide carefully tailored feedback, questioning, explanation and support, according to their needs.
