Design and Technology

Intention (Why do we teach what we teach?)

The National Curriculum for D&T aims to ensure that all children:

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.

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.

At Stoke St Michael, our curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and the Cornerstones Curriculum.  This develops both knowledge and skills.  Design and technology helps to develop children’s skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms, electrical control and a range of materials, including food.

At Stoke St Michael, we use D&T to provide the opportunity for the children to develop practical skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products.  We feel it is imperative that we nurture creativity and innovation through design.  We want all children to have the opportunity to explore the designed world in which we all live.

Two key areas that we focus on include education around the designed world and how things work, and learning to design, make and evaluate functional products for specific purposes and audiences.  Children obtain and use knowledge and understanding of materials and mechanisms, control systems, structures.  They look at existing products and ensure that they are always using up to date health and safety / food hygiene.  We also use design and technology lessons to encourage the development of children’s skills through collaborative working and problem-solving.

At Stoke St Michael, we actively encourage children to be creative and innovative as well as to think about important subjects such as enterprise and sustainability.

Implementation (How do we teach it?)

We use the Curriculum Maestro scheme as a framework for delivery of Design Technology lessons. Projects are sequenced carefully to build upon prior learning, and, given the cross-curricular nature of DT, teachers are encouraged to closely match other subjects where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections. This ensures that learning is contextualised, meaningful and memorable.

In EYFS, children begin to investigate the component parts of larger machines, using correct vocabulary to describe them. They experiment with using materials creatively to construct a product and prepare simple recipes, tasting and reflecting on the success of their finished dish. The children begin to explore the concept of recipes, understanding that they contain ingredients, quantities, and sequenced instructions.

Pupils in KS1 begin to formally explore the ‘analyse, design, make, evaluate’ process. The children develop their analytical skills, studying practical models and choosing materials, structures and mechanisms which they like best to use in their own design. They are introduced to different representations of axle, wheel, sliders, linkages, and levers. They explore strength in the context of 3D structures, investigating bending, twisting, stretching and squashing and how they can choose structures and materials to mitigate against these forces. Children also sew for the first time, using a running stitch to join textiles securely before embellishing using sewn and non-sewn decoration. In cooking, they develop the technical knowledge of slicing, chopping, mashing and grating. They understand the importance of safety and hygiene when preparing food.

In KS2, students continue to develop their fluency in the design process. They are introduced to new mechanisms, including cams, hydraulics, pulleys, wedges and screws, using these mechanisms to create products in response to design criteria. Design criteria and the specifications of the materials provided become increasingly specific and complex with each year group. Students are encouraged to evaluate their products against the success criteria, being reminded that the most successful product will exceed the design criteria by the greatest amount. Skills developed in previous years (such as developing strong 3D structures from batons) are maintained as the basis for projects higher up the school. In sewing, the children sew functional items using a range of stitches including the blanket stitch and running stitch. They learn to embellish and repair clothing, assessing materials and designs based on their function, appearance and quality. In cooking, they develop confidence cooking independently using a range of cooking techniques, considering healthiness and seasonality when designing dishes and menus.

Impact (What has been the impact and how do we know?)

Children are encouraged to work in pairs or small groups for DT projects because, while aware of the importance of note-taking and written evaluation in the design process, we don’t want any difficulties with reading or writing to be a barrier to children excelling in this fundamentally practical subject.

The expected impact of DT learning at Stoke St Michael is that children will do the following:

• Enjoy using the design process to develop their own products
• Be confident in the safe use of construction, sewing and cooking equipment.
• Be able to apply their learning to increasingly large and complex projects.
• Tackle problems head-on and have the resilience and teamwork skills to be able to overcome them.