Design Technology
Our design and technology curriculum equips pupils with the knowledge and skills to solve real-life, practical problems and to live a healthy lifestyle. We encourage innovation and risk-taking whilst pupils consider their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, pupils take inspiration to create or refine new products.
Pupils draw upon a broad range of knowledge from other areas of the curriculum, such as mathematics, science, computing and art. Through the curriculum content and the influential engineers, designers, chefs and architects pupils learn about, they become resourceful and capable citizens and may develop aspirations for future careers.
Pupils learn how to create products for a wide range of contexts and users. Pupils know that effective designers test, evaluate and modify their ideas at different points of the design process. They understand that aspects of the project that do not meet the design brief and need further modification are a valuable way of achieving a successful outcome. They critique their finished product and offer constructive feedback to others.
Over time, pupils understand drawing as essential to effective design. Pupils use their sketchbooks to record, annotate and amend product designs.
Pupils develop:
- ‘practical knowledge’, which is about developing technical proficiency in food and nutrition, textiles, construction, mechanical components, electrical components, computer aided design and modelling (CAD and CAM)
- ‘substantive knowledge’, which is the content that pupils learn about influential people in the world of design and technology
- ‘disciplinary knowledge’, which is what pupils learn about how design is studied, discussed and judged.
The content in the design and technology curriculum is:
- Food and Nutrition
- Construction
- Electrical components
- Mechanical components
- Textiles
- Subject specific technical vocabulary
We are committed to teaching children to cook healthy and nutritious meals so in addition to the teaching that children receive as part of the Food and Nutrition strand, children in all year groups take part in a cooking lesson once every 4 weeks. This is delivered through Classroom Kitchen and aims to teach children the skills they need to follow recipes and give them the opportunity to try a range of foods.
Our children take home copies of the recipes to have a go again at home and there are regular online tutorials available for children to try in their own time. In addition, we run a weekly healthy eating cookery club.