Miss Berry is the subject leader for Design and Technology throughout school.  

At Morland Area Primary School, we aim to develop skills and knowledge in design, structures, mechanisms and food. Design and Technology is taught alongside our topic work, where appropriate, which provides our children with a context for their designs and products. Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject which aims to inspire pupils to be innovative and creative thinkers who have an appreciation for the product design cycle through development of ideas, creation and evaluation. It is the aim that our children develop the confidence to take risks, through drafting design concepts, modelling and testing. We also encourage them to be reflective learners who evaluate their work and the work of others. Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team. 

DT in the Early Years

In the Early Years, Design and Technology is looked at through encouraging the development of skills, knowledge and understanding that help both nursery and reception children make sense of the world and their surrounding environments.  This is done by allowing children the opportunity for hands-on experiences through planned and purposeful play, enabling them to observe, explore, solve problems and make decisions.  We assess Design and Technology in the early years through teacher assessment against the early learning goals.  

For years 1 through to 6, we follow the National Curriculum for Design Technology which is outlined below:

Purpose of study

Aims

The national curriculum for design and 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.

Subject content

Key stage 1:

When designing and making, pupils will be taught to:

Design

• Design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria.
• Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.

Make

• Select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing].
• Select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics.

Evaluate

• Explore and evaluate a range of existing products.
• Evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria.

Technical knowledge

• Build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
• Explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products.

Cooking and nutrition

• Use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes.
• Understand where food comes from.

Key stage 2:

When designing and making, pupils will be taught to:

Design

• Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
• Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

Make

• Select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing], accurately.
• Select from and use a wider range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their functional properties and aesthetic qualities.

Evaluate

• Investigate and analyse a range of existing products.
• Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
• Understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

Technical knowledge

• Apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures.
• Understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages].
• Understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors].
• Apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.

Cooking and nutrition

• Understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet
• Prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques.
• Understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.

We assess Design and Technology from years 1 to 6 from teacher assessments against the product criteria and ensure progression is being made through the year groups, following the road maps.