Intent

At Worth Primary School, we intend to teach Design and Technology in a way that is relevant in our rapidly changing world. We want to encourage our children to think in creative and practical ways, providing them with the chance to problem solve and develop their own ideas as individuals and as part of a team. We aim to provide our children with the opportunity to use their imagination to design and make products within a variety of contexts, to provide motivation and meaning to their learning. Through our topic-based lessons, we intend to acquire a broad range of subject knowledge drawing on disciplines such as mathematics, science, computing and art. Learning the crucial life skill of cooking, including food hygiene, the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. We hope our children will have an awareness of the impact that Design and Technology has on our lives and encourage children to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to future design advancements. 

Implementation

The teaching of Design and Technology across the school follows the National Curriculum and EYFS Framework. Pupils have the opportunity to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, for example home, school, community and wider environment. Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing and making. Pupils also have the opportunity to investigate and analyse a range of existing products, evaluate their ideas and consider the views of others.

Key skills and knowledge for Design and Technology have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. We teach Design and Technology through our cross curricular topics drawing on many subject areas and building on the children’s subject knowledge. Food technology is implemented across the school with children developing an understanding of where food comes from, the importance of a varied and healthy diet and how to prepare this. Pupils may work as individuals, in pairs or as members of a team within their Design and Technology lessons.

Design and Technology skills and knowledge can prepare children for life in the wider world. Pupils at Worth Primary School learn how to take risks, become resourceful, innovative, resilient and enterprising.

The subject co-ordinator monitors teaching and learning in Design and Technology throughout the school through work scrutiny, observation of teaching and Pupil Voice. Design and Technology work can be found in the children’s topic books and on displays around the classroom and school.

Design and Technology is assessed though Formative Assessment methods within the classroom and progress is reported on our end-of-year reports.

Impact

By the time the children leave us, they should have developed

• Skills and knowledge that will help them prepare for life in the wider world such as cooking, food hygiene, nutrition.
• Tools to develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• The ability to build and apply their repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users and evaluate and test their ideas.
• Inspiration and creativity as a result the Design and Technology curriculum making them want to continue to learn more.