Technology

Intent

Cornerstones 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 and Early Learning Goals.

Skills from across the curriculum are implemented and risk taking, resourcefulness and resilience are encouraged as they explore the design process. A culture of learning from each other is promoted through use of co-operative learning structures. This is developed across both key stages, so that the children learn to respond appropriately and supportively to each other regardless of gender, age, cultural or ethnic background.

The aims of teaching design and technology in our school are:

• Develop creative, technical and imaginative thinking in children and to develop confidence to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.

• Enable children to talk about how things work and to develop their technical knowledge,

• Apply a growing body of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make prototypes and products for a wide range of users,

• Encourage children to select appropriate tools and techniques when making a product, whilst following safe procedures,

• Develop an understanding of technological processes and products, their manufacture and their contribution to our society,

• Foster enjoyment, satisfaction and purpose in designing and making things,

• Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products, and the work of others,

• Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and to learn how to cook,

• Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

Special Educational Needs Disability (SEND) / Pupil Premium / Higher Attainers

At St Margaret Mary our aims are:

• To ensure full entitlement and access to high quality education within a broad, balanced and relevant curriculum;

• To identify barriers to learning as early as possible;

• To reach high levels of achievement for all so that children can reach their full potential;

• To meet individual needs through a wide range of provision, providing differentiation that aims to remove any barriers to learning;

• Where children are underachieving and/or identified as having special educational needs, the school provides for these additional needs in a variety of ways and might use a combination of these approaches to address targets identified for individual pupils:

• High quality teaching is our first step in responding to pupils who have SEN. This will be differentiated for individual pupils.

• Other small group work;

• Class  and individual support where possible;

• Further differentiation of resources.

Any children with identified SEND, have an EHCP or in receipt of pupil premium funding may have work additional to and different from their peers in order to access the curriculum dependent upon their needs. As well as this, our school offers a demanding and varied curriculum, providing children with a range of opportunities in order for them to reach their full potential and consistently achieve highly from their starting points.

Implement

Our Design and Technology Curriculum is based on the National Curriculum and utilises the Cornerstones programme of study supported by a clear progression of skill and knowledge across the whole school. This allows sequential growth over time to be balanced and distributed evenly across every academic year, maximising the learning for all children.

Design and Technology is primarily interwoven through topic-based work and taught in blocks, playing a key part in the achievement of high aspirations. Teachers plan and adapt lessons medium-term plans from Cornerstones for their pupils, so lessons are timely and fit for purpose, meeting the needs of, and engaging all, linking to cross curricular topics already being taught.

Our DT projects are placed alongside other subject projects where there are opportunities for making meaningful connections. Teachers choose how and when to cover aspects of the curriculum and make these links in ways that make sense within the whole picture. An example of this is the placement of Make Do and Mend in the Britain at War Project in Y6 and the Exploring Emergency Vehicles and Building Bridges in the Me and my community project in EYFS.

All projects contain focused, practical tasks in the Develop stage to help children gain the knowledge and skills needed to complete their Innovate tasks independently. Throughout Key Stages 1 and 2, children build up their knowledge and understanding of the iterative design process. They design, make, test and evaluate their products to match specific design criteria and ensure they fit their purpose. Throughout the projects, children are taught to work hygienically and safely.

EYFS
The planning for the first pages in our Design Technology story is based on the essential early skills required to explore and express themselves at an appropriate level of physical development. The DT lessons at this stage of learning are targeted at both fine and gross motor skills through the Early Learning Goals. The aim is for the safe and competent use of simple tools to be used. Core muscle and overall body strength is considered alongside balance, coordination and agility when exploring design projects. The children are encouraged to express their own ideas and feelings through different media. Collaboration and sharing of resources are introduced to create larger projects and ideas and children have the opportunity to work with both natural and manmade materials, designing and creating both inside and outside of the classroom through the Role Play and Creation Station zones.

Key Stage 1  
In Year 1 children begin to learn about structures in the project Shade and Shelter before designing and making a shelter. In the spring term project Taxi!, they learn the term ‘mechanism’ and assemble and test wheels and axles. In the summer term, children begin to learn about food sources in the project Chop, Slice and Mash and use simple preparation techniques to create a supermarket sandwich. In Year 2 children learn more about food in the project Remarkable Recipes, where they find out about food sources, follow recipes and learn simple cooking techniques. In the spring term project Beach Hut, children develop their knowledge of structures further, learning to cut, join and strengthen wood for the first time. In the summer term, children begin to develop their understanding of textiles in Cut, Stitch and Join. They learn to sew a simple running stitch, use pattern pieces and add simple embellishments. They also continue to learn about mechanisms in the project Push and Pull by using sliders, levers and linkages in products.

Lower Key Stage 2  
In the Autumn Term in Year 3, children continue to learn about food, understanding the concept of a balanced diet and making healthy meals in the project Cook Well, Eatwell. In the spring term project Making it Move, children extend their understanding of mechanisms by exploring cams and using joining and finishing techniques to make automaton toys. In the summer term project Greenhouse, they continue to develop their knowledge of structures, using triangles and braces for strength. They design and build a greenhouse, using their understanding of opacity and transparency and the needs of plants from science learning to inform their design.

During the Autumn Term in Year 4, children continue to develop their understanding of food in the project Fresh Food, Good Food. They learn about food safety and preservation technologies before designing and making packaging for a healthy snack. In the Spring term in the project Functional and Fancy Fabrics, children continue to explore textiles, learning about the work of William Morris before designing, embellishing and finishing a fabric sample. In the summer term project Tomb Builders, they build on their knowledge of mechanisms, learning about six simple machines and using their knowledge to create a lifting or moving device prototype. They also explore and use electrical systems and IT monitoring and control in the science project Electricity for the first time.

Upper Key Stage 2 
 

In the autumn term, Year 5 children deepen their understanding of mechanisms by studying pneumatic systems in the project Moving Mechanisms. They learn about the forces at play and create a prototype for a functional, pneumatic machine. In the spring term project Eat the Seasons, children continue to explore food and nutrition, learning about seasonal foods and the benefits of eating seasonally. In the summer term, they learn more about structures in the project Architecture, studying the history of architecture and developing new ways to create structural strength and stability. They use computer-aided design and consolidate their making skills to produce scale models. They also explore the electrical conductivity of materials before making products incorporating circuits in the science project Properties and changes of materials.

In the Autumn term of Year 6, children learn about processed and whole foods in the project Food for Life, creating healthy menus from unprocessed foods. In the spring term project Engineer, children consolidate their knowledge of structures, joining and strengthening techniques and electrical systems by completing a bridge-building challenge. In the summer term project Make Do and Mend, they extend their knowledge of textiles by learning new stitches to join fabrics and using pattern pieces to create a range of products.

Throughout the Design and Technology Curriculum, there is complete coverage of all national curriculum programmes of study. There is a clear sequencing of curriculum aspects and concepts, vocabulary and connectivity of the design and technology scheme with other curriculum subjects.

Impact

Within design and technology, we strive to prepare children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. We aim to encourage children to become creative problem solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. Through the study of design and technology, children combine practical skills with an understanding of aesthetic, social and environmental issues, as well as of functions and industrial practices. This allows them to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impact. Our design and technology curriculum is high quality, well thought out and is planned to demonstrate progression. We focus on progression of knowledge and skills and discreet vocabulary progression also form part of the units of work. We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

• Assessing children’s understanding of topic linked vocabulary before and after the topic is taught.

• Summative teacher assessment of pupil discussions about their learning.

• Images and videos of the children’s practical learning.

• Interviewing the pupils about their learning (pupil voice).

• Moderation staff meetings where pupil’s booklets are scrutinised and there is the opportunity for a dialogue between teachers to understand their class’s work.

• Annual reporting of standards across the curriculum.

• Marking of work in booklets.