Design and Technology

Intent:

At Wilbraham Primary School, we intend to provide an inspiring, practical and relevant Design and Technology Curriculum. We give each pupil a chance to believe in themselves as designers and engineers and encourage resilience, perseverance and an acceptance that mistakes are an important part of learning. We promote the importance of hard work to build success and the development of a growth mindset. We encourage the children to improve their designs and existing products to achieve their best possible work. We provide children with a secure grasp of the skills needed to design and create successful products which can be used by their target user and to take home a product that they are proud of.

Implementation:

To ensure high standards of teaching and learning in Design and Technology, we implement a curriculum that is progressive throughout the whole school. Design and Technology is taught as part of a cross-curricular half-termly topic, focusing on the knowledge and skills stated in the National Curriculum. At Wilbraham, we currently use the ‘Projects on a Page’ Scheme from the Design and Technology Association. This scheme compliments the National Curriculum and provides clear skills and objectives. Each year group ( Y1- Y5) has 3 projects to complete throughout the year (Y6 has 2 projects to complete) which allow the children to gain a wide range of skills. These include: mechanisms, structures, electrical products, textiles and food preparation. Each project follows a clear process: research, design, make and evaluate. Work is recorded in DT books which follow the children throughout their school journey and some final products are displayed in classrooms.

Impact:

Within Design and Technology, we aim to encourage children to become problem-solvers, both as individuals and as part of a team. We aspire that pupils will have gained knowledge and understanding of different skills and techniques required to solve problems by designing and creating a variety of products using a safe approach. Our carefully-planned curriculum allows the children to reflect on and evaluate present and past design and technology, its uses and its impact. Children learn to be passionate and excited by the designing and making of products including working with, preparing and tasting food. Children will be equipped with skills and knowledge that will enable them to be ready for the curriculum at Key Stage 3 and for life as a capable citizen in the wider world.