Subject Coordinator- Mrs Donna Goodwin

Intent

Kapow Primary’s Design & Technology curriculum is built around the core National Curriculum stages of Design, Make, and Evaluate, integrated within five key strands: Mechanisms, Structures, Textiles, Electrical Systems, and Cooking & Nutrition, using a spiral approach where these areas are revisited with increasing complexity, ensuring pupils develop practical skills, technical knowledge, and reflective evaluation across projects. 

At Eastrington Primary School, our aims are to:

• fulfil the requirements of the National Curriculum for Design and Technology.
• provide a broad and balanced curriculum.
• ensure that pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens through evaluation of past and present design and technology.
• develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.
• to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world using the language of design and technology.

The aims of teaching design and technology in our school are:

• Develop creative, technical and imaginative thinking in children and to develop confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• Enable children to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge.
• Apply a growing body of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• Encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques when making a product, whilst following safe procedures.
• Develop an understanding of technological processes and products, their manufacture and their contribution to our society.
• Foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making things.
• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products, and the work of others.
• Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and to learn how to cook.
• Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

Implementation
To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in design and technology, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Design and technology is taught through the units set out in through Kapow. This will involve the children exploring, researching, designing, making, technical knowledge/skills and evaluating. The Kapow progression document ensures the curriculum is covered, and the skills/knowledge taught are progressive.

When designing and making, the children are 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 diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

Make
• select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks (for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing, as well as chopping and slicing) accurately.
• select from and use a wider range of materials, ingredients and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties, aesthetic qualities and, where appropriate, taste.

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.
• understand and use electrical systems in their products.
• apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products
• understand some of the ways that food can be processed and the effect of different cooking practices (including baking and grilling).

In Early Years, the children develop essential basic skills in design and technology which prepares them for their transition into Year 1. This is by the teacher creating many opportunities for the children to carry out D&T related activities across all areas of learning.

By the end of Early Years, it is expected that the children will be able to:
• Construct with a purpose in mind.
• Use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately.
• Build and construct with a wide range of objects, selecting appropriate resources and adapting their work when necessary.
• Select the tools and techniques they need to shape, assemble and join materials they are using.

Impact
We aim to provide enjoyable, practical and authentic design and technology s that prepare the children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world.

We ensure the children:

• Will be able to talk with increasing confidence about their learning in design and technology using appropriate vocabulary.
• Children enjoy Design and Technology lessons and are confident to ‘have a go’ applying their new skills.
• Develop a wider vocabulary, using technical and topical vocabulary.
• Children confidently apply their new found knowledge to other areas of learning.
• The majority of children will achieve good or better outcomes against age -related expectations in Design and Technology.