Design and Technology

Intent

At Irby Primary School we are dedicated to creating and delivering an exciting and engaging Design and Technology curriculum, which is essentially providing pupils with the widest range of opportunities possible.  Design & Technology is a fundamental subject, which educates students in how to analyse and solve problems, produce high quality solutions and learn how to convert their ideas into working products.  

We wish to enable the understanding and appreciation of Design and Technology from a variety of cultures, styles and periods of time by providing a broad and balanced curriculum which caters to the needs of all children.  The DT curriculum should enable children to develop visual and tactile awareness, children should be taught to problem solve, to explore existing products and designs, to identify visual and practical characteristics and to follow the design, make and evaluate cycle of DT.  This gives children the opportunity to design and make a wide variety of products in a range of medium including wood, textiles, recycled materials, cardboard, plastic and food.  This process may take place both individually and as part of a group

We intend that children should master Design and Technology to such an extent that they can go on to have careers within Design and Technology and make use of Design and Technology effectively in their everyday lives. Our children will be taught Design and Technology in a way that ensures progression of skills and knowledge, and follows a sequence to build on previous learning. Our children will gain experience and skills of a wide range of formal elements of design and concepts of technology in a way that will enhance their learning opportunities

Implementation

By planning a series of well sequenced lessons, we are able to ensure that the full design and making process is covered, from analysing the existing products, planning and making a product, through to evaluating the finished version made by the children.  Specific and appropriate vocabulary will be taught and explored in order to support and extend learning and achieve a high level of understanding.  We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. The children are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.

We ensure that we give the children safe and supervised exposure to relevant tools and allow them to select the best tool for the job.  Children are also able to choose from arrange of materials and be asked to justify their decisions during the design phase. They are then able to reflect on the effectiveness of said tools and materials during the evaluation phase.

Aims

At Irby Primary, the 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.

Impact

The aim of Design and Technology curriculum is to build a progression of skills through the school.

Children will have had exposure to a range of materials and tools to enable them to solve real world problems beyond primary education.

Through encouragement and trial and error, children will have built up a resilience and persistence which can be transferred to all areas of the curriculum.

Pupils can hold discussions about their learning; which includes discussion of their thoughts, ideas, processing and evaluations of work

Children will understand the real world impacts and how Design and Technology links to Science, Geography and Mathematics.

Children will have an understanding of how the history of technology has informed the Design and Technology of the modern world.