Design Technology

• To develop our children's creativity, technical and practical expertise needed to perform everyday tasks confidently and to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world.
• For our children to build and apply a repertoire of skills in order to design and make high-quality prototypes and products for a wide range of users.
• To develop our children's skills to critique, evaluate and test their ideas and products and the work of others.
• For our children to develop an understanding of and apply the principles of nutrition and learn how to cook.
• To provide a skills and vocabulary based design and technology curriculum which is progressive and sequenced.
• To offer our children new and exciting opportunities and experiences.
• To promote our school values which are closely linked to British Values.
• To prepare our children for the next steps in their learning journey.

Implementation

The teaching of Design Technology at Nicol Mere follows the National Curriculum. The children focus on Food Technology, Mechanical Structures and Textiles. Children are immersed in the design process by researching a range of existing products and designers to understand a products purpose. Through the evaluation of past and present technology, they can reflect upon the impact of Design Technology on everyday life and the wider world. They create their own design criteria with the products purpose and intended user in mind. In Food Technology, children develop an understanding of where food comes from, the importance of a varied and healthy diet and how to prepare this.

Children are taught the skills they need to design and make their own product which builds on previously learned skills. It is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject, requiring curiosity, creativity, collaborative working, resourcefulness, and imagination. Children learn to take risks, be reflective, innovative, enterprising and resilient.  Throughout the process, children are actively encouraged to evaluate their own work and that of their peers in order to understand the importance of the design brief and how their product links to it. 

Impact

As a result of our designing process, children become confident designers and are equipped with the transferrable knowledge and skills to continue with their learning.

Assessment of children's learning in Design Technology is an ongoing monitoring of children's understanding, knowledge and skills by the class teacher, throughout lessons. This assessment is then used to inform differentiation, support and challenge required by the children. At the end of the school year, summative assessments are completed to inform the subject leader of progress or skills and knowledge still to be embedded. This is recorded and passed on to the next teacher and subject leader.



Design Technology is also monitored by the subject leader throughout the year in the form of book monitoring, learning walks and pupil interviews to discuss their learning and understanding and establish the impact of the teaching taking place.

Nicol Mere DT Curriculum and Knowledge Organisers