Design and Technology
Designing and making our future!
Design and Technology (D.T.) at St Anne's provides a motivating and meaningful context for using English, maths, science, art and computing knowledge and skills. The need to persevere is inherent in the study of D.T. and so it is a key subject in our pursuit of 'growth mindsets' across the school.
The D.T. curriculum aims to give young people the skills and abilities to engage positively with the designed and made world and to harness the benefits of technology. The children learn how products and systems are designed and manufactured, how to be innovative and how to make creative use of a variety of resources including digital technologies, to improve the world around them.
Using creativity and imagination, pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts, considering their own and others’ needs, wants and values. Pupils learn how to take risks; as a result becoming more resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable. 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. D.T. also provides our children with the opportunity to work collaboratively for a purpose outside of the classroom.
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Implementation
Our Design and Technology curriculum is implemented through a variety of different projects over the children’s time at St Anne's.
Through the support of the Design and Technology Association (DATA) scheme, Projects on a Page, children will experience an array of different progressive and linkable skills and techniques over the course of a child’s time at St Anne's. Through our spiral curriculum, this ensures that children are constantly building upon previous learning and are able to expand their knowledge and understanding of problem solving, designing and constructing different products.
Children will complete 3 projects a year, either having one lesson a week or a two to three day block complete each project so children are fully immersed in the design-make-evaluate process. For each project, there are three core activities children engage with in D&T:
- Activities which involve investigating and evaluating existing products
- Focused tasks in which children develop particular aspects of knowledge and skills
- Designing and making activities in which children design and make 'something' for 'somebody' for 'some purpose'
Each project address the six design and technology principles – user, purpose, functionality, design decisions, innovation and authenticity.
User – children should have a clear idea of who they are designing and making products for, considering their needs, wants, interests or preferences. The user could be themselves, an imaginary character, another person, client, consumer or a specific target audience.
Purpose – children should know what the products they design and make are for. Each product should perform a clearly defined task that can be evaluated in use.
Functionality – children should design and make products that function in some way to be successful. Products often combine aesthetic qualities with functional characteristics. In D&T, it is insufficient for children to design and make products which are purely aesthetic.
Design Decisions – when designing and making, children need opportunities to make informed decisions such as selecting materials, components and techniques and deciding what form the products will take, how they will work, what task they will perform and who they are for.
Innovation – when designing and making, children need some scope to be original with their thinking. Projects that encourage innovation lead to a range of design ideas and products being developed, characterised by engaging, open-ended starting points for children's learning.
Authenticity – children should design and make products that are believable, real and meaningful to themselves i.e. not replicas or reproductions or models which do not provide opportunities for children to make design decisions with clear users and purposes in mind.
Design and Technology in the Early Years
In Early Years, children develop essential basic skills in design and technology which prepares them for their transition into Year 1. They explore and use a variety of media and materials through a combination of child initiated and adult led activities. Adults plan D&T activities linked to each topic (See curriculum overview). Children's interests are also explored when they arise and are supported through next step planning.
Children have the opportunity to support their initiated play through the continuous provision which gives them access to a variety of D&T resources.
Indoors -
Construction kits: small and large, junk modelling, deconstruction building, mobilo, duplo, Lego, small and large wooden black, straws and connectors.
Cutting and joining resources: scissors, hole punches, hammers, nails, glue, sellotape, treasury tags, ribbon, split pins, wool, string, shape punches.
Media: paper, fabric card, bags, cardboard boxes, trays.
Embellishments: sequins, glitter, buttons, threads, pom poms, wool, ribbon, stickers.
Outdoors: planks of wood, tyres, fabric, canes, crates, pegs, ropes, reels, large wooden bricks
Key Stage 1
Investigative and Evaluative Activities (IEAs), Focused Tasks (FTs) and Design, Make and Evaluate Assignment (DMEA) lessons.
Key Stage 2
Investigative and Evaluative Activities (IEAs), Focused Tasks (FTs) and Design, Make and Evaluate Assignment (DMEA) lessons.
Home Learning
St Anne's Design Technology Curriculum Overview
Knowledge organisers
These knowledge organisers identify the key information that your child will need to have learned by the end of their learning challenge.
How do they help children?
They provide the essential knowledge that children need to cover in their learning challenges and can be used as a reminder prompt during lessons or revision tools.
How do they help parents?
They give you a clear understanding of what your child will be learning about each term and allow you to support and further their knowledge at home if you wish to.
We have developed our own Knowledge Organisers to support the delivery of the curriculum which contains a list of technical vocabulary with definitions.
Year 1 and Year 2 Knowledge Organisers
Year 3 and Year 4 Knowledge Organisers
Year 5 and Year 6 Knowledge Organisers
Impact
At St Anne's, pupils view themselves as future designers and recognise the important role design plays in their lives.
“I’ve always liked D.T and a job around D.T would be really fun. I want to be an engineer so I can help improve people’s lives, like maybe design some sort of technology to help people who are disabled.” Y6 pupil
“I want to be an engineer because I’ve always liked Lego and beginning creative. And my parents are engineers. I might be a structural or a civil engineer.” Y6 pupil
“I want to be a chef and make healthy cakes” Y6 pupil
Pupils really do enjoy D&T, 39% of pupils gave DT 5/5 for enjoyment and 17% listed it as one of their top 3 subjects
“It’s my favourite lesson. I like it because say you want to get engineering job, you can help improve things for everyone” Y6 pupil
“I like it because its time to think and creating stuff and using your imagination.” Y3v pupil
Pupils have a resilient attitude and a growth mindset towards design and making products.
“I love D & T because it brings out my creative side. You get to test ideas and change it when you make mistakes.” Y5 pupil
Project launches hook the children into answering questions and get them excited about the products they are going to design, make and evaluate.
“you can design and create what ever you want” Y2 pupil
Knowledge organisers are used by teachers and pupils, this especially helps to deepen the understanding of vocabulary and enables them to retrieve key knowledge .