Design & Technology
Design and Technology at St Anne’s and St Joseph’s
We take great pride with our teaching and learning in design and technology. The lessons are fun, engaging and creative. We believe that design and technology should be inspiring, rigorous and very much practical subject where children are encouraged to get stuck in and have ago. We aim for children to gain a great depth of knowledge and draw on knowledge from other subjects such as computing and maths in order to benefit their work.
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
Here at SASJ we ensure that all children meet these aims by following a skill-based thematic curriculum.
Though-out school, all children are taught to design their product first, then make it and finally to evaluate it. They do this for all products that they make. The skill level increases as the children move through school.
In the EYFS class we very much concentrate on fun and practical learning. The children start by thinking about what they want to make and design it by drawing a picture, they make it with materials provided and then they evaluate what they have made by suggesting ways it could be better. The children bake cakes and biscuits, use building blocks to make houses and towers and they learn how to use equipment safely.
Below is a picture showing the product of what the children in Acorns class produced together. They were given the challenge of creating a dinosaur skeleton. They first of all designed the dinosaur by sticking parts of a dinosaur skeleton together. Then they made the big dinosaur using cardboard tubes. The children then suggested how it could be better. They decided that the dinosaur should have more teeth!
In Key Stage one the children’s design, make and evaluation skills progress and become more refined.
When designing they ensure that they design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria.
When making they select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks and they select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics.
When evaluating they evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria.
In KS1 the children begin to look at mechanisms, textiles and food.
Below shows a series of pictures where the children were trying to design a bridge. They were investigating the most suitable material.
In Key Stage two the children’s skills evolve and become more sophisticated.
When designing the children research the product they are making and ensure that it will be appealing, fit for purpose and aimed at a specific group.
When making they select from and use a wider range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks, accurately.
When evaluating the children evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
In LKS2 the children build structures, use sheet materials, use mechanical and electrical systems and ICT and learn more about cooking.
In UKS2 the children focus on nutrition when cooking, use more complex mechanical and electrical systems in their work and create more advanced structures.
Below shows a process in which the children went through to design a smoothie. They had to think about what flavours would go together and what would be the most popular with the rest of the class.
