Technology

Learning how to be innovative, resourceful, take risks and enterprising when designing and making products to solve real life problems; unlocking their potential.

Intent

Design and Technology is part of our STEM team. The subject aims to support children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. To allow teachers the flexibility to deliver high-quality lessons we teach through a theme; this allows teachers to make links with other areas in the curriculum. There is to be more of a focus on preparing children for their “future life”. We aim to ensure children are supported with the changing world and hope to be able to prepare them for their futures on aspects of food, designing and the different technologies.

Aims of Technology

The national curriculum for technology and our progression of skills within each milestone aims to ensure that all pupils:

• To master skills in food, materials, textiles, electrical and construction equipment.
• To take part in projects where they design a product to a specified brief, make it, evaluate it against the specification and carry out improvements.
• To take inspiration from designs in history and create innovative designs that improve existing products. 

Implementation 

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing and making. The children design and create products that consider function and purpose and which are relevant to a range of sectors (for example, the home, school, leisure, culture, enterprise, industry and the wider environment).

Within each Milestone, over the course of 2 years, our children will engage in projects the cover these 5 areas of technology.

• Food
• Structure
• Textile
• Control
• Mechanism

To support our medium term planning, each Milestone has a Knowledge Curriculum Map which includes schemes of work taken from the QCA and Nuffield.

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).

Key skills and key knowledge for D and T have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. The context for the children’s work in Design and Technology is also well considered and children learn about real life structures and the purpose of specific examples, as well as developing their skills throughout the programme of study. Design and technology lessons are also taught as a block so that children’s learning is focused throughout each unit of work.

Impact

We ensure the children:
• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users and critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook. Children will design and make a range of products. A good quality finish will be expected in all design and activities made appropriate to the age and ability of the child

Children learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.

Files to Download