Return to Curriculum

Design & Technology

At Reed First School we ensure that Design Technology gives children the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and understanding of designing and making functional products. We feel it is vital to nurture creativity and innovation through design, and by exploring the designed and made world in which we all live and our children will work in in the future.

Design and Technology education helps develop children’s skills through collaborative working and problem-solving. As pupils progress, they will build upon knowledge in design, materials, structures, mechanisms and electrical control. They are encouraged to be creative and innovative, and are actively encouraged to think about important issues such as sustainability and enterprise.

Designing, making and evaluating begins as soon as the children enter our Nursery in the Early Years.  They have continuous access to a range of materials to get creative with.  They learn how to build, join and create ready for specific design technology projects from Key Stage One.

Aims

We follow national curriculum for design and technology 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.

Planning

Projects will enable our pupils to:

  • Draw upon prior learning
  • Design
  • Make
  • Evaluate
  • Develop technical knowledge and understanding

The curriculum is split to follow our mixed age planning policy used throughout the subjects.   Over the years, our pupils work with the following aspects:

  • Structures, mechanisms, textiles and food in Key Stage One.
  • Structures, mechanisms, textiles, mechanical systems, electrical systems and food in Key Stage Two.

 

Teachers will plan projects which have meaning and purpose and think about the overall potential of the project.    The project title will follow this frame:

Design, make and evaluate a _______ (product) for __________ (user) for ________ (purpose).

Every pupil will work on three projects every year.  During every project, pupils will have the opportunity to carry out:

  • Investigative and Evaluative Activities (IEAs)
  • Focused Tasks (FTs)
  • Design, Make and Evaluate Assignment (DMEA)

Recording

Every pupil has a design technology book where the projects they carry out are recorded for a clear map of their progress and experience in the subject at their time at our school.

The books are passed up through the school and are used for formative and summative assessment.