The Design and Technology curriculum aims to promote curiosity and a love for learning within a more practical context. Our ambitious, exciting curriculum empowers children to become more independent, resilient, and reflective learners.
Curriculum Rationale
Our Design and Technology curriculum is carefully sequenced so children can progressively develop and deepen their knowledge and skills. Our curriculum is composed of topics focused on structures, mechanisms and home economics which are taught at the same time across the school. This is so we can show clear progression of the skills that have been taught and how skills are applied and reinforced.
For each topic, our pupils are taught through the design, make and evaluation processes used in the real world within the design and technology sector. Each stage is rooted in technical knowledge and is focused on our children acquiring and applying new skills taught. The design process encourages our pupils to be creative and innovative. Whilst making their product, we provide our children with a variety of resources so they can make calculated decisions and are able to incorporate multiple media. When evaluating, children are given time to review, reflect and check to see if their product meets the agreed design criteria and make any necessary changes.
Our carefully planned topics ensure cross curricular links to children’s learning within science, history, maths, computing, and art are seamlessly integrated. This gives our children the opportunity to draw upon other subject knowledge and apply these skills taught within different, exciting contexts. Our projects are also linked to children’s current learning within other subjects which allows opportunities to reinforce learning and address misconceptions.
Design & Technology in the EYFS
Through Expressive Arts children are encouraged to construct and create purposefully selecting tools and techniques needed to shape, assemble and join materials they are using. Children learn through first-hand experiences which involve putting their ideas into practice to develop an awareness and understanding of the possibilities and limitations of different materials. Practitioners encourage children to explore, observe, solve problems, think critically, make decisions and talk about why they have made their decisions as they design and create. Children’s natural creativity is fostered and opportunities for investigation, designing and making are offered daily within our provision, which enables children to learn a great deal about their world.
What does Design & Technology look like in the EYFS?
Design & Technology in KS1 & KS2
Our DT curriculum is designed:
- to enable our children to become independent, respectful and successful adults in terms of being able to find employment in the future
- to provide a relevant, progressive and well-structured DT curriculum which enables children to develop and master a broad knowledge and wide range of skills
Our DT curriculum is structured providing for each key stage and year group:
- A clear list of end points
- Progressive knowledge and skills which will shape children as designers
- A clear list of vocabulary both appropriate to DT and progressive through the key stages
- Provide a variety of enrichment opportunities including visitors into school and visits to different places
Documents relating to our Design Technology curriculum can be found below:
Documents outlining what will be covered in each year group can be found below:
Our progression of skills document can be found by clicking here.
