Design & Technology

“Technology makes what was once impossible, possible. The design makes it real.”      

Michael Gagliano

Purpose

Our high-quality, purposeful Design Technology curriculum at Etruscan Primary aims to inspire our pupils to be creative, innovative and passionate through the engagement of first-hand learning experiences. Design and Technology gives children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing, making and evaluating functional products. We inspire our children to develop technical skills and knowledge that will help them with their future learning in Year 7 and will also enable them to solve real problems in their future lives.

Rationale

 We teach Design Technology in the Early Years Foundation Stage as an integral part of topic work covered throughout the year in the Physical Development and Expressive Arts and Design areas of learning. This ensures children develop their fine motor skills and use what they have learnt about materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes.

This learning is built upon from Year 1 to Year 6 where we follow the school’s DT curriculum map. The teaching sequence allows children to review previous learning, carry out market research into existing products, investigate and explore how products work, test materials and use this knowledge to design their own products. Children create a design criteria, make and then review their product and evaluate it against the design criteria.

Characteristics of Competency in Design and Technology:

• An ability to work independently to develop ideas and concepts
• An ability to innovate ideas
• An ability to work efficiently and constructively with others
• An ability to carry out research, show initiative and ask questions to develop designs and concepts
• An ability to use different equipment and materials to make products
• An ability to critically evaluate products, suggesting improvements where necessary

Applying DT within other subjects

• In English, children widen their vocabulary progressively between year groups and use their communication skills to articulate what they are creating, why and how.
• In mathematics, children use their data handling knowledge (statistics) for evaluations, accurate measurements and develop their awareness of shape and space
• In science, DT links include: links with healthy foods when producing food projects, understanding materials when working with structures mechanisms and textiles in KS1. KS2 links include: understanding nutritional value of foods, reversible and irreversible changes and balanced diets during food projects, applying their understanding of circuits during the electrical systems projects and understanding the properties of materials when designing and making structures. 
• In history, children learn about how inventions have changed and shaped our modern world. 
• In geography, children learn about different bridges and their purpose. 

Inclusion:

Teachers set high expectations for every pupil. They plan challenging work to enable all pupils to make good progress regardless of their academic ability or background. We expect all children to make good progress albeit from different starting points.