D&T

Intent, Implementation and Impact

 The Northway Design Technology Curriculum has a golden thread that links a rich tapestry of knowledge, interwoven with key skills and allows children to engage with, connect with and understand their locality and rich cultural offer and take their places as global citizens in the twenty first century. 

Through our Design and Technology curriculum we aim to develop children who can approach a range of challenges which reflect real life contexts. We aim for children to become resourceful and innovative in their approaches to tasks posed. 

Children are given the responsibility to work with technical tools and equipment safely. Children leave Northway Primary and Nursery School with the ability to plan, design, build and evaluate a range of high-quality products becoming enterprising and capable citizens.

Our Design Technology Curriculum is a progressive programme of study, where children are exposed to knowledge and skills year on year.  As they progress through the school, children should see the ‘big picture’ and see building blocks coming into place.  Low state quizzing for pre-assessments endeavour the development of sticky knowledge and post-assessments give children the satisfaction of achievement.  Design and Technology is taught discretely at Northway but has clear cross-curricular links and crossover of skills. Children’s knowledge and skills will be assessed at the end of each unit through critical discussion and the use of our Balance assessment system.

EYFS

In EYFS, Design Technology comes under the Expressive Arts & Design area of learning. Children in our Nursery and Reception classes have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. This forms the build blocks of knowledge and skills which will support them as they progress into Key Stage One. 

Design and Technology Lead: Miss McLachlan

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