Design and Technology

“Design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works." – Steve Jobs

Design and Technology Lead - Mrs Sarah Parekh

Why is Design and Technology important?

“Design and Technology is about providing opportunities for children to develop their capability. By combining their design and making skills with knowledge and understanding they learn to create quality products”

“D&T is often one of a child’s favourite subjects. Children like making decisions for themselves and doing practical work. They love creating products they can see, touch – and even taste – for themselves. They feel proud to have done so.”

“D&T brings learning to life. It is a motivating context for discovering literacy, mathematics, science, art, PSHE and ICT.”

The Design and Technology Association

www.data.org.uk/for-education/primary/

The national curriculum for design and technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

Develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
Build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
Critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
Understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

Intent

St Dennis Primary Academy’s Design and Technology curriculum aims to inspire children to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through investigating and researching, developing skills, designing, making and evaluating. We want our children to develop confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling and testing so they can be reflective learners who evaluate their own work and the work of others.

We have developed our own curriculum, which aims to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourages children to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who have the skills to contribute to future design advancements. We aim to equip pupils with the knowledge and skills to understand the importance of sustainability, safety, and ethical considerations in their projects.

Through engaging, hands-on activities, students will explore a variety of materials, techniques, and technologies, encouraging them to solve real-world problems and develop their own ideas. Our curriculum promotes a growth mindset, teamwork, and independence, preparing students to become thoughtful creators and consumers in a rapidly changing world.

Implementation

Alongside the National Curriculum, we use the key skills of being a designer (Chris Quigley).

There are three main stages of the design process design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses contextual, historical and technical understanding required.

The National Curriculum organises the DT attainment targets into five strands:

Design
Make
Evaluate
Technical knowledge
Cooking and Nutrition (this has a separate section with a focus on specific principles of skills and techniques in food - where it comes from, diet and seasonality)

Five units are taught each year through key areas which are:

Structures
Textiles
Cooking and nutrition
Mechanisms / Mechanical systems

In addition to this, in Key Stage 2 there are:

Digital world
Electrical systems

We use a spiral curriculum, with key areas revisited a number of times with increasing complexity, allowing children to revisit and build on their previous learning.

Our DT units follow a five step process, to ensure children understand how their learning is part of the wider world and provides aspirational ideas for their futures. It also encompasses practise of skills, so children become experts before they apply that skill to make a product.

SEND

At St Dennis Primary Academy, we prioritise creating an inclusive environment for all pupils in Design and Technology, particularly those with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities (SEND). Our approach is designed to foster communication, collaboration, and independent learning.

Seating Arrangements
We implement appropriate seating arrangements that facilitate effective communication and interaction among all pupils, including the teacher. By encouraging pair work and small group activities, we provide opportunities for discussion, peer support, and collaborative project work.
Accessible Resources
Our resources are designed with accessibility in mind. We use clear labelling in large print, accompanied by images, to promote independent use. Engaging floor books of completed and ongoing work serve as valuable teaching tools and inspire creativity. Alternative tools are available for pupils as required, such as larger needles when sewing.
Multi-Sensory Learning
We recognise the importance of multi-sensory approaches and tailor our teaching to accommodate each child's preferred learning style. A variety of strategies, including visual aids and alternative communication methods such as sign language or symbol systems, are employed to enhance understanding.
Health and Safety Awareness
We ensure that all children are informed about health and safety issues related to equipment use. For those who may have difficulty recognising potential dangers, we provide close monitoring to ensure safe participation in activities.
Consultative Planning Support
We actively involve students in the planning process, consulting them on the type and level of support they require. This personalised approach helps us provide both specific and generic aids, enabling all children to complete tasks effectively.
Sensory Accommodations
For children with sensory needs or aversions to certain materials (such as clay or chalk), we offer plastic gloves to ensure comfort during hands-on activities. Additionally, we accommodate students with light sensitivity by using non-reflective interactive whiteboards to minimise glare.
Scaffolding Learning
Support from additional adults is strategically planned to scaffold learning experiences, empowering students to gradually work more independently. Our goal is to create a supportive environment where every child can thrive in their DT education.

By focusing on these key areas, we strive to provide a nurturing and effective learning environment for all DT pupils with Special Educational Needs or Disabilities.

Curriculum adaptations for children with SEND in Design Technology.pdf

Enrichment

At St Dennis Primary Academy, we strive to provide pupils with a wide range of real life experiences to enhance their learning in Design Technology and provide them with a greater understanding of opportunities in the world of work.

Impact

Impact is monitored through formative and summative opportunities. Lesson objectives are assessed against 'show what you know' activities and quizzes are used at the beginning of a unit as a ‘Memory Masters’ activity. This is to illicit what has been remembered to ensure any critical knowledge is revisited and recapped before moving on. Critical skills and knowledge have been identified and these are assessed against at the end of every unit.

Children leave St Dennis Primary Academy equipped with a range of skills to enable them to succeed in their secondary education and be innovative and resourceful members of society.

Through our design and technology curriculum, children:

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, encouraging sustainability and ethical awareness.
Make connections between other curriculum areas, helping pupils to retain and apply their knowledge.
Build confidence and resilience.
Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.

We measure the impact of our curriculum through the following methods:

Retrieval quizzes
Show what you know assessments
Peer evaluation
Pupil conferencing

How does DT promote British Values?

At St Dennis Primary Academy, children follow the rule of law by developing an understanding of the importance of safety rules when using tools. Individual liberty enables children the freedom to express themselves through the design process and in the creation of a wide variety of products. Children are taught about tolerance of faiths and beliefs when they are encouraged to evaluate products from a range of times and cultures as well as their own. This enables children to appreciate that design ideas originate from other cultures.

Children are also expected to be able to take turns during discussions, resolve difficulties or make decisions, for example, when choosing materials for making a product. Design Technology also promotes the opportunity to offer supportive comments in evaluations that will improve learning outcomes in a way that is thoughtful and kind.

Children have the right to make their own choices but are encouraged to take the views and opinions of others into account. Opportunities are presented, enabling children to understand the value of compromise. During lessons, pupils are expected to listen to and consider the ideas and opinions of others. This teaches them mutual respect and acceptance of the democratic right to have an opinion and to understand that the ideas of others are as valid as their own.

How does DT promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development?

At St Dennis Primary Academy, children’s spiritual development is of high importance in design and technology. The process of creative thinking and innovation inspires them to bring out undiscovered talents, which in turn breeds self confidence and belief in their abilities. Within our scheme of work, we seek to develop a sense of fascination as children explore products to understand how they are designed, construction and how they function. Children use this knowledge, combined with their own imagination and creativity, to develop and create their own designs. From this, children reflect on their own work by critically evaluating the quality of their design and whether it is fit for purpose.

In DT, moral development is shown in children’s ability to recognise the difference between right and wrong and apply this understanding in their own lives. We seek to develop a sense of ‘moral conscience’ through focussing upon the moral dilemmas raised in designing and making new products to ensure they understand the wider impacts on the environment. In all year groups, children are encouraged to use recycled materials. Children are made aware of issues relating to health and safety and the consequences of their actions and behaviour, whether this be the tools they use, the safety of the products or food hygiene, or teachers sharing elements of risk assessments.

We acknowledge that social development is a key feature of all design and technology lessons. The concept of self-regulation is taught to ensure that students accept responsibility for their behaviour and the safety of others. We place emphasis on developing the ability to work with others to accept the unique personalities and ideas of others. We encourage effective conversations about the learning we complete through self and peer evaluation. Children also learn to give and accept constructive feedback as a vehicle to improving learning outcomes.

We develop cultural awareness through projects that have a connection with our past heritage globally and locally, such as fishing and how our industrial routes have shaped our nation, We also seek to expand children’s knowledge of other cultures and link products we explore to cultures we are learning about, This helps us to learn about different faiths, cultures and food which develops children’s understanding, acceptance and respect of diversity.

How does DT promote spiritual, moral, social and cultural development?

How to help at home

There are many opportunities to help your child to enjoy this subject at home. By engaging in any type of design and technology, it will give your child opportunities to actively contribute to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of themselves, their community and their nation. It teaches how to take risks and so become more resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable.

Understanding how to prepare and cook food, and the importance of hygiene as well as a balanced diet, is a crucial life skill. Is there a favourite family recipe that your child could help you with? As well as producing a lovely dish, the children will have experienced being involved in measuring and weighing the ingredients, which also helps their mathematical skills.

Do you have any old torches or clocks that your child could dismantle in order for them to gain understanding of their workings? Or perhaps constructing a bug hotel or a miniature garden from anything that comes to hand.

Useful websites: