Design Technology
Our Design Technology Intent Statement:
‘To inspire our children to expand upon their imaginative minds, by thoughtfully creating designs and applying their practical skills in order to prepare for an increasingly technological world .’
Miss Thomas, DT Lead
Curriculum Design: Sequencing and Progression
At St James the Great Academy we use Kapow (aligning with the National Curriculum) to provide the foundation of our curriculum.
We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Through our curriculum, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements. Through design and technology children become reflective and informed users of products and become innovators. Throughout our creative curriculums we inspire children and young people to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.
How DT is taught at SJTG
The National curriculum organises the Design and technology attainment targets under four subheadings: Design, Make, Evaluate, and Technical knowledge. We have taken these subheadings to be our curriculum strands.
There are six key areas that pupils revisit throughout their time in primary school, each one is covered within EYFS, KS1, Lower KS2 & Upper KS2 (unless otherwise stated):
● Cooking and nutrition ● Mechanisms/ Mechanical systems ● Structures ● Textiles
● Electrical systems (KS2 only) ● Digital world (KS2 only)
At SJTG we alternate the teaching of Design and technology with Art and Design. A DT unit is taught at least once every half term to provide the best overall skills coverage when combined with the Art and Design units.
In the Early Years, children experience art through play, exploring how they can use different materials and techniques to express their ideas and create art and design objects.
In year 1-6, children's DT lessons run for a whole afternoon. In each unit, they explore the new skill through viewing and appraising examples of design, as well as being introduced to focus designers. Then, the children experience new techniques and skills to be able to plan for a final masterpiece that they make, display and evaluate.
Our DT Curriuclum in action...
Structures
Cooking
Textiles
CAD
