Design & Technology

The Design and technology scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation, and evaluation. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling, and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Through our scheme of work, we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements. Our Design and technology scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of key stage attainment targets in the National curriculum and the aims also align with those in the National curriculum. Kapow Primary is an Artsmark partner and is able to support schools on their Artsmark journey, inspiring children and young people to create, experience, and participate in great arts and culture.

Intent

At Bishop Wilson, 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 in a way that will enhance their learning opportunities, enabling them to use design and technology across a range of subjects to be creative and solve problems, ensuring they make progress.

Implementation

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 and progression of skills and covers all aspects of the Design and Technology curriculum. Children’s work and pictures of their work will be recorded in our class journals 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.

The Design and technology National curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical, and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition* has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.

The National curriculum organises the Design and technology attainment targets under five subheadings or strands:

● Design

● Make

● Evaluate

● Technical knowledge

● Cooking and nutrition*

Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these five strands across each year group. Our National curriculum mapping shows which of our units cover each of the National curriculum attainment targets as well as each of the five strands. Our Progression of skills shows the skills and knowledge that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage. Through Kapow Primary’s Design and technology scheme, pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas:

● Mechanisms

● Structures

● Textiles

● Food

● Electrical systems (KS2) and

● Digital world (KS2)

Each of our key areas follows the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. The Kapow Primary scheme is a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning. Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiated guidance is available for every lesson to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.

Impact 

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 assessment policy to ensure that progression of skills is taking place. Namely through:

• Looking at pupil’s 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.

The expected impact of following the Kapow Primary Design and technology scheme of work is that children will:

➔ Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.

➔ Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating, and manufacturing products.

➔ Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, CAD, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients, and scenarios.

➔ Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.

➔ Have an appreciation for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world.

➔ Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues.

➔ Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.

➔ Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and technology.

Useful Links:

https://www.lego.com/en-gb/kids

https://www.foodafactoflife.org.uk/

https://www.dyson.co.uk/newsroom/overview/update/top-five-engineering-challenges-to-do-at-home

https://www.designtechnology.org.uk/for-education/primary/

https://omny.fm/shows/fun-kids/playlists/techno-mum-fun-kids-guide-to-technology