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Design Technology

Intent

At Highwood, we believe that Design and Technology prepares pupils to deal with the rapidly changing world.  It encourages pupils to learn to think creatively, to meet a design brief, both as individuals and as members of a team, whilst remaining resilient to the challenges they face.

Our DT curriculum provides opportunities for pupils to research, experiment, test, make and evaluate their designs to develop their understanding of strengths and weaknesses in their products.

Implementation

At Highwood Primary School, we ensure that our D & T planning follows a clear progression of skills and ensures that there is full coverage of, ‘Design and technology programmes of study: key stages 1 and 2’. We aim to make links to other subjects to help children make further connections and developing their learning. Each year group will focus on three different topics throughout the year, each focusing on learning a different set of skills. Each year will also have a topic focusing on a unit of cooking, providing children essential skills for later life. Every unit will be adapted to ensure every child can access and benefit from the learning.

Before teaching each unit teachers will:

  • Plan a big piece, for the children to create at the end of the unit.
  • Assess children’s prior learning and skills to ensure they are building on previous skills.
  • Use the progression of key skills to build on learning.

During each unit teachers will:

  • Each lesson will provide an opportunity for design or to learn a new skill.
  • Introduce technical vocabulary for children to use within lessons.
  • Give children an opportunity to learn how the new skills link to the wider world
  • Allow children to research, design, make and evaluate a project.
  • Provide pupils with opportunities to make links and use knowledge from other subjects, in particular maths, science, computing, history and art.

At the end of each unit pupils will:

  • Evaluate their products against each other’s final product, discussing what they like and what they can improve.
  • Reflect on the skills they have learnt.

After each unit teachers will:

  • Assess children’s ability and skills.
  • Evaluate children’s products, have they used the necessary skills to complete them.

Impact

What will this look like?

Through pupil voice we will see:

  • Pupils express their passion for DT by talking enthusiastically about their learning and sharing their knowledge and understanding.
  • Pupils’ ability to identify previous and current key skills that they use in lessons.
  • Pupils discuss their design ideas and how they would improve them further.
  • Pupils express an understanding of nutrition and describe a range of cooking methods.

Through learning walks we will see:

  • Pupils demonstrating their love of DT through their high levels of engagement.
  • A clear sequence of lessons that allow pupils to acquire skills to make their ‘big piece’.
  • Pupils given the opportunity to create and have ownership of their own designs.
  • Collaboration and communication.

In the pupil’s learning we will see:

  • Analysis of what makes current products user friendly.
  • A clear sequence of lessons and evidence of focussed practical tasks that are linked to the big piece.
  • Evidence of experimenting with different designs and ideas to help produce their big piece using subject specific vocabulary.
  • Take pride in their learning and present work of a high standard.
  • Scaffolded activities that allow all pupils to make progress.