Design and Technology

Design and Technology

 

Design and technology gives children the skills to engage positively with the world around them by designing, making and harnessing the benefits of technology. They learn how products are designed and manufactured, how to be innovative and how to creatively use a variety of resources, to help improve the world around them.

 

Intent

At SMCPS, we encourage children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real life problems within a variety of contexts. We teach design and technology in a cross-curricular way by linking the subject to other disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art and utilise our vast outdoor learning facilities. Children are taught the knowledge and skills required to investigate, explore, design, make and evaluate products, with their finished creations being linked to class topics, our outdoor environment and nature whilst also including links with our local community. These are then proudly shared with other classes, parents, family members and at times the local community.

 

Implementation

At SMCPS, our holistic approach to design and technology encourages experiential learning, risk taking and resourcefulness, which empowers children’s innovative and entrepreneurial skills. They research and evaluate past and present design and technology ideas and develop critical thinking skills to develop their own purposeful, creative and adaptive ideas. 

 

Children across both Key Stages are provided with opportunities throughout the school year to explore three strands of design technology:

 

Autumn term- Structures 

 

Spring term- Mechanisms (and electricity for KS2 only)

 

Summer term- Cooking and nutrition

 

These DT elements are taught as 6 week, termly projects over the 3 terms and are linked to class topics, looking after and caring for our natural world or local community events. These elements are revisited each year to develop the children’s non-linear progression of skills. 

 

The structure of DT projects at SMCPS

 

Each 6 week project is recorded in a design and technology sketchbook and covers the key elements of design technology.

 

Research and design-  Children are taught to research, discuss and evaluate current products to inform their own design choices to create functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose.

 

Make- Children are encouraged to select appropriate tools and equipment to perform practical tasks to cut, join and finish their products, whilst 

 

Evaluate- Throughout the process of each project, children are taught to  reflect and evaluate their designs, their ideas, the making process and their technical skills as well as their final product: considering feedback from others on how they can improve their product.  

Technical vocabulary- As part of each project, children are taught skills, techniques and vocabulary linked specifically to structures, mechanisms, cooking and nutrition and computing programming (KS2 only). They are taught to use this language through all stages of the project: including the final evaluation process.