Design and Technology

“Good buildings come from good people, and all problems are solved by good design.”

Stephen Gardiner

Design and Technology Intent statement:

At St Peter at Gowts, our Design and Technology (DT) curriculum is inspiring and creative unlocking potential in all. Our curriculum seeks to ensure that all pupils flourish through challenge, support and a broad and balanced curriculum rooted in shared values and consistently high expectations while striving for excellence.

St Peter’s DT curriculum is fashioned through our golden threads of values, inspiration, excellence and community.

As designers and technologists, we do not just stop at our curiosity of how things work but instead look at how we can think creatively to problem solve and make products even better. At St Peter at Gowts, we have an understanding of the diversity of the world and the importance of exposing our pupils to a wide range of products that can inspire their curiosity and creativity, as well as the thought-processes involved in creating such products. Through this exposure, children take on the role of developer, evaluator and that of a critique, exploring how products can be developed or adapted for different users as well as creating and testing prototypes to give purpose to projects. Children need a hands on approach that also gives access to other areas of the curriculum such as Mathematics, Science, Engineering, Computing and Art. Skills and techniques developed through our cohesively planned design and technology curriculum are of great importance in our ever-changing technological world to ensure that children are equipped for the next stages in their lives.

Values – Our DT curriculum embraces our school and British values. Children understand that they have the right to share their thoughts and ideas in a respectful way whilst exploring products and supporting each other through the design, make and evaluate process. They learn that wonderful ideas can come from a range of different cultures and the importance of following Health and Safety rules. The children at St Peter at Gowts are encouraged to be creative with their ideas and show self-belief through each of the stages of learning.

Inspirational – Our inspiring DT curriculum ensures that all children are able to explore a range of different products that can encourage new, innovative and exciting ideas. At St Peter at Gowts, children spend a week immersed in their project, testing out new ideas and looking at new ways to solve problems.

Community – Throughout our DT curriculum, our children will develop their understanding of a range of possibilities for products to support people in both the local community and the rest of the world.

Excellence- Through the carefully planned and sequenced learning, it is our intention that all children will excel in DT. Children at St Peter at Gowts will have the opportunity to design, make and evaluate a range of products for a range of purposes and are encouraged to use the knowledge and skills gained from many other curriculum subjects.

Design and Technology implementation:

Our DT curriculum is delivered through purposefully chosen DT week projects, through the support of the Design and Technology Association (DATA) scheme, Projects on a Page, and enhanced and personalised to meet the needs of all learners at St Peter’s. Enhancements and personalisation includes the use of adaptive teaching, links to the community and our locality and purposeful cross curricular links, which are planned and timely to support and strengthen learning. DT  in EYFS is underpinned by the Expressive Arts and Design objectives as set out in our personalised EYFS Curriculum. Our St Peter’s EYFS Curriculum relates to the objectives as set out in the Early Learning Goals, with clear progression from our littlest of learners (aged 2) to our end of Reception children.

In addition, we provide a wide range of design and technology based after school clubs including; sewing, cooking, embroidery, creative and card making (that run on a cyclical basis).

• The DT long-term plan had been developed to ensure that DT skills are well developed and revisited through our spiral curriculum to ensure a good coverage of skills over each phase of education. This ensures that children are constantly building upon previous learning and are able to expand their knowledge and understanding of problem solving, designing and constructing different products.
• A  week each term is set aside to complete each project so all learners are fully immersed in the design-make-evaluate process.
• All learners are given a variety of real life products to explore in great detail, expanding their knowledge of how they look and work, allowing children to evaluate products against their design criteria and purpose.
• For each project, all learners follow the design-make-evaluate process, allowing all learners time to reflect upon their design and products and think of ways that they could be improved or adapted.
• Teachers support and challenge all learners to create purposeful project of high-quality.
• Children are given a design brief to put the need for the product in context. Where possible, teachers ensure that the brief is linked to another area of their learning or has relevance to the children to inspire their imagination and eagerness to create and problem solve.
• Assessment of skills and knowledge happens on a lesson by lesson basis and this information is used to inform future lessons and identify ‘high flyers’ in particular strands of DT. And also, any children that may require additional support.
• Safety is explained and modelled at the start of and throughout each project, including food hygiene instructions.
• To inspire the next generation of designers and technologists, local and wider career opportunities celebrated and explored throughout school.

Design and Technology impact:

As a Year 6 designer and technologist transitioning to secondary school, we aspire that pupils will have gained knowledge and understanding of different skills and techniques required to problem-solve through designing and creating a variety of products using a safe approach.  They will have an understanding of the cross curricular elements within the subject and the importance of skills learnt in other areas of the curriculum and how they aid the design and make process, as well as how these techniques and skills will aid them in future life and learning.