Bewley

Primary School

Bright, Proud and Successful

Design and Technology

At Bewley Primary School our motto is – Bright, Proud and Successful.

Children will shine Bright in Design and Technology, as they will have the opportunity to use their own ideas, work independently, practise, and develop key skills.

Children will be Proud of their achievements in Design and Technology by designing, making and evaluating their unique product as independently as possible. Children will be Successful by using a design brief, collaborating with others, using problem solving skills, showing resilience and perseverance.

Intent

Bewley Primary School intends to prepare children to deal with tomorrow’s rapidly changing world through the study of Design and Technology. We will encourage children to become independent, creative problem solvers and thinkers, as individuals and as part of a team. We will enable them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems. Through Design and Technology, they will combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as functions and industry. It will allow them to reflect on and evaluate past and present technology, it’s uses and impacts.

The national curriculum for Design and Technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

Implementation

Design and Technology will be taught in all year groups through one topic per term, plus one topic relating to food. Design Technology projects are often made cross curricular.

The teaching of Design Technology across the school follows the National Curriculum alongside the use of the Cornerstones Curriculum which shows a progressive skills curriculum and outlines the topics and key learning experiences for each year group. Children design products with a purpose in mind and an intended user of the products. Food technology is implemented across the school with children developing an understanding of where food comes from, the importance of a varied and healthy diet and how to prepare for this.

Design and Technology is a fun, challenging and inspiring subject, which involves discovery, adventure and wonder. Pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. It has strong cross-curricular links and draws upon subject knowledge and skills within Mathematics, Science, History, Computing and Art. Children learn to take risks, be reflective, innovative, enterprising and resilient. Through the evaluation of past and present technology, they can reflect upon the impact of Design Technology on everyday life and the wider world

EYFS

In EYFS pupils explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult directed activities. They have the opportunity to learn to:

  • Use different media and materials to express their own ideas.
  • Use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about form, function and purpose.
  • Make plans and construct with a purpose in mind using a variety of resources.
  • Develop skills to use simple tools and techniques appropriately, effectively and safely.
  • Select appropriate resources for a product and adapt their work where necessary.
  • Cook and prepare food adhering to good health and hygiene routines.

KS1

When designing and making, pupils will be taught to:

Design

  • Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria
  • Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology

Make

  • Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, (or example cutting, shaping, joining and finishing)
  • Select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics

Evaluate

  • Explore and evaluate a range of existing products
  • Evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria

Technical knowledge

  • Build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable
  • Explore and use mechanisms, (for example levers, sliders, wheels and axles), in their products

Food and nutrition

  • Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes
  • Understand where food comes from. 

KS2

When designing and making, pupils will be taught to:

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 and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

Make 

  • Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, such as cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, accurately
  • Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities

Evaluate 

  • Investigate and analyse a range of existing products
  • Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work
  • Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world

Technical knowledge 

  • Apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures
  • Understand and use mechanical systems in their products, (for example as gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages)
  • Understand and use electrical systems in their products, (for example series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors)
  • To apply their understanding of computing to programme, monitor and control their products.

Food and nutrition

  • Understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
  • Prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques
  • To understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Design & Technology Curriculum Road Map

Impact

Within Design and Technology, we prepare children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. We encourage children to become creative problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology, children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impact. Our design and technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills to form the units of work.

The impact of our curriculum is seen in;

Evaluations of their skills against the key performance indicators identified on the Progression of Skills document.