Design and Technology

Intent

Design and technology prepares children to take part in the development of tomorrow’s rapidly changing world. Therefore, we want the pupils at Hook Junior School to develop their imagination, their critical thinking and their understanding of the world around them through their love of Design and Technology. We aim for our pupils to question and think innovatively about the world around them in order to design and develop their own products with a purpose in mind.

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

Pupils will build and apply the knowledge and skills needed to design high quality products, which they will test and refine. They are given the opportunity to understand nutrition and learn how to cook and use equipment safely. Our Design and Technology curriculum requires children to draw on skills within Mathematics, Art, Science and Computing and many other subjects.

We will evaluate past and present design technology and the ways these have influenced modern society. The pupils are taught to combine their designing and making skills with knowledge and understanding in order to design and make a product. Skills are taught progressively to ensure that all children are able to learn and practice in order to develop as they move through the school. Evaluation is an integral part of the design process and allows children to adapt and improve their product, this is a key skill which they need throughout their life.

Implementation

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, Hook Junior School teach the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in the process of designing and making in the five main domains: textiles, cooking and nutrition, mechanisms, electrical control and structures. Pupils design and make innovative, high-quality products with a clear purpose in mind and an intended user of the products.

Design and technology is an important part of the curriculum and learning, and it is for this reason that as a school we are dedicated to the teaching and delivery of a high quality Design and Technology curriculum through well planned and resourced projects and experiences. To reflect the wider world, evaluation and adaption is embedded into units to allow for constant evaluation of the projects; problem solving and identification of successes and areas of development to create a final product.

Design and Technology also embeds our Hook Junior School learning values. It is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject, requiring collaboration, independence, thinking, creativity, reflection, curiosity as well as collaboration. Pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts. It is cross - curricular and draws upon subject knowledge and skills in other subjects. Children learn to take risks, be reflective, innovative, enterprising and resilient. Through the evaluation of past and present technology, they can reflect upon the impact of Design Technology on everyday life and the wider world.

Whilst planning is guided by the DT Association ‘Projects on a Page’ schemes of work, this is adapted to the particular needs and requirements of our pupils to ensure clear progression and to build on their prior learning. Units are planned following the Design and Technology process: investigative and evaluative, design, focused tasks, making and evaluate. The enquiry cycle is followed to embed learning. Design and technology lessons can also be taught as a block within the half term depending on other curriculum links.

Below is the substantive and disciplinary knowledge taught within Design Technology for each individual year group attached.

Impact

Children will have clear enjoyment and confidence in Design and Technology that they will then apply to other areas of the curriculum. Through carefully planned and implemented learning activities, pupils will leave Hook Junior school being able to:

• 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 and 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. Children will design and make a range of products.
• A good quality finish will be expected in all design and activities made appropriate to the age and ability of the child.
• Children will learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens.
• Develop a sense of enjoyment and pride in their ability to make; nurture creativity and innovation through designing and making;
• Develop an interest and understanding of the ways in which people from the past and present have used design to meet their needs.
• Through the evaluation of past and present design and technology, they develop a critical understanding of its impact on daily life and the wider world.

Pupils will know more, remember more and understand more about Design and Technology. They will retain prior-learning and explicitly make connections between what they have previously learned and what they are currently learning within the subject and across the curriculum.

Pupils will be equipped with skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as a capable citizen in the wider world.

By the time pupils leave Hook Junior School, they will have:

• An excellent attitude towards learning and independent working.
• The ability to use time efficiently and work constructively and productively with others.
• The ability to carry out thorough research, show initiative and ask questions to develop a detailed knowledge of users’ needs.
• The ability to act as responsible designers and makers, working ethically, using a range of materials carefully and working safely.
• A thorough knowledge of which tools, equipment and materials to use to make their products.
• The ability to apply mathematical knowledge and skills accurately.
• The ability to manage risks, be resourceful, innovative and enterprising to manufacture products safely and hygienically.
• A passion for the subject

Assessment of pupil's learning in Design and Technology takes the form of ongoing monitoring of pupil's understanding, knowledge and skills built into lessons by the class teacher. Summative assessment is conducted termly by class teachers across each year group using Design and Technology objectives set out in the National Curriculum and key skills highlighted in Hook Junior School Assessment document. Pupil’s individual assessment are reported to parents during Learning Consultations or Annual School Reports at the end of the academic year.

Also, the assessment process is aimed at targeting next steps in learning as well as informing the subject leader of progress and knowledge still to be embedded as well as future training requirements for staff. Design and Technology is also monitored by the subject leader throughout the year in the form of collection of evidence (photos and scans), book monitoring, looking at outcomes measured against age-based progression and pupil conferencing. This tangible evidence aids understanding and establishes the impact of the teaching taking place. The impact of using the full range of tools and resources, will be seen across the school with an increase in the profile of Design and Technology.