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Design and Technology at St Oswalds
Design and Technology is a practical and extremely valuable subject. It enables children and young people to actively contribute to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of themselves, their community and their nation. It teaches them how to take risks and so become more resourceful, innovative, enterprising, innovative and capable. It encourages them to develop a critical understanding of the impact of design and technology on daily life and the wider world. It also provides excellent opportunities for children to develop and apply valuable judgements of an aesthetic, economic, moral, social and technical nature both in their own designing and when evaluating the work of others. Our Design Technology curriculum aims to excite and ignite our pupils’ interest in design and technology and prepare them to participate in the development of a rapidly changing world. In each unit of work, they design and make products for a specific need or purpose - solving real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. Through carefully constructed sequences of learning, they are taught about the world we live in and develop a wide range of skills embedded through the threshold concepts of designing, making, evaluating and problem solving – they are exposed to an abundance of technical knowledge in each and every lesson. The curriculum has been carefully created by Primary Subject Leads and Secondary Heads of Department colleagues, who have worked collaboratively to create high quality toolkits to deliver the the threshold concepts. An effective Design and Technology curriculum should encompass all of the threshold concepts within the delivery of each project.
Progression of Skills
In EYFS, pupils will be introduced to Cooking & Nutrition by preparing and tasting a range of fruits. Design skills will be developed through junk modelling, providing opportunities to use a range of motor skills.
As they move into Year 1, pupils will further develop their design skills while making a ‘moving picture’; simple mechanisms will be introduced and motor skills will be honed while using tools and making simple devices. Fruit smoothies will be created, allowing them to investigate food sources and origins.
In Year 2, pupils will continue to investigate food sources and origins while preparing their own sandwiches. A communal patchwork piece will be created, allowing them to develop textile skills, focusing upon modelling and product knowledge. Measuring, marking and joining skills will be used while working on a stretch unit – a castles project.
On entering Year 3, the pupils will further develop their design skills while developing their own packaging. They will be introduced to programming via micro-bit technology, learning about simple electrical circuits and components. Fruit crumbles will be baked, allowing pupils to gain skills in food preparation and understand the safe use of a heat source.
Moving into Year 4, pupils will look at seasonality and a healthy balanced diet while cooking their own pasta sauce. Creative shoes will be designed while pupils learn to work to a design criteria. Assembling, joining and combining skills will be further developed. Pupils will also work in groups on a range of Dyson challenges.
In Year 5, pupils will build upon their knowledge of mechanisms and further develop their ability to design and make 3D outcomes. Sewing skills will be honed during the stretch project, focusing upon different types of stitch and applique techniques. Whilst making pretzels, pupils will look at food processing and options for adapting recipes.
As they enter into Year 6 pupils will utilise the textiles skills gained from prior learning while designing and making a felt phone case. The bridges project will allow them to gain further knowledge about structures while building upon their assembling, joining and combining skills. While cooking a curry, pupils will learn more about recipe adaptation while further developing their food hygiene and preparation skills. Each project has been specially designed to provide children with the wide range of skills and technical knowledge needed to allow them to succeed and thrive in Design Technology. Materials have been designed to ensure clarity and consistency of delivery to ensure an agreed standard. Core skills are sequenced to be revisited at least once within each key stage to ensure that knowledge is built upon and developed through retrieval and skill practise. Recall is a feature of theory sessions, developing student’s ability to transfer skills between projects and different media.
“We walk in the footsteps of Jesus so that we may have life in all its fullness”
John 10:10