D&T
Intent
At Northway Design and Technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. Design and Technology encourages children to learn to think creatively and to solve problems both as individuals and as members of a team.
At Northway, we encourage children to use their creativity and imagination to design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values.
We aim to, wherever possible, link work to other disciplines such as Maths, English, Science, Computing and Art so that children can see that the subjects they study do not exist in isolation in the real world.
The children are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate their finished product, asking themselves questions about its uses and its effectiveness and are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers by being given opportunities to test and refine their ideas.
Implementation
Through a variety of creative and practical activities, we teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in a sequence of designing, making and evaluating. The children work in a range of relevant contexts as they move through the school and are given opportunities to use and improve skills learnt in previous years.
When engaged in Design Technology at Northway, the children are taught to
Design
- Use 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 diagrams, prototypes and oral presentations.
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 to aid them in developing their design.
Evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
We also aim through the topics taught to develop their technical knowledge and skills and to allow them to apply these to future projects.
Key skills and key knowledge for Design Technology have been mapped across the school to ensure progression between year groups. This also ensures that there is a context for the children’s work in Design and Technology; that they learn about real life issues and problems and how they could be solved, as well as developing their skills throughout the programme of study. Design and Technology lessons are also taught as a block so that children’s learning is focused throughout each unit of work.
Assessment
Children’s skills will be assessed and developed by the teacher during lessons and through critical discussion at the end of each unit. Assessment is done though Balance where there are a series of statements that evaluate the learning that has taken place in each unit
