INTENT

What does the Design and Technology curriculum intend to do?

At our school we intend that children should master Design and Technology to such an extent that they can go on to have careers within Design and Technology and make use of design and technology effectively in their everyday lives.

Our children will be taught Design and Technology in a way that ensures progression of skills, and follows a sequence to build on previous learning.

Our children will gain experience and skills of a wide range of formal elements of design and concepts of technology.  This will be delivered in a way that will enhance their learning opportunities, enabling them to use design and technology across a range of subjects to be creative, solve problems and ensure they make progress.

IMPLEMENTATION

How is the curriculum implemented?

We follow a broad and balanced Design and Technology curriculum that builds on previous learning and provides both support and challenge for learners. We follow a Design and Technology scheme that ensures progression of skills and covers all aspects of the Design and Technology curriculum.

Class teachers use their own judgement to teach Design and Technology to their class in one of three ways:

• a scheduled Design and Technology lesson each week for half a term each term (the other half-term each term is Art and Design); 
• a scheduled Design and Technology lesson every other week alternating with Art and Design lessons;
• no scheduled weekly Design and Technology lesson, but taught alongside other curriculum subjects.

Children’s work and pictures of their work will be stored physically (3D), digitally or in their Design and Technology books for reference and assessment.  We want to ensure that Design and Technology is embedded in our whole school curriculum and that opportunities for enhancing learning by using design and technology are always taken.

IMPACT

What progress will children make?

Our children enjoy and value Design and Technology and know why they are doing things, not just how. Children will understand and appreciate the value of Design and Technology in the context of their personal wellbeing and the creative and cultural industries and their many career opportunities.

Progress in Design and Technology is demonstrated through regularly reviewing and scrutinising children’s work, in accordance with our Design and Technology Expectations and Assessment Policy to ensure that progression of skills is taking place.  Namely through:  

• Looking at pupils’ work, especially over time as they gain skills and knowledge
• Observing how they perform in lessons
• Talking to them about what they know.

The Design and Technology curriculum will contribute to children’s personal development in creativity, independence, judgement and self-reflection. This would be seen in them being able to talk confidently about their work, and sharing their work with others.

Progress will be shown through outcomes and through the important record of the process leading to them.