Design technology

Design and Technology

Design and Technology statement of intent

At Carlton Primary School we offer children a high quality design and technology curriculum. Design and Technology is an inspiring and practical subject for the children to take part in. Using their creativity and imagination, children get the chance to design and make products for a real purpose and within a variety of different contexts. They do this through the coverage of three different design and technology units per year. Through the teaching of design and technology, children are taught to be independent learners through selecting and using appropriate tools safely and effectively to achieve their desired outcome. We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other curriculum areas such as, mathematics, science, computing and art. Through design and technology children are given the opportunities to reflect on their own work and that of others and to evaluate past and present designs and technologies.

In the Foundation Stage we work on children exploring and becoming independent learners and showing them what this looks like. We do this through the expressive art and design strand of the early year’s curriculum. Through provision we help children to be creative and reflective and we promote the attitude of curiosity and questioning. We encourage them to choose their own media, materials and resources to engage in open-ended activities and this helps them to develop confidence in their own ideas. Using and building upon the children’s interests and experiences helps them to create fantastic inventions individually or collaboratively as a team. We heavily support children’s learning through asking open ended questions to move their learning on.

In KS1, we start to introduce our project based approach to design and technology over three units per year. Children take part in a selection of practical and creative activities, where they are taught the knowledge, understanding and skills they need to go through the process to design and make a product. In KS2, we continue to build on the project based approach and further develop the experiences the children have had in KS1 and the Foundation Stage. We start to pose more challenging questions that help children to become more reflective of their own work and to help them refine their processes. Also in KS2, we encourage children to think beyond the classroom and become inquisitive to the wider concepts of the world around them and industry.

Across all the year groups, we want children to learn the following skills and knowledge-based concepts:

• Designing
• Making
• Evaluating
• Technical Knowledge
• Cooking and nutrition

Whole School Coverage:

Each class should undertake at least three Design and Technology units per year. Outlined below are the units for each year group.

	Autumn One	Autumn Two	Spring One	Spring Two	Summer One	Summer Two
Early Years	ELGs: Exploring and Using Media and Materials: Children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function. Being Imaginative: Children use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories. Skills to support preparation for Year One: Early experiences of working with paper and card to make simple flaps and hinges. Experience of simple cutting, shaping and joining skills using scissors, glue, paper fasteners and masking tape. Experience of using construction kits to build walls, towers and frameworks. Experience of using of basic tools e.g. scissors or hole punches with construction materials e.g. plastic, card. Experience of different methods of joining card and paper. Experience of common fruit and vegetables, undertaking sensory activities i.e. appearance taste and smell. Experience of cutting soft fruit and vegetables using appropriate utensils. Explored and used different fabrics. Cut and joined fabrics with simple techniques. Thought about the user and purpose of products. Assembled vehicles with moving wheels using construction kits. Explored moving vehicles through play. Gained some experience of designing, making and evaluating products for a specified user and purpose. Developed some cutting, joining and finishing skills with card.
Year 1/2 -Year A	Food – Preparing Fruit and Vegetables		Mechanisms – Sliders and levers		Structures – Freestanding structures
Year 1/2 - Year B	Food - Preparing Fruit and Vegetables		Mechanisms – Wheels and axles		Textiles – Templates and joining techniques
Year 3/4 - Year A	Structures – Shell structures		Food – Healthy and varied diet		Textiles – 2-D shape to 3-D shape product
Year 3/4 - Year B	Mechanical Systems – Levers and linkages		Electrical Systems – Simple circuits and switches		Food – Healthy and varied diet
Year 5/6 – Year A	Structures – Frame structures		Mechanical Systems – Pulleys or gears		Food – Celebrating culture and seasonality
Year 5/6 – Year B	Textiles – Combining different fabric shapes		Electrical Systems – More complex switches and circuits		Food – Celebrating culture and seasonality