Design and Technology

At Moordown St Johns, our Design and Technology curriculum gives our children the opportunity to explore a range of materials, tools and processes and to select those most appropriate to the task they have been set. It enables them to identify needs and opportunities and to respond to them by developing a range of ideas and by making products and systems. They learn how to work independently and as part of a team and how to follow the design cycle – design, make, evaluate and improve.

The children are encouraged and supported to challenge themselves, by increasing their use of technical vocabulary and by developing their knowledge of technology so that they can explain how their products work. The children also learn how inventors and industry have had an impact on our world today.

Intent: What we expect children to learn

Our intent is that children are taught specific skills in Design and Technology, through carefully structured projects. Each year group, from year 1 to year 6, will complete one project each term.

The ‘Plan Bee’ scheme of work, which fully covers the objectives from the National Curriculum, provides the foundation of our Design and Technology curriculum, although additional resources are used to enhance teaching and learning, wherever necessary.

‘Using materials for construction’ units are covered in every year group, with a clear progression of skills being taught from year 1 to year 6. In addition, two units from the following areas of Design and Technology are also taught: cooking and nutrition, textiles, electronics and mechanics.

In each unit, the design cycle (design, make, evaluate, improve) will be used, with progression being seen across the school.

Implementation: How we teach the subject

In all units of work, children will revisit previous skills, knowledge and vocabulary for that area of learning before they are taught new content. This enables them to consolidate what they have already learnt and to apply their skills and knowledge in a range of contexts.

In each project, children have the opportunity to investigate and evaluate existing products, before designing their own to given criteria. They are then able to create prototypes and adjust their design prior to making their final product. These ‘making’ lessons are very practical, enabling children to try out different ideas and to see for themselves what works.

Finally, children are encouraged to consider the strengths and areas for development in their own and others’ work.

Impact: How we evaluate the knowledge and skills they have learnt

By studying an engaging and practical Design and Technology curriculum, all children will have made progress in the subject and developed relevant skills and knowledge.

By the end of their primary school education, children will be able to:

• Use the design cycle – design, make, evaluate, improve
• Develop skills in cooking and nutrition, including selecting ingredients and preparing a range of nutritious meals
• Develop skills in textiles, including – creating patterns, using basic stitches, embellishing and finishing products
• Develop skills in using materials for constructions, including building, strengthening and testing stable structures
• Develop skills in mechanics, including using levers, pulleys and winding mechanisms
• Develop skills in electronics to help programme Scratch, including creating light boxes

We use a variety of strategies to evaluate the knowledge, skills and understanding that our children have gained in each unit, these include:

• Frequent use of formative assessment to inform teaching
• Flashback tasks to assess the retention of previous learning
• Regular feedback and pupil questioning to identify next steps
• teachers will record end of unit judgements in the Foundation Assessment Journal to assess where children are working in relation to the expected level for their year group,
• Subject monitoring, including observations, book looks and speaking to pupils

Design & Technology Progression Map