Design & Technology

Design and Technology at St Matthew’s

Friendship, Discovery, Prayer

Intent

At St Matthew’s we appreciate we aim to cultivate creative children who are inspired through our delivery of design and technology. Our curriculum and cross curricular links provide a real purpose to our children’s creative learning and partake in using the many multimedia opportunities. This is designed to develop individuality in their creations.

 The National Curriculum for art and design 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 increasing 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

Implementation

The Design and Technology National curriculum outlines 3 main stages of the design process: design, make and evaluate. Each stage of the design process is underpinned by technical knowledge which encompasses the contextual, historical and technical understanding required for each strand. Cooking and nutrition has a separate section, with a focus on specific principles, skills and techniques in food, including where food comes from, diet and seasonality.

The National curriculum organises the DT attainment targets under 5 strands:

• Design
• Make
• Evaluate
• Technical knowledge
• Cooking and nutrition

We have a clear progression of skills and knowledge within these 5 strands across each year group. Through our teaching, our children respond to design briefs and scenarios that require consideration of the needs of others and developing their skills.

Our lessons incorporate a range of teaching strategies from independent tasks, paired and group work including practical hands-on, computer-based and inventive tasks. This variety means that lessons are engaging and appeal to those with a variety of learning styles. Every lesson can be, and is, differentiated to ensure that lessons can be accessed and enjoyed by all children, and opportunities to stretch pupils’ learning if required, are provided

Impact

The impact of DT lessons is monitored through formative and summative assessment opportunities within each lesson.

After pupils leave St Matthew’s we expect them to be able to:

• Understand the functional and aesthetic properties of a range of materials and resources.
• Understand how to use and combine tools to carry out different processes for shaping, decorating and manufacturing products.
• Build and apply a repertoire of skills, knowledge and understanding to produce high quality, innovative outcomes, including models, prototypes and products to fulfil the needs of users, clients and scenarios.
• Understand and apply the principles of healthy eating, diets, and recipes, including key processes, food groups and cooking equipment.
• Self-evaluate and reflect on learning at different stages and identify areas to improve.
• Meet the end of key stage expectations outlined in the National curriculum for Design & Technology.

 Please click here to see the Design and Technology Progression Map.