Wilnecote Junior Academy
Design and Technology Curriculum Aims

Through a well-planned, progressive Design and Technology curriculum, our pupils develop the key knowledge, skills and understanding needed to confidently engage in the process of designing and making. When designing and making products with a real-life purpose, they develop their creativity and imagination, solve problems and build their technical knowledge. Like the rest of our curriculum, Design and Technology learning is challenging and purposeful with opportunities for children to make choices, work independently and with others. 

Through the process of 'Research, Design, Make, Evaluate', our curriculum is designed to enable pupils to learn key technical knowledge, skills and understanding needed to succeed in creating their own products. We provide lots of opportunities for individual choice in the designs and products they make, encouraging creativity not just in design, but also in ways to improve their product. We teach our children to be reflective and the importance of evaluating the effectiveness of their product, suggesting improvements. To support them with this, our children are challenged to be resourceful and apply the knowledge, skills and understanding they have acquired previously.  

Cooking and nutrition also features across our Design and Technology curriculum, ensuring children know where food comes from, how to make a range of healthy dishes and why it is important to make healthy life-choices. 

Teaching Design and Technology

Our Design and Technology curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and is taught through our engaging topics. Within Design and Technology lessons, we give children the opportunity to work individually, in pairs and in group situations. Children use a wide range of materials and resources, and are taught how to use tools and equipment safely and responsibly. Teachers teach the safe use of tools and equipment and insist on good practice prior to starting the making part of a task. For example in relation to sharp objects, such as knives and needles; and personal hygiene when handling food, such as washing their hands and wearing a clean apron. Our Design and Technology curriculum aims to develop a range of knowledge and practical life skills that pupils will be able to apply to their experiences in the wider world. 

Heathfields Infant Academy
Intent

At Heathfields infant school we strive for our children to have a passion for this subject and aim to inspire them to be the designers and makers of our future. All children should leave our school with: the willingness to take creative risks in order to produce innovative ideas, through their design and ability to evaluate their outcome. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, computing and art.

Implementation

In line with the National curriculum, our design and Technology curriculum is designed to provide children with many opportunities for learning through doing practical, hands on experiences. The KS1 unit of DT are covered through: food technology, materials, textiles, construction and mechanics. The children are taught how to use tools and equipment safely and responsibly. Teachers teach the safe use of tools and equipment and insist on good practice prior to starting the making part of a task.

In the EYFS curriculum children are taught to safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques. They think about uses and purposes, represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through DT when making.

Impact

Our Children will have a clear enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will then apply to other areas of the curriculum. They will have gained a foundation of knowledge and practical life skills that they will be able to apply to their experiences as they progress through he school and in wider world beyond.

National curriculum in England: design and technology programmes of study - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)