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Design and Technology
Design & Technology
Intent
Lowtown’s design and technology scheme of work aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through ideation, creation and evaluation. We want pupils to develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling and testing and to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Through our bespoke scheme of work (using elements of DT Association Products on a Page, KAPOW and Let’s Get Cooking), we aim to build an awareness of the impact of design and technology on our lives and encourage pupils to become resourceful, enterprising citizens who will have the skills to contribute to further design advancements
Our scheme of work enables pupils to meet the end of year attainment targets in the national curriculum and the aims also align with those in the national curriculum.
Implementation
The design and technology national curriculum outlines the three main stages of the design process: design, make, evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles such as skills and techniques in food.
The National curriculum organises the design and technology attainment targets under five strands:
- Design
- Make
- Evaluate
- Technical knowledge
- Cooking and nutrition
Our scheme has a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these five strands across each year group and is mapped to show which of our units cover each of the National curriculum attainment targets as well as each of the five strands.
The progression shows the skills that are taught within each year group and how these skills develop to ensure that attainment targets are securely met by the end of each key stage.
Pupils respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others, developing their skills in six key areas.
- Mechanisms
- Structures
- Textiles
- Cooking and Nutrition
- Electrical systems (KS2)
- Digital world (KS2
Each of our key areas follow the design process (design, make and evaluate) and has a particular theme and focus from the technical knowledge or cooking and nutrition section of the curriculum. The scheme is a spiral curriculum, with key areas visited again and again with increasing complexity, allowing pupils to revisit and build on their previous learning.
Lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent task, pair and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Differentiation is considered to ensure that lessons can be accessed by all pupils and opportunities to stretch pupil’s learning are available when required. Knowledge organisers for each unit support pupils in building a foundation of factual knowledge by encouraging recall of key facts and vocabulary.
Each unit is taught as a block enabling pupils to work through the design brief continuously. In addition, each half term a class undertakes the food and nutrition element through weekly “Let’s Get Cooking” tasks.
DT has many curricular links to other subject areas such as science, computing and art which enable pupils to extend their knowledge and understanding of the concepts they have covered. We also have our annual Christmas Enterprise scheme where classes compete with each other to design, make and sell a product (for profit) at the Lowtown Christmas Fair.
Impact
The impact of the scheme is monitored through both formative and summative assessment opportunities. Unit quizzes and knowledge catchers are used at the start and/or end of units.
By the end of year 6 pupils should leave Lowtown equipped with a range of skills which enable them to be innovative and resourceful thinkers.
The extended impact of the scheme is that children will:
- Understand the functional and aesthetic properties or a range of materials and resources
- Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating and manufacturing products
- Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes, CAD, and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients and scenarios
- Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment
- Have an appreciate for key individuals, inventions, and events in history and of today that impact our world
- Recognise where our decisions can impact the wider world in terms of community, social and environmental issues
- Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve
- Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design and Technology
- Meet the end of key stage expectations outline in the National curriculum for Computing
