Intent

The National Curriculum for Design Technology aims to ensure that all pupils:

• develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world
• build and apply a repertoire of knowledge, understanding and skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users
• critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others
• understand and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.

At Heskin Pemberton’s, we strive to ensure that we provide our children with the knowledge and skills to experiment, design, make and evaluate products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. We want to consider their needs, wants and values and intend for children to acquire appropriate subject knowledge, skills and understanding as set out in the National Curriculum. Where possible, we aim for these to have strong links with other subjects, to prepare our children for their future lives. This helps to develop their opportunities, responsibilities and experiences to support them to be successful in later life.

Implementation

Planning and teaching: To achieve the aims of the National Curriculum and our school values, Design and Technology is taught in half termly blocks, opposite an Art and Design unit. In half terms where Art and Design is taught, children may apply their Design and Technology skills through other subjects, such as in cultural food exploration as part of their RE. Staff in school use DT Association to plan progressively in all the areas of Design and Technology. These include textiles, mechanisms, structures, food and electrical systems. These are taught across a two year cycle in line with our mixed age setting. When planning projects, all staff are expected to use the iterative process of designing and making.
In EYFS are taught through Expressive Arts and design. This encourages the children to explore and play with a wide range of materials. This may be in the form of art, music, movement, dance, role play and design and technology. This is shown through the following Early Learning Goals:

ELG 16 Exploring and using media and materials:
Children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.
ELG 17 Being imaginative:
Children use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role-play and stories.

Health and Safety: The safety of our children and staff must be promoted at all times. All teachers are expected to make appropriate risks assessments on equipment used and ensure that these are used safely and appropriately. All staff have access to CLEAPSS to support in their risk assessments and are able to ask the DT lead for advice and support too. All accidents are reported directly to the Headteacher who makes decisions on appropriate further actions.

Leadership, Assessment and Feedback: : We use project books to document the iterative process of designing and making to our pupils at Heskin. This way, the children can easily see how their knowledge and skills in the different areas of Design and Technology have progressed over time. These are not marked in the same way as other subjects, as children have live feedback and discussions with their peers throughout their lessons. Similar to their Art and Design, the children are expected to apply their skills in a creative and imaginative way and we take care to evaluate in a mindful way. Project books at assessed by the subject leader and regular pupil voice and action plans shared with governors and SLT.

Impact

At Heskin we want our Children to have enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will then apply to other areas of the curriculum. Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities the pupils develop the creative, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. They gain a firm foundation of knowledge and skills to see them equipped to take on further learning in High School.