Design Technology
At Fetcham Infants, Design and Technology is an essential part of our children’s curriculum. With our CLOVER principles at the centre, it gives children opportunities to develop the knowledge and skills required to effectively investigate and explore the world around them. From Early Years, right through to the end of Key Stage One, our curriculum stimulates enquiry, encourages creativity and inventiveness through problem solving. Children will learn the skills of Designing, Making and Evaluating as well as key Technical Knowledge about structures and mechanisms. This will help children to become more discriminating and informed users of products and become innovators, in preparation for the future and its rapidly changing technologies.
In order to achieve this, we aim:
- To provide a structure and progressive study of designing and making relevant to the age, experience and interest of the children which is fully in line with national curriculum requirements at KS1
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To provide opportunities for children to look at the world around them through school trips, reference books, photographs, stories, models, objects brought into the classroom for discussion, the immediate environment, ICT applications and internet resources.
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To provide opportunities and encouragement to discuss and question how things are made and how they function.
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To develop a positive attitude towards designing and making a wide range of products.
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To ensure opportunities to discuss why things are made and a comparison of designs, to determine which best meets the intended purpose.
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To provide an introduction to a wide range of materials and components used in the manufacture of a design (sheet materials, wood, textiles and reclaimed materials).
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To create an atmosphere that encourages investigation into the suitability and comparison of different materials specific to the purpose and design.
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To begin to understand the design process including technological processes, products and their manufacture, and their contribution to their environment.
In order to achieve these objectives the teaching of skills is refined into 4 key areas:
DESIGN – so that children know how to:
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Design products for themselves and others based on designs
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Draw and/or model ideas
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Discuss their own and others ideas
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Identify any strengths and challenges and make suggestions on how the challenges could be solved
MAKE - so that children know how to:
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Make an appropriate choice of materials, tools and techniques
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Take proper care of tools and materials – avoiding wastage
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Measure, mark out and cut a range of materials
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Assemble and join materials to make temporary or permanent fixings (stitching, gluing, taping, stapling)
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Decide and apply finishing techniques
EVALUATE
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Investigate and explore a range of products
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Evaluate against design criteria
TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE:
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Mechanisms
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Structures
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How familiar things are made and function and whether they are suitable for purpose
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Health and safety procedures for all, including food and hygiene
Children’s learning will be assessed by:
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Children discussing their learning
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Observation
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Written work, ICT and wall displays
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Questioning to show children’s understanding
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Self and peer assessment
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Children’s work will be valued and appreciated by presenting and using their design with others
Design and Technology is continually monitored and assessed to ensure children are meeting the intended outcomes. The impact can be measured through key questioning skills built into lessons, peer and self-assessment and summative assessments aimed at targeting next steps in learning. Termly assessments against the National Curriculum expectations are also entered onto our school tracking system to allow for whole school monitoring. Displays are often utilised to celebrate the achievements of children and share the high quality learning throughout the school. We want to ensure that Design and Technology is loved by teachers and pupils across school, therefore encouraging them to continue building on this wealth of skills and understanding, now and in the future.
Below, you will find our Design Technology Curriculum Map which details what is taught across the school in Design Technology, by each year.
Please also use the Knowledge Organisers, a useful resource to find out what vocabulary and learning activities the children will be carrying out.
For more information on DT, or for activities to try at home please click on the following links:
Good Housekeeping creative activities for kids
Reclaimed material modelling ideas
BBC Good food - No-cook Kids' Recipes