Design & Technology

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, children will be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They will work in a range of relevant contexts, for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment.

Intent

Design Technology is a fundamental element of every child’s education. It equips children with the skills they will need to flourish in an age where technology is continually advancing and changing. Design Technology education should inspire children to think critically, solve problems innovatively and reflect on their experiences. At Sheriff Hutton Primary, we believe this can be achieved through a curriculum which strives to develop excellent communication and evaluative skills and offers rich learning experiences that create secure procedural and technical understanding for all children. The Design Technology curriculum enables children to capture their ideas through the processes of ‘design’ ‘making’ and ‘evaluating.’ Children’s technical knowledge and skills are carefully and systematically developed within each of these processes. Our intent when teaching Design Technology is evoke the children’s interest in the finer workings of their world and to challenge and motivate them through engaging projects. We aspire for all our pupils to become confident and independent in the art of problem solving but also knowledgeable and highly skilled in the processes of Design Technology. We also focus on the importance of Food Technology at Sheriff Hutton Primary. Through our curriculum we encourage the children to recognise the principles of a healthy eating and nutrition and encourage them develop a deep understanding of how food is produced. We aim to instill this through practical, engaging lessons where children prepare and cook a range of different foods.

Implementation

Design Technology at Sheriff Hutton Primary is taught in blocks throughout the year, so that children can achieve depth in their learning. Teachers have identified the need for greater strcuture and expertise so we use the Kapow scheme of learning to support our curriculum. The key knowledge and skills of each blocked topic and these are mapped across the school, ensuring that knowledge builds throughout the two year rolling programme and that children develop skills systematically. Existing knowledge is checked at the beginning of each topic and retrieval opportunities are built into start of each lesson to support the children in remembering more of what they have learnt. This ensures that teaching is informed by the children’s’ starting points. Lessons are designed to provide appropriate support and challenge to all learners, in line with the school’s commitment to inclusion. At the end of each topic, key knowledge is reviewed by the children and rigorously checked by the teacher and consolidated as necessary.

Cross curricular outcomes in Design Technology are specifically identified and planned for. The Design Technology provision is also well resourced and specific resources are mapped to specific year groups and topics to support effective teaching and learning. School trips and visitors is an area we intended to develop to maximise the children’s first-hand experiences and to give a meaningful context to their learning.

Impact

The impact of our Design Technology curriculum is that our learners become confident, innovative individuals equipped with the skills and knowledge they need to successfully navigate challenges they may face in our ever-changing world. Their skills and knowledge will develop progressively as they move through the school to enable them to meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and will fully prepare them for the next stage of their learning journey. The children will be able to discuss their learning and demonstrate their knowledge and understanding through a range of projects. The children’s learning is assessed against the age-related expectations from the 2014 National Curriculum and the Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Design Technology curriculum map

Mixed-age-DT-Progression-of-skills-and-knowledge

DT Vocabulary