Design and Technology Intent, Implementation and Impact

Intent

To provide children with a real life context for learning. Through the DT curriculum, children should be inspired by engineers, designers, chefs and architects to enable them to create a range of structures, mechanisms, textiles, electrical systems and food products with a real life purpose.
As Designers and technologists, we do not just stop at our curiosity of how things work but instead look at how we can think creatively to problem solve and make products even better.

Here at The Reddings, we have an understanding of the diversity of the world and the importance of exposing our pupils to a wide range of products that can inspire their curiosity and creativity, as well as the thought-processes involved in creating such products. Through this exposure, children take on the role of developer, evaluator and that of a critique, exploring how products can be developed or adapted for different users as well as creating and testing prototypes to give purpose to projects.

Children need a hands on approach that also gives access to other areas of the curriculum such as Mathematics, Science, Computing and Art. Skills and techniques developed through Design and Technology are of great importance in our ever-changing technological world to ensure that children are equipped for the next stages in their lives.

From EYFS up to the end of KS2, the children will be taught about various DT skills and knowledge through class projects. We will monitor progress regularly through learning walks, lesson visits, book scrutiny and pupil voice.

Implementation

As a school, we maintain strong links to the National Curriculum guidelines to ensure all aspects, knowledge and skills of DT are being taught across all year groups. Our Design and Technology curriculum is implemented through a variety of different projects over the children’s time at The Reddings.

Through the support of the Subject Knowledge Organisers, Design and Technology Association (DATA) scheme and Projects on a Page, children will experience an array of different progressive and linkable skills and techniques over the course of a child’s time at The Reddings.
This ensures that children are constantly building upon previous learning and are able to expand their knowledge and understanding of problem solving, designing and constructing different products.

Children will complete 3 projects a year, in blocks so children are fully immersed in the design-make-evaluate process. Children are given a variety of real life products to explore in great detail, expanding their knowledge of how they look and work, allowing children to evaluate products against their target market and purpose. For each project, children follow the design-make and evaluate sequence, allowing children time to reflect upon their design and products and think of ways that they could be improved or adapted.

Teachers’ support and model increasingly progressive evaluative skills to enable children to create products of a high-quality throughout school. Children are given a design brief to put the need for the product in context. Where possible, teachers ensure that the brief is linked to another
area of their learning or has relevance to the children to inspire their imagination and eagerness to create and problem solve. Safety is explained and modelled at the start of and throughout each product including food hygiene instructions.

We will use assessment for learning to ensure all lessons are relevant and will help to plan for next steps. Foundation subjects are assessed at the end of each block and analysis of this assessment is then used to make sure all children are continuing to make progress throughout our curriculum.
Subject leads are given regular time to ensure resources are kept up to date, to monitor subject across the school, create action plans and to provide subject feedback to SLT as appropriate.

Impact

Children will be engaged in DT lessons and want to find out more.

Assessments and monitoring will also show standards in DT will be high and will match standards in other subject areas. Through pupil voice and book studies children will be able to talk about the skills and knowledge they have acquired.

Children will have an understanding of the cross curricular elements within the subject and the importance of skills learnt in other areas of the curriculum and how they aid the design and make process, as well as how these techniques and skills will aid them in future life and learning. Work will be scaffolded where appropriate to support all learners in accessing the subject.

As a year 6 Designer and Technologist, transitioning to secondary school, we aspire that pupils will have gained knowledge and understanding of different skills and techniques required to problem-solve by designing and creating a variety of products using a safe approach.

Electrical Systems Complex Switches