Design and Technology 

Intent

At Lugwardine Primary Academy it is our intent to deliver a design and technology curriculum which inspires children to be creative and critical thinkers. We teach skills progressively to ensure that all children are able to practice and build on their previous learning and develop their skill set as they progress through the school. The children are taught to combine their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to design and make a product. They will also have the chance to evaluate products, allowing them to improve their product, as they would in the real world. 

We intend for the children to develop problem solving skills that last them a lifetime and support them in their chosen careers.  

Implementation

We have devised a scheme of work in correspondence with the national curriculum. Our curriculum ensures a progression of skills starting from EYFS until Year 6, allowing the children to leave our school with a good array of skills needed for the rest of their lives. For example, solving problems, becoming resilient learners, and working as a team collaboratively to achieve a goal.  The scheme of work can be found on the schools' website. 
 

In our year groups we teach design and technology relating to our class topics and ensure that we build upon the skills taught in the previous year group. We ensure to cover the range of different design and technology areas outlined in the national curriculum: sewing and textiles, cooking and nutrition, electrical and mechanical components and using materials. We believe that design and technology is not a subject that can be solely taught within the classroom. We will ensure that each year group has access to our forest school area and has time to be ‘’hands-on’’, developing life skills and working collaboratively on projects. We also provide each year group with their own garden area (a raised bed) in for which they will take responsibility for preparing, planting, and growing their own fruit and vegetables before harvesting them. We will also provide a farm trip for the younger children to explain why each process is so important.  

For each construction project that each year group does, we ensure to undertake the following structure:  

• To research the project  

• To design the project  

• Make the project  

• Evaluate the project.  

We also ensure that technical knowledge is taught and that children understand the technical knowledge surrounding the subject. Children will also be provided with opportunities to showcase their work through ‘stay and share’ sessions where work is displayed.  

Where possible, design and technology will have cross-curricular links to other subjects, such as art, maths, and science. Design and technology will follow a similar assessment pathway as art. We ensure that the children are aware of the skills they are developing and what the objectives are. The children are also given the chance to look back on previous design and technology work that they have produced. Across the school, projects or photos of projects are kept in folders and learning journeys for children to reflect upon before starting a new piece of work. They are also provided with opportunities to evaluate their own and peer work, suggesting what they think went well and how they may change it if they were to do the project again. Teachers may also make suggestions to improve children’s work or use questioning effectively in order to support children to think of their own improvements. This is all done in a positive light, making it clear to the children that mistakes are ok as we wish for our children to be able to be creative without fear or worry. Giving children feedback allows the children to think critically about their work, in a safe environment, and helps the children to be resilient learners.   

Health and safety will be taught effectively to ensure that all children are aware of the risks that may be involved in a given task. In the first instance, the children will be asked to discuss or consider what safety rules will need to be abided by and teachers will fill in any extra rules the children may not have considered.  

Impact

Our curriculum impact shall be a clear enjoyment by children of design and technology and an increase in confidence and ‘have a go’ attitude. We wish for our children to be willing to improvise, adapt and overcome barriers. Children will feel proud displaying their work around school for all to see. They will also be able to demonstrate key skills and transferable skills learnt in design and technology, applying the knowledge to other subjects (particularly in Maths, Art, and Science) but also throughout their lives. Children will improve their skill set surrounding the design and technology curriculum and learn to be more resilient individuals.  

Golden Threads 

• Developing our own ideas 

• Using tools and equipment to see our ideas into fruition 

• Evaluating our ideas to see what we would change next time