Appleton C of E Primary School

Design and Technology

What is Design and Technology?

Aims of Design and Technology

At Appleton CE (A) Primary School, design and technology is an inspiring, rigorous and practical subject. 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. They acquire a broad range of subject knowledge and draw on disciplines such as mathematics, science, engineering, computing and art. Pupils learn how to take risks, becoming resourceful, innovative, enterprising and capable citizens. 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. High-quality design and technology education makes an essential contribution to the creativity, culture, wealth and well-being of the nation.  

How is Design and Technology taught? 

We aim 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  
  • 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. 

Intent

At Appleton CE (A) Primary School, we feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design. We strive to develop the technical and practical expertise needed for children to participate successfully in an increasingly technological world. Across the school, children use creativity and imagination to design and make products within a variety of engaging contexts. It is our intention that our Design and Technology curriculum will provide opportunities to solve real and relevant problems, allowing our pupils to develop essential everyday skills. Our Design and Technology curriculum will encourage children to learn, think and intervene creatively to solve problems both as an individual and as part of a team.  

Implementation

We achieve this by:  

  • We use a skills-based approach to teaching and Design Technology learning using objectives taken from the National Curriculum. We teach DT skills discretely, making relevant cross-curricular links, and ensure all children access all areas of the Design Technology Curriculum.  
  • Following the design process: research, design, make and evaluate.  
  • Beginning with the purpose of a product for a user, the children are encouraged to use the exploration of existing products to gain first-hand experience of existing approaches. We aim to promote creative problem solvers, both as individuals and part of a team and pupils develop their understanding of the ways in which people in the past and present have used design to meet their needs.  
  • Giving children opportunities to design and make quality products using a range of tools, materials, and components, make connections with their learning across the curriculum including in maths, computing, science, and art and reflect on and evaluate techniques using subject-specific vocabulary.  
  • Teachers follow a clear progression of skills which ensure all pupils are challenged in -line with their year group expectations and given the opportunity to build on their prior knowledge.  
  • Food technology is implemented across the school with children developing an understanding of where food comes from, the importance of a varied and healthy diet and how to prepare this.  

Impact

At Appleton Primary School, our Design and Technology curriculum enables and encourages our children to becomes critical thinkers. They look at existing designs to analyse and assess its effectiveness and then they consider ways of redesigning and reconstructing it to improve its overall success. Through DT our children learn to take risks, become resourceful, innovative and enterprising individuals. Children learn to be passionate and excited by the designing and making of products including working with, preparing and tasting food.  

 

Design and Technology Skills Progression 

 

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