Hextable Primary School

Happy, Positive, Successful Life-Long Learners

Design & Technology

Hextable Primary School believe design and technology is a practical subject that inspires children to learn about the world we live in and become resourceful, innovative, capable citizens.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aims of the National Curriculum

Through a variety of creative and practical activities, pupils should be taught the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to engage in an iterative process of designing and making. They should work in a range of relevant contexts [for example, the home and school, gardens and playgrounds, the local community, industry and the wider environment].

 

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. 

 

Key stage 1

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:

Design

  • design purposeful, functional, appealing products for themselves and other users based on design criteria.
  • generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through talking, drawing, templates, mock-ups and, where appropriate, information and communication technology.

Make

  • select from and use a range of tools and equipment to perform practical tasks [for example, cutting, shaping, joining and finishing].
  • select from and use a wide range of materials and components, including construction materials, textiles and ingredients, according to their characteristics.

Evaluate

  • explore and evaluate a range of existing products.
  • evaluate their ideas and products against design criteria.

Technical knowledge 

  • build structures, exploring how they can be made stronger, stiffer and more stable.
  • explore and use mechanisms [for example, levers, sliders, wheels and axles], in their products. 

 

Key stage 2

When designing and making, pupils should be taught to:

Design

  • use research and develop 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 and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design.

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.
  • evaluate their ideas and products against their own design criteria and consider the views of others to improve their work.
  • understand how key events and individuals in design and technology have helped shape the world.

Technical knowledge

  • apply their understanding of how to strengthen, stiffen and reinforce more complex structures  understand and use mechanical systems in their products [for example, gears, pulleys, cams, levers and linkages].
  • understand and use electrical systems in their products [for example, series circuits incorporating switches, bulbs, buzzers and motors].
  • apply their understanding of computing to program, monitor and control their products.

 

Cooking and Nutrition

As part of their work with food, pupils should be taught how to cook and apply the principles of nutrition and healthy eating. Instilling a love of cooking in pupils will also open a door to one of the great expressions of human creativity. Learning how to cook is a crucial life skill that enables pupils to feed themselves and others affordably and well, now and in later life.

Key stage 1

Pupils should be taught to:

  • use the basic principles of a healthy and varied diet to prepare dishes.
  • understand where food comes from.

Key stage 2

Pupils should be taught to:

  • understand and apply the principles of a healthy and varied diet.
  • prepare and cook a variety of predominantly savoury dishes using a range of cooking techniques.
  • understand seasonality, and know where and how a variety of ingredients are grown, reared, caught and processed.
Intent
Pupils design and make products that solve real and relevant problems within a variety of contexts whilst considering their own and others’ needs, wants, and values. The children are also given opportunities to reflect upon and evaluate past and present design technology, its uses, and its effectiveness and are encouraged to become innovators and risk-takers.

 

It assists children to work individually and as members of a team to further develop their creativity and critical understanding of the wider world and prepare them for the opportunities and experiences of later life. Through design and technology, children become discriminating informed users of products and become risk takers and innovators.

 

At Hextable Primary School, we intend to deliver a design and technology curriculum that develops learning and results in the acquisition of knowledge and skills, and promotes the spiritual, moral, cultural, mental, and physical development of pupils. It is our aim to create strong cross-curricular links with other subjects, such as Mathematics, science, computing, and art and design to build rich environments for a variety of meaningful, learning opportunities.

 

 

 Implementation 

At Hextable Primary School design and technology is implemented through:

  •  a whole school subject overview of the DT curriculum across the academic year which allows for progression across year groups in all areas of DT (textiles, mechanisms, structures, cooking, and nutrition)
  • well-planned and resourced projects providing children with a hands-on and enriching experience based on the year group’s termly theme.
  • a range of knowledge and skills being taught ensuring that children are aware of health and safety issues related to the tasks undertaken.
  • each project from Year 1 to Year 6 addresses the principles of designing, making, evaluating, and incorporating relevant technical knowledge, vocabulary, and understanding in relevant contexts.
  • pupils being introduced to specific designers, chefs, nutritionists, etc. helping to create an appreciation of human creativity and achievement and increase the cultural capital from which they can draw in the future.

 

  Design & Technology Subject Overview

Design & Technology Progression of Skills

Design & Technology Progression of Vocabulary

 

Design & Technology at Hextable Primary School